Controversial Political Opinions

[David Horn]

(03-19-2022, 09:09 PM)JasonBlack Wrote:

(03-19-2022, 09:28 AM)David Horn Wrote: First, there is little of what can be called 'welfare' to even discuss.  Bill Clinton did it in, much to his shame.  Almost everyone receiving anything (and far too little imho) is either mentally or physically unable to work, or both.  All the Welfare Queen nonsense is just that. 

"The total amount spent on these 80-plus federal welfare programs amounts to roughly $1.03
trillion."

^we can argue about what is a reasonable amount, which items should be included or which items should be slashed/added to. what we cannot argue about is that it is a small amount.

"Welfare" as it is known here is not a basket of social benefits -- even benefits targeted at the poor. Prior to Bill Clinton, it was Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). There was no intent beyond supporting these families. The program was wasteful on many levels and needed to be amended not killed, but killed it was.

JasonBlack Wrote:

David Horn Wrote:There is a codicil: benefits scammers are prolific and tend to avoid being caught.  Isn't it better to extract them from the shadows, provide aid if it's needed and ignore the blame game?

100%, that was my intention from the get go.

Good.

JasonBlack Wrote:

David Horn Wrote:Really?  I know some people who actually tried something like that, and they ended their relationships as bitter enemies ... even before they began.  Matters of the heart don't do well in the legal realm.

I would need to see more case studies.

Again, affairs of the heart are poor subjects and inherently dangerous to the people being studied. But pre-nups are not uncommon. Most are dictated, not negotiated.

JasonBlack Wrote:

David Horn Wrote:Well, we agree on something.  I would expand the list, but you have the right idea.

supporting capitalism does not mean I support the majority of the tenants of American-style capitalism. frankly, depriving people of holidays in the name of not supporting "laziness" or "entitlement" is just contemptuous.

The worst part of capitalism, from the human perspective at least, is the insistence on maximum productivity. It lead to many factory deaths in the early 20th century and is now leading to major health issues in distribution centers -- Amazon being the worst offender. As usual, it is the unrestrained demand for ROI.