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Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
and that my friend is called LIFE. There are winners and there are losers. There are people who have long lives with no unfortunate circumstances, and then there are people who live long lives with hardship at every turn.
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Yes, this has been your position for a very long time. Everyone for yourselves. If there's trouble, expect me to take care of me and my own. You're not my responsibility. Only that's not how society works. We are interconnected economically, politically, socially, and a number of other ways. If something bad happens to me, it's unlikely that the negative consequence will always end with me. If I get fired, that changes my close family and friends, my coworkers, the people I used to help in my job, the business I frequent, the charities I donate to... the list is pretty long. When I do well, there's a group of individuals and organizations that reap at least some positive consequence. But even this isn't the meat of the problem.
The meat is sympathy and empathy; a general concern for the well being of others. Humans have a long history of altruism, dating back long before we were using tools or even walking upright. What purpose does casting that off serve for you? Does it enrich your life to not care about, in this case, large amounts of senior citizens living in poverty?
Judging by your words, it almost seems like you see it as some sort of justice. Forgive the hyperbole, but "Shame on those fools for spending their money, let them starve!" is what I'm getting. And you seem to be acting like it's a forgone conclusion that you're not going to get your Social Security, thus excusing your animosity towards the program. Only there are only projections to go on now. So far, everyone's getting paid from Social Security. Shoot, I read an article (that I can find in under 24 hours if you really need) that said illegal immigrants were paying something like $9B a year into SS that they'll never see. Even President Obama seems to think Social Secuirty isn't hopeless yet:
Barack Obama on Social Security
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
We don't get to pick what family we are born into, the year or the country. It's a magical luck of the draw. You make the best of all that you are presented.
Even rich people, some were the forefathers of this country died broke and penniless. So all the forecasting, financing, saving, spending, rich or poor, didn't seem to make that much of a difference.
So why should someone else be responsible? Because some kumbayayas think it's better for society to take care of everyone and anyone even if that individual doesn't wish to take care of themselves?
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Sure, there's a "people in our country probably shouldn't die from starvation" (kumbaya) aspect, but there's a pragmatic aspect. If there is no social security, your vengeance-based economic dystopia would be just one generation away. Elderly poverty and starvation would shoot through the roof, and that would mean additional consequences in ways I can't even begin to imagine. For one, the number of senior citizens today is much higher than it was in the 1920s and 1930s. IIRC, around the turn of the last century only about 4% of the population was over 65. Now? It's like 12%. We could be looking at the introduction of millions if not tens of millions of new people to the poverty rate.