Now… On to the *real* issue. You and I have a fundamental difference in what the government should do. I don’t think it is fair to compare the defense budget to the social services budget. I don’t look at my $80 electric bill and my $400 food bill and complain that they aren’t more similar. And before you counter, I don’t think that the social services budget should be large. The federal government is in no position to determine how these things are done. They should focus on security and high-level infrastructure. The rest of it should be passed to smaller structures… the first line being State government. Frankly, the Federal income tax laws irritate me. This is just an example of how things have to be done at the federal level. Why do I pay these higher rates for taxes when I (and you) live in one of the more expensive areas to live in the U.S.? If I still lived in Missouri, I could make significantly less and live significantly better. But taxes are based solely on my income. If I didn’t own a house, can you imagine how that would be?
No. I don’t like a government funded gas card. I know. I’m cold. I know that some people have had struggles they couldn’t overcome and maybe find themselves just doing whatever they can to get by. I also know what my family did… fighting tooth and nail to survive without government assistance (which was horrible, and idiotic when given, not to mention ultimately corrupt). I was always told that I was going to go to college, and when I did, I patiently worked and ate my Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until I graduated. I have a friend who picked flowers every day, and then rode a bike ten miles to learn English. He went to school and is now an engineer. No. I’m not into spending my money to make life easier for people who are struggling. Some people really need it, and those I want to help. They don’t want it long term, just need a boost to get out of it. Too many people just believe that they should be taken care of. I give my change to people on the street stupidly all the time. One time after I gave about three dollars to a guy, I turned around after walking away to see him lighting up a joint. Screw that. You want to create a plan? Make recipients of government funds work for the government for a certain amount of time per week.
I know we differ here. I just think that “support” becomes a crutch and removes any sense of pride that a person has if they didn’t do something for it. On top of that, I don’t think the government is capable of implementing a plan to help those that truly need it. I’m trying to cut this short(er), but have seen government programs put struggling people in places that working families couldn’t afford. What the heck? Sorry. I’m just not a fan of government subsidizing people in general. Yes, I know there are cases where it is valid. It’s just so hard to determine, and it costs us all… I pay about $45k in income tax, and no, I don’t want that to go up even a few dimes…
I definitely want to respond to this more, but am currently a little high on pain killer meds after my surgery… will write more in the next few days!
First, let’s leave the environmental stuff aside; you’re right, it was the governmental/social services thing that I wanted to talk about most. The environmental stuff is for another post.
Secondly, I do agree with parts of your response. There is a reason that I titled this post “Entitlement”. You say:
“I’m not into spending my money to make life easier for people who are struggling.”
Really? That is cold. So you never give to any charitable organization? You don’t claim any charitable contributions on your tax return?
I don’t believe that about you. I think what you’re trying to say is that you don’t believe that the benefits of your hard work should go towards people who don’t work as hard as you. And the problem is trying to define “hard work”. Who is to say how hard someone is working and how much they deserve? Now, you do say that “...[s]ome people really need it, and those I want to help. They don’t want it long term, just need a boost to get out of it.”
Who decides who really needs it, and who doesn’t? It’s a hard equation. I don’t have an answer. But I don’t want my government making value judgments about how I should or shouldn’t live my life.
I do think that the government is there for the people. We all pay taxes according to our means. Part of the benefit is that we all belong to this one organization, this one club called The United States of America. Members of a club should look out for each other. Now, I know that when your family was struggling, you got help from your church and neighbors. Not everyone has a church to belong to, or neighbors who are willing to help. But the common denominator is that we are all members of this country. We all have to be able to turn to someone. Thank God that we can turn to the government when we need to.
Yes, the system is flawed. Yes, people do take advantage of it. Any system that gets as large as the USA is going to have problems with it. If the USA were one little town of 300 people, there would be much more culpability than there is with a country of this many people. In a town that small, people could see exactly where their money was going, who needed help, and for how long, and we all could come together to make sure that everyone was contributing fairly. But in a country this big, “The Government” becomes a faceless entity that has the ability to give or withhold money and so becomes the enemy; hence people try to defeat the enemy by taking advantage of the system. I am not saying that the current system of social services is perfect in its current form; it obviously needs change. But it needs to be there, in the meantime.
