The leftist shibboleth that undergirds America as a welfare state is that Americans, if left to their own choices, would never voluntarily help out others to a sufficient degree. Given such, it is necessary, liberals say, for the state to enter the picture and force Americans to do their moral duty.More
Red Dwarf – #6 – S01E06: Me 2
1 hour ago
4 comments:
The universal franchise leads inexorably to universal welfare, and then to national ruin.
Welfare along with gov't spending has been entrenched in NZ for decades and it has slowly expanded along with an increase in gov't spending and taxes. But it seems with this election campaign, welfare and gov't spending are going to be put on steroids with every party promising to turn NZ into the garden of Eden , paradise, all for free, no expense spared.And of course the voters will lap it up but it will be the future generations that will get the invoice with higher taxes and a diminished standard of living .Democracy leads to socialism and socialism ( FA Hayek) is the road to serfdom.
An interesting article Lindsay.
Unfortunately he seems to be a theorist.
I live in Cambodia. A supposed democratic, capitalist nation.
However there is no state welfare.
No unemployment welfare (you dont work, you dont eat)
Only very limited medical support via government owned hospitals which still require a small payment.
Education from state owned schools is also very basic, the teachers so poorly paid that parents have to pay"bribes" every month to ensure their child gets attention.....call it user pays...
The wealth divide is large between haves and have nots.
Yes there are social justice warriors, middle class, educated WEALTHY (usually young women) who rattle on a lot.
Yes "some" wealth trickles down in some occasional largess. But its no where what is needed to help the populace at large.
But the majority of "social" support seems to come from NGOS/charities.
There is no need for kids to beg in the streets as they can be easily fed, housed and educated via an NGO or two. BUT THEY DO CONTINUE TO BEG!
It is nirvana to expect the haves to fund the have nots voluntarily as it proposed in this article.
PS. I run a Hotel in downtown Phnom Penh. (www.cityhotelphnompenh.com)
Happy to host you for a day or two so you can see what anon social welfare society looks like :-)
I don't disagree that the writer is a theorist.
My own conclusion is that functioning societies have to feature degrees of ideological compromise, contradiction and inconsistency. Because societies are dynamic. There is no nirvana. We strive after a utilitarian balance and constantly seek to keep the pendulum somewhere within liveable limits.
Will take you up on that offer if I ever make it to Phnom Penh.
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