Quote:
Originally Posted by daepp
Fint: "My generation and the subsequent one...own the creation of an overly generous welfare state (pretty stupid IMHO). Your generation has made it a way of life."
I'm 51. IDK how old you are but I've assumed you're around my age. The overly generous welfare state was inevitable, and put in motion in the 30's. Unless you're way older than me, I have a hard time accepting that our generation created it. Once most things like this get started, they remain forever. I can't think of a government program (or tax) that's ever been eliminated. Aren't we still paying a tax for the Spanish-American war?
I'm accepting no responsibility for the putrid welfare state!
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As each new generation attained the age to vote, they had enough power to stop the madness...and did not. Unfortunately, my generation...and your generation share the blame....because we didn't put the reins on sufficiently when we had the chance...and the next ones allowed it to be even worse. To them...this idiocy seems normal. If indeed, millennials are "poor, beat down and emasculated"...and many do seem to be to an even larger extent that previous generations. Each new generation has seemed to worsen (not all, but a larger proportion) and the previous generation acts as an enabler.
As far as increased spending and folks not working...eventually there has to be a tipping point. Whether it is illegal immigration (which depresses wages) or subsidies to not work. If you give your kid has a part time job that requires him to get up early on Saturday, giving him $20 might not result in him quitting his job. If you gave him an allowance of $20 a week it might. If you gave him $200 a week, it would be even more likely. The same is true for helping out your neighbors. What is too much? Give you buddy across the street $20K because he is on hard times---or give the entire neighborhood $50K a year if they quit their jobs and stay home. How many would stay home?
If you look at the following Charts (late FY14 and 15 are projections):
First, fewer and fewer Americans choose to work (some can be explained by the aging population...but the statistics show that the rate has dropped much faster that predicted based on pop.).
How are we encouraging this lack of participation:
Welfare spending which discourages work and take funds away from legitimate business?
Spending
State and Local Spending?
Social Security expansion?
Healthcare cost escalation?
How is it payed for? Debt?
...and to answer the earlier question regarding defense spending...
