JohnH wrote:
The "American system" does encourage people to work and improve their
lot in life. This is the system that let's a Pakistani immigrate, buy
a clunker, paint it yellow, and start a cab business making $30,000 a
year.

Well, if the theory was true that the sum of all gov't prgrams
overwhelmingly benefits the poor, and taxes penalize the rich, then this
would rarely happen. Most people would happily sink into "poverty" while
sucking the gov't teat.

This doesn't happen. Therefor the theory is false. Very simple logic,
based on very obvious real-world facts. So why do so many people try and
claim otherwise?



But it's also the system that allows 59% of the babies born in DC to
be born out of wedlock. (Ironically, this rate is exceeded only by the
Virgin Islands, in the TANF data.)

AFAIK procreation is not regulated by the government. Is this the next
step in the new faith-based "moral values" federal government? It seems
rather incongruous for a group of people who claim to want to reduce the
size & scope of government, in theory.



Many of us 'right-wingers' (if it's necessary to call names)
understand that personal responsibility *does* fall both ways - some
folks have it, some don't.

Maybe that's the difference between a "right-winger" and a conservative.
Without using it as a pejorative, a "right-winger" is somebody who
believes at least 3 totally incompatible & illogical things and tries to
apply them rigidly as political principles. A conservative at least will
give a passing nod to reality.

DSK