Which is better for society?

Question

A society which strives to provide higher education for all its citizens, thereby raising the standard of all its citizens, or a society which strives to keep down whole segments of the population in menial jobs, essentially "shining the shoes" of the rich?

A society which strives to help each of its citizens to reach their full potential? or to continue feeding the top 2% of the population with 80% of the wealth of the entire nation?

I am sick to death of reading posts about welfare and not working.
I have never, ever met one person in my entire life who did not WANT to work.

Maybe you people who are bitching about welfare and "all those people" who aren't working -- maybe you know people I don't know. I suspect, however, that you have merely fallen for the lies spouted by angry white fat liars like rush.

Which is better for society?
For 2% to hold the wealth? Or...every American to have affordable health care, fair wages, excellent education?

Jobs on "yachts" indeed.

Josh: I've already taken Econ 101, not relevant to the question in actuality, but so nice of you to DODGE.

To LEOgirl: Honey, I've seen plenty of the "real world."

I don't believe a word of what you say. Not a word. And if it's true, PLEASE provide proof that those "welfare people" are Democrats. People who are dirt poor don't give a rat's behind about politics, they're worried about their next meal. And the next time you're whining about "welfare people" please do us all a favor and post the link for the DOLLAR AMOUNT UNCLE SAM GIVES TO CORPORATIONS EVERY YEAR.

TO ARGLEBARG: The "yacht part" of my post was directed at a Question posted just a few minutes ago by somebody named "Ruth" who asked wasn't it better to buy a yacht and give people "jobs" than it was to "help society."

TO TINKER THINKER: Dear, I think you may be confused about my question and somebody ELSE's question. I'm not advocating welfare, I'm simply suggesting that as a society, it would be in our best interests to actually fund Education, job training, research and development in this country. If we have trillions to spend on military toys, we have millions to spend on better jobs.

Also to TINKER: And you're wrong about this being "the land of opportunity.


It USED to be.

It is not any more. You should read some Bill Moyers, he does an excellent job of discussing it.

to molter:
>It's not Government's role to provide jobs. <
I don’t think I said that it was. Is it “Government’s role” to write out a $650 million check to save the failing Savings and Loan in Texas? Perhaps if “Government” spent a few pennies of that Defense money on JOB TRAINING our inner city youth would have a shot at a future. It’s investment in our future.

>Be your own boss if you really care so much about money.<
You think anybody can be their own boss? Do any of you black-and-white type people understand Life sometimes DICTATES circumstances? And it has nothing to do with ME “caring so much about money” I’m talking about SOCIETY. WHY do you not bat an eye at millions pissed away by Uncle Sam but are so begrudging about paying a fair wage? I don’t get it.

>> Lobby your Rep and Senator for tort law reform. <
Wow. No-- YOU lobby YOUR rep and senator to beat back the pharmaceutical mafia. I’d just as soon be able to sue a doctor for leaving scissors in my abdomen.

To elysia: THANK YOU. And a point I was TRYING to make.

ALL people who work are valuable. I see degrading remarks about burger flippers....well......you eat burgers don't you? If a person gets up to go to work, I DON'T CARE WHAT THE JOB IS, he should get decent wages. Yes, of course someone with more Education training should get paid more, no one ever said otherwise.

But to turn up your nose and say,"If he doesn't like it, let him go to school" is busshtt. True horse manure. ANY JOB should pay enough to pay your bills. If the company is doing well, the WORKERS should be doing well.

TO LESLEY: Sorry girlie, but for every "welfare queen" story you throw at me, I can see that and raise you four corporate rape stories. Enron? Pension funds? Anderson? Texas Savings and Loans?

TO PHILIP: Nobody anywhere is "envious" of you, honey. No need to go check your moldy dollars hidden under your mattress. Nobody, anywhere that I am aware of is "taking" your money from you. Got a problem with "high taxes" do you? Hmmmm......HOW did you get that money?

The system is not fair.
The system is set up for the rich.
This country would benefit from educating its citizens, it would benefit from paying decent wages for people who WORK instead of all the profit going to the CEOs.

Wow. Greed is so unattractive.

TO RLP; you didn't even *read* my post, your drivel was verbatim party line.

Go away.

To CJOHN:

*sigh* I'm not talking about *ME* sweetie. I'm talking about a country where people get red in the face bitching about "welfare" which is, in actuality, like less than 1% of the total budget. Big freakin' deal.

I want to see money spent on the PEOPLE and not on the military.

I want to see people get paid fair wages for an honest day's work. What's wrong with that?

NOBODY is posting that people should not work.

And all of you people saying, "You can do this and that and get ahead and nobody's stopping you" honey, it's not Mayberry any more. TIMES HAVE CHANGED.

Answer 1

I agree with you, but we will always need burger flippers. We cannot all be scientists, rock stars and astronauts. We need people to work the fields and care for our children and make our french fries.

What we need to realize and appreciate is that these people are as integral to our society as well and deserve fair wages, health care and security.

