It's true that some people do take advantage of welfare and social services.
You know.... I hear that all the time as an argument against things like universal health care and welfare programs for the unemployed etc.
And I always wonder what the heck they are talking about.
As if people
as a carreer plan just simply stay home and "live the good life" with welfare money collected from taxpayers who do have jobs.
I know, and have known, plenty of people who were unemployed living on welfare, or worse: couldn't work because of health problems and received another type of welfare (which is more money then mere unemployment welfare, with other additional medical help also). I can assure you that none of them live(d) "the good life".
All of them instead were rather poor. Barely had money to go have a beer with friends. Restaurants in general were out of the question due to budget problems. They live in small cheap apartments with plastic furniture. If they can afford a car, it's an old small piece of junk with 150.000 km's on it.
Sure, I can imagine that if you search really really hard, you'll find people who consider it enough and are happy living that way.
But the vast majority of people do not live like that by choice. Especially not in "rich" western nations where the actual standard of living is quite luxurious.
Those who are fine with such a "poor" way of life, are likely people who are used to even worse then that. But they too after a while will notice that they could do even better just by getting a job.
So the logic of such "argument" against welfare programs and alike, escapes me completely.
It exists as a humanitarian service in an economic economy that is very competitive and greedy. These were put into place due to the deadly poverty and health crisis that this tye of economic system creates.
Hmm. Disagree.
Poverty is something that pretty much appears in all societal systems. If anything, I'ld say that the free capitalist system of the secular west has lowered those numbers.
So the way I see it, such programs weren't created to cover the poor that "the system creates". It rather was created to address the poverty that has always existed and which today, in western secular democracies, is at an all time low.
Governments have existed since humans gathered in tribes to survive. The bigger the tribe the more expansive role government plays, that is just the way the natural course of behavior goes. It is in the best interest of the entire society that there is minimal poverty and disease. I see the right complain about social services and that they want a more "dog-eat-dog" type of society, and that just won't work. It won't be tolerated. I notice conservatives want less social services but they offer no credible solution to offset the damage it would cause. We see this is a tyical pattern, just like with banning abortion services and now a whole host of crises were caused. This is irresponsible leadership, that causing a social crisis for people and they are forced to find their own solution, and often not able due to poverty.
Agreed.
So want to solve the need for big government? Create a more fair and ethical business society.
Disagree. I don't think that can be done. Or, at least not to the extent that you'll be able to eliminate poverty. You'll always have poverty. It can go very fast, you know. All it takes is an unfortunate decision or two. Or things totally out of your control. So many things can go wrong when you for example try to build a business. If you're not careful, you might lose everything. You might end up in terrible debt taking you years to pay off.
No amount of "business regulation" or ethical ruling is going to change such circumstances.
Off course one should try, but one should not kid oneselves.
This is why such welfare programs exists. It tries to catch people who fall in business. Or it tries to help people get back on their feet after an unfortunate series of events out of their control, or a few bad decisions.
We are collectively responsible for one another. When as a society we collectively help the unfortunate back on their feet, then the whole of society benefits.
