|
With all due respect to some really thoughtful posters on this subject, I think everyone is talking around the issue.
What separates us (the lib vs. conservative spectrum) is not so much how we feel about the guy or gal that made nothing of their life. I'm on the left side but I would never think to say, "oh, that poor fellow he came from a poor family and got involved with drugs and then went to jail for stealing, I need to help him."
I know that is the parody a lot of conservatives play in their heads when thinking about "us." But its just not true ... I think that guy is a jerk that had opportunities but blew them, because he was lazy, dishonest, or whatever. I don't pity him.
But here's what separates us ... What do we do about him? What do we do about his kids? How do we build a society where there are fewer people like him?
Pretend you live in a small town of 100 people, including a crack-addicted woman with 4 kids aged 3-10. There are no other resources available to her or her kids except the town and its people. You control the town. What do you do about her? What do you do about her kids?
|