[Superman]

Yep, she's a good kid. And yeah, she'll learn stuff as she gets older. Some of the naivete will wear off but if she's like her father (and indeed it seems as though she is), she'll keep as much of it for as long as possible.

Moses, you're a pretty sharp cookie so I'll hazard an interpretation of her remark. I think she's looking more broadly, and beyond, the question of whether someone feels as though they have made a choice, or whether you or I say they made a choice. Behind our choices is a set of experiences and perceptions, as well as genetics. Sometimes that combination results in unfortunate choices. I'm not making excuses for folks who choose badly, just an observation. For example, we can say that a heroin addict makes a choice to "use" each day. But that's not really a choice, really. Not everyone understands this but I'd guess you do. My church also considers whether the sinner's choice was truly free, or constrained. So, I think the daughter would respond to your comment by looking you up and down and remaining silent with the hope you would continue until you've made a point. Something's wrong, she notices. And there is a beggar on the street, she also notices. Clearly there has been some decision-making. And still she concludes that something is wrong. She's not as quick to write people off.

Yeah, I've raised a couple of liberals. Proudly. And BTW, FWIW, the younger one (now 12) clearly, CLEARLY has a strong entrepeneurial spirit. This is going to be interesting.