I don’t think that the government should be there to give anyone a free ride. I do think that it should be there for those who need it. The woman with her 1985 Accord is working hard to stay out of welfare and is working just as hard as I am. I am astoundingly lucky to have had the guidance and help to get to where I am, financially. Maybe she didn’t. But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t deserve to have a little help while people like me are able to indulge in a new car with fantastic gas mileage. She is left behind with her car, doing the best she can to stay employed and keep her kids in daycare and make rent or even mortgage payments---and things are getting tight with the gas prices going up. So maybe those who can afford it can get great cars or work from home or whatever, and those who can’t get gas subsidies. Is that so wrong?
PS. Hope your computer is holding itself together…
Yes. I am that cold. I do give a little when I feel like I can and the cause is good. No, I don’t claim it on my takes. I don’t want a tax break for doing what I’m supposed to. I want a tax break for living in an area that is extremely expensive, so my tax base is comparable to someone that lives in a less expensive area…
Unfortunately, I’ve not seen evidence that my charitable influence has gone anywhere worthwhile. I only see that once it’s given, I’m being asked for more and more. I’ve had far too much experience with people that received “something” and found that that was far easier than trying. I think it often kills the pride and ambition of the recipient. I had neighbors in Missouri that were almost proud that they didn’t work, and told me so. Meanwhile, they were having kids every year for the extra money, and weren’t taking care of the kids they had!
You are right. I don’t want the government making value judgements for me either. Isn’t that exactly what we are asking them to do when we add these social programs to their list of responsibilities? Who determines who is “needy” enough to get credits for fuel? Is it like income tax and there is a flat income level across the U.S. so people in the Bay Area could never have this assistance?
How did the lady you describe get in her position? Yes, I’m cold and arrogant. I patiently went to school for a very long time while my friends left and started making money. I paid the piper, and he wasn’t cheap. I have scars of my own. You don’t want to know what my father did to hold finances together since he was twelve. I can hold my own with “how hard it is to survive” on various levels.
Because the masses are not generally in the boat of the most affluent, the wealthy are an easy target. We love to hate them. No one talks about how much the spending of the wealthy goes to employing the rest of society. Everyone wants to throw dung on people who seem to have lucky success. Look at the recent wealth generated by Google going public. This is not luck. It’s risk. A friend of mine came up with a new concept for power distribution and started a company. The people that joined startup took paycuts, and worked longer hours than any sane person should do. He risked a lot, and fortunately had family support. He stepped away from CEO and let someone else do it. That person messed up a deal that could have let him retire. Is he bitter? No. He looks at what he learned, and got another job. He works to the best level he can. We each take risks in an attempt to improve our situations. I have little patience for people who won’t take those risks, and expect someone else to improve their standard of living.
Yes, I’m probably too cold, but it’s the scars talking.
Meera, I wish you were the only person who got a kick out of discussing topics in the hopes of getting in my “grille!” I’m sure that as intelligent people we really can think about these things, and then you will realize I’m right!!!
Kidding aside, my last fillup was $100. The lady at the gas station felt sorry for me and offered me about $5 worth of merchandise without charging me. It does suck, but at least I don’t have to drive over the hill everyday. Remember, you were going to work from home?
The power industry is riddled with conflicts between efficiency and environmental impact. The oil companies love the fear of diminishing reserves, even though it is far, far out. It allows them to drive up the cost. We turn to electric alternatives. We can plug in electric cars and pull power from the grid… much of which comes from coal and natural gas burning power plants. We can drive our hybrids, and save fuel costs right up until the batteries fail. They are expensive, and need special handling for disposal. If an efficient means could be found to do as you suggest and develop a way to separate water molecules in a fission process to make enough of an explosion to move pistons. Our power requirements would sky-rocket until we found that we were really destroying an absolutely necessary component for earth’s survival. Our current water consumption seems fairly cyclic between creation and consumption. If it were too involved in the power creation, we’d destroy that balance.
At UMR the mining engineers have a wonderful saying, ‘if it can’t be grown, it has to be mined.’ That is the way of resources. Everything comes from somewhere, and after considering Einstein’s E=mc^2, the creation of energy will ultimately leave something else in the end.
It is our consumption that is the problem, in my opinion. The internet economy and utility can help with this. Why have 100 people go to the store, when you could order it on line, and have one driver deliver it over the course of a couple of days? Why do we have to sit in an office and do the same thing that we could do if we set up shop at home? It would cost me about $600/month if I had to drive in every day, and that’s just to get to work and back. I would do the exact same thing I do at home. Get on a computer and the phone, and work on building the best computers known to man. On top of that, Sun would have to pay for the infrastructure and real estate.
I agree that alternative energy sources are necessary. To complicate matters further is to build infrastructure. It’s a nightmare that we started 100 years ago, and it will probably take that long to figure it out…