In fact, I'd say Field workers and burger flippers work a hell of a lot harder than alot of professionals.

There ARE people who abuse the system but they are far and few between.

My BF is on Assistance due to a disability and by no means is he living in the lap of luxury on our tax dollars. He would KILL to work and is always striving to find a job that he can do with his disability. (No luck yet but he isn't stopping trying).

We should appreciate him and his talents as well, and assistance should help him receive an education/training or business loan to help him find something that allows him to be a contributing member of society.

Answer 2

I have no problem with welfare per se, but it should be a stop-gap.

It's not Government's role to provide jobs. Be your own boss if you really care so much about money.

You want affordable health care? Lobby your Rep and Senator for tort law reform. Let the doctors actually afford to practice.

You want fair wages? I'd say mine are pretty fair. But, I've worked to get here. Try changing what you do or where you work, if you think you're underpaid.

Excellent education? Why are there so many foreign exchange students here on our University campuses? Because we have excellent education.

Here's a thought. If I were Bill Gates, it wouldn't matter if I had $10 million or $10 Billion? No, because, there's a limit to what weath can buy you. So, does the 2% point matter? Why take that away from people who've earned it? You shouldn't expect government to strive on your behalf.

That should be done on your own.

Answer 3

Wealth is not a zero-sum proposition. In America, anyone can rise to the level of being wealthy. The preponderance of examples are there for you to see - why don't you look at them?

Choose a field and work it. Do the best you can do, it may be better than anyone else can do. Innovate - use your mind and the education you are able to get or that which you have. PhD's are not required for success in America. Failing all else, follow trends.

Some of the laziest people are inventors. They HATE to work.

Quit complaining about what someone else has and go make your own. THAT'S the American way.

It may take working on somebody's yacht to get there.

Government exists to govern. That is the antithesis of liberty. It is imperative that we keep government COMPLETELY out of our personal lives.

Answer 4

human beings residing mutually in peace, happiness, prosperity (not monetarily, yet not in poverty or starvation), and good wellbeing. people who acquire "jobs" to help their families, and their community, to realize those middle issues. regulations laid down by skill of a set (community) consensus that save the middle "values" from disintegrating into chaos, conflict, poverty, strife, sickness, and malnutrition. a great training device so as that evolution (on the micro-point - community, wisdom, and so on) can take place and provide extra effective techniques to help the community prosper. And the skill to work out anybody interior the society as a individual, with the rights afforded to anybody else. i'm conversing equality (so some distance as high quality of artwork and expertise) and acceptance.

Answer 5

You answer your own question, It's obvious, but some of the more conservative bent don't look at things in the long term. They value profits over how we look at and take care of those less fortunate. It's a fundamental problem for any society - how do we take care of other members of society? Welfare isn't simply lazy people - there are truly deserving people receiving welfare benefits. Only narrow-minded people look at things in black-and-white terms - it's easy, but doesn't provide any realistic long-term answers.

Answer 6

Unfortunately I have had the displeasure of knowing many people who were content to lay around on their lazy butts scrounging everything the govt. would give them. And NO they did not want to work, they were just lazy losers who felt entitled to have taxpayers make their way in life. Whats the point of people being offered education when about half of these welfare scums don't want to go to school because they might miss an episode of Jerry Springer. There are 2 sides to every story. There is a man at my husbands work who happens to get into "accidents" at every job he has had so he can scrounge off of disability. Luckily he was caught and now he can't even get welfare, this guy had a job paying him $40/hr and he was content to lay home and pretend he was hurt to scrounge off the government because he was too lazy to work, does it sound like he wants to work to you?????

Answer 7

Which is better; a society that takes form the hard working rich person who made it to the top and hands it out to the poor people with supporters like you, or a society in which EVERYBODY is free to make and KEEP the money they earn and they are ALLOWED to spend it how and where they want?

Nobody is "keeping down" anybody in this country. That is pure BS. People should quit envying the rich and instead try to get off their asses and be one of them.

Answer 8

What is BEST for society is that every able bodied person WORK and contribute to society - but that's not how it works.

Democrats encourage laziness by their entitlement programs.
You don't know ANYONE who doesn't want to work? You must be 10 because there are MILLIONS on the Government "take" that do not WANT to work and want Society to pay their way.

The wealthy WORKED for their money and who are YOU to say they don't deserve the fruits of THEIR labor? Such arrogance.

You liberals have them believing that just because they are POOR - we OWE them. I OWE no one who does not WORK - nothing! They get "donations" from me because I am a Christian and even God made laziness and sloth a sin.

Answer 9

The reason there are so many posts blaming poor people and those on welfare as their own fault is that it gives the whiner a reason not to care about the less fortunate.

Answer 10

Then you have been very fortunate to not be around the people I have seen in my life who have chosen that the only job they want is to find out what other government handout they can get so they will not have to move their lazy butts off the couch. You need to get out more and see the real world.