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Wrong again. Once again retard go look at what Reagan proposed and Congress passed EVERY year he was President. You will find that, true to their word, for every dollar Reagan added to the military they added to social Programs. NOT ONE budget in Reagan's years was ever passed as he submitted, they were all increased by the democrats. The debt created while Reagan was President is easy to lay at the Democratic Congress's feet. They caused and they are to blame.
Wrong again. Once again retard go look at what Reagan proposed and Congress passed EVERY year he was President. You will find that, true to their word, for every dollar Reagan added to the military they added to social Programs. NOT ONE budget in Reagan's years was ever passed as he submitted, they were all increased by the democrats. The debt created while Reagan was President is easy to lay at the Democratic Congress's feet. They caused and they are to blame.
Diuretic thought this would be an interesting discussion so here goes.
With the mortgage bail out and Obama championing universal health care I have to wonder the path the left is leading us down.
Very broadely the left seems to continually enact policies that shift personal responsibility from the individual to government. The ramificaations of which are staggering.
As a rule we become smarter, grow stronger, by meeting and overcomeing challenges. Our behavior is governed by the things that negatively impact us. We learn not to repeat behaviors that have a negative impact on us. The ol' the young child doesn't learn it'll hurt to touch the hot stove until he/she burns themselves on the hot stove. Yet in burning themselves the child has gained knowledge. A type of knowledge that is irreplaceable from just say mommy telling you that's gonna hurt. You won't even be curious about it anymore. You now know what will happen if you touch the hot stove, so you don't it again.
The left seems to be overly preoccupied with keeping people from 'burning' themselves. The mortgage bail out is a prime example. How are homebuyers going to learn not to take loans they have financial business taking out, if the government is just going to bail them out? How are banks going to learn to not approve such high risk loans, if the government is going to bail them out?
Under something like universal heatlhcare, how is removing the financal burden of healthcare an insentive for people to change their health habits?
All of these things make us weaker as a civilization because we are prevented from experiencing and responsibily dealing with the consequences of our actions. We don't have to deal with adversity anymore. It's like getting an A for effort. I got an A for trying to learn but not actually learning. Meanwhile the person who actual did learn has just be shown he really didn't need to put that kind of effort forth because he could have gotten an just for trying.
The trouble with the thread assumption is, it has no connection to reality. The idea that one side favors government as Ma is just rhetoric. If you live in the world you would know that people get their hope wishes and aspirations from family class and society and everyone wants to make it. Even the lazy work just not as well. The divisive spin of this idea kills programs that bring hope to people who really do need help. Consider the older people, women especially who worked or raised a family and now need SS because of tragedy or simply aging. America has lost her heart since Reagan, some on the right have made and continue to make America an insecure and rather sad place.
The Social Welfare State, beyond Ideology: Scientific American
CEPR - America Since 1980: A Right Turn Leading to a Dead End
Well, we could let our citizens get sick without treatment, and go broke without a parachute plan. We'd all learn to not do that again, but at the price of much of our economy and workforce.
I don't have to cut my leg off to know I need two to walk.
Under something like universal heatlhcare, how is removing the financal burden of healthcare an insentive for people to change their health habits?
Universal healthcare doesn't remove a financial burden on most people if it's funded by taxation on income and that's the model I'm used to. Well, it's not so much a financial burden when it's done that way. And those on welfare or self-funded retirees get less of a financial burden. But the purpose of universal health care isn't to use a financial impost to encourage a healthy lifestyle (eg a good diet and avoidance of foods that are, if consumed too much, can be deleterious to health), it's to make health care available to everyone, regardless of income.
I think healthy habits are learned (just as unhealthy habits are learned) as children but also they're reinforced (healthy and unhealthy habits I mean) as adults in various ways. This might sound very middle-class but I really think education of children and adults is a better approach to encouraging healthy habits.
The problem with arguing that there should be a financial burden on people to live healthily is that it only affects the poor and possibly the middle class. Anyway, as I said, I don't think it's a valid argument.
But on your points about learning to overcome adversity. It's true, adversity is good for us – to a point. And again, without wanting this to seem to be a “bash the rich” exercise, the wealthy and extremely wealthy don't have to worry about adversity. Suggesting that the wealthy and extremely wealthy actually have to face up to real and not imagine or exaggerated adversity reminds me of those great lines from Milton's Areopagitica:
I don't think the left are trying to create a dependent nation and I certainly don't think universal health care creates a dependent nation. However, I agree that the nanny state is not good for us as individuals or as societies – but then I suppose that how we define “nanny state” is important.
The only people dependent on government are the wealthy, as it is they who don't work and rarely create anything. They usually manipulate the system to create ways they can make even more money, examine NAFTA for instance. I realize this isn't all of them, but even Bill Gates and Microsoft destroyed its competitors by unfair business practices and then used the courts to delay and obstruct a fair trial.
The Conservative Nanny State
UBI and the Flat Tax
The only people dependent on government are the wealthy, as it is they who don't work and rarely create anything. They usually manipulate the system to create ways they can make even more money, examine NAFTA for instance. I realize this isn't all of them, but even Bill Gates and Microsoft destroyed its competitors by unfair business practices and then used the courts to delay and obstruct a fair trial.
The Conservative Nanny State
UBI and the Flat Tax