[Moneyguy1]

Ah..That is the rub.....You (and I) ARE paying for them, whether it be through welfare, prisons or any number of public assistance programs.

I keep asking myself....Which is the more expensive alternative...early intervention or long-term dole?

"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day...Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime." Simplistic, but with more than a grain of truth.

I would also respectfully argue against the idea that it is the individual's sole responsibility in the quest for success (however that is defined). Supe speaks about mentoring. In every career I can name, a newcomer will rise or fall depending upon the acceptance and assistance of the "old hands" or those in positions of power within the organization. That is the way the world works. No one operates totally in a vacuum. Manufacturers cannot survive without labor, and the opposite is true. A symbiotic relationship exists in an economy.