A fellow I work with spent time in Germany working (in training before returning to the states) for a very large and well known German firm. When Germany was reunited, they had a hell of a time getting the “East Germans” off their asses.

actually it doesnt. its the same thing. one is grown up and close to its final state, the others are slowly heading towards it.

they all fail… but while they exist people always think that they can last… they never ever do. and its always misery

I’d just suggest theres a huge difference between providing basic services and a govt seeking to mold society’s direction and behavior.

Agreed. Note my above 3 posts. I do believe that government intervention should be limited to the greatest degree possible. Western Europe’s experiment with excessive government, while far from creating a Soviet-style oppresive state, still created an excessive inefficient bureaucracy, a drag on their economies, limitations on individual choice in certain matters, and a host of other “unintended consequences.”

I’d agree with that too.

I’d just suggest theres a huge difference between providing basic services and a govt seeking to mold society’s direction and behavior.

J.L.: Great post. That’s basically where I land.

Bob from Virginia: By unsettled I did not mean dire or dangerous.

I meant that we live in a troubled time when there is great disagreement about the best way to go.

There is great similarity between the thirties and our post 9-11 world. We see the rise of a totalitarian supremacist threat and some believe we should appease that threat while others believe we should fight it. We see an economic meltdown and some believe we should spend money and turn more power over the state, while others believe we should rein in spending and reduce government.

The national discussion is quite angry and contentious. No one really knows what tomorrow may bring.

What is up with this people?

I’ll hand out 2.5 million flyers for 2.5 million dollars to advertise.

I’ve walked around to 2400 homes in my area advertising my business and estimated a .25 cent return per flyer.

This would be a 400% increase!

The current crisis in Greece highlights the problems of cutting back on government spending for social programs. They are threatened with strikes and riots by various interest groups.

……….just because our compassion doesn’t extend to a bureaucratic inefficient economically hurtful system of government punishing people who make GOOD decisions to give to those who make POOR decisions

doesn’t mean we have no compassion.

In fact, we actually did the due diligence to understand, and we truly love and that is why we don’t want to reward people who keep making poor choices.

It is born of love that we want people to take more and more personal responsibility.

This commentary isn’t directed towards the non-able bodied or elderly

This gets to the point. What we’re seeing isn’t natural or neccessary. Anyone who thinks compassion springs from a bureacratic system of forced charity just hasn’t been paying attention.

Theres absolutely nothing compassionate about saving one deserving soul at the price of destroying self reliance in twenty others.