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F_J_H, I would love to feel sorry for these people, but there is little to be sorry for. The worst scenario presented in this article is the Eisens with their $

F_J_H, I would love to feel sorry for these people, but there is little to be sorry for. The worst scenario presented in this article is the Eisens with their $19,000/yr disability income. That is a large sum to live off of. I have no pity. As far as I care, they are living pretty damn good although very irresponsibly. The next have prospects of $15/hour and the other was making $2500/month in child support and unemployment. That's pretty damn good! The new poor are whiners, making plenty of money, but not enough for what they're used to. It's like my father who repeatedly tells me he wants to continue living the lifestyle he is accustomed to without paying it forward. Will I pay his dues? Sure will, but I don't really care for the Eisens. I don't care to supplement their income above minimum wage. Why does an honest worker get paid $7.25/hr and someone who does nothing makes more?

F_J_H 17y ago
I understand your argument, the basic gist of which seems to be that we shouldn’t feel sorry for, or help people who have fallen on hard times due to their own irresponsible behavior. They should have to live with the consequences, and especially if they still have it better than others who do act responsibly as you feel is the case with the Eisens. You know, there are people out there who feel that we shouldn’t help those of have contracted AIDS through subsidizing drugs or health care when the person got the virus due to risky behavior. I’ve heard people say that although they feel sorry for someone who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, there is no way they are going to feel sorry for “some fag who got it from romps in a bathhouse”. Hopefully that sounds abhorrent to you, but it really is not far off the logic you are using in the case of the Eisens. Or think of the Katrina victims, which hit the impoverished the hardest. City officials knew there were problems with the levies, and some of the victims behaved in a pretty reprehensible manner (shooting a police/rescue workers, looting, etc.) But you know, despite the clear path of blame, I don’t think the right thing for the rest of the country to do would have been to stand there with arms folded saying “It’s your own damn fault, you fix it! Don’t look to me for a handout!” I know there are people out there who are suffering due to their own irresponsibility, and yes, it is hard to feel sorry for them at times. But what do we do? Let them die? I am not proud to say it, but I once felt the same way as you do about people like the Eisens. But then someone helped me understand that poverty and disease, no matter who is at fault, ultimately effects all of us (e.g. when my neighborhood starts to crumple, my own house starts to lose value.) And at the end of the day, we all make mistakes, and what helps us progress is education and a helping hand, not an “I told you so” lecture.
- xenophanes 17y ago
  People are dying in India from poverty. Why should my tax money go to americans with 20k/year instead of indians with $350/year? Personally I'd rather my charity go to the Indians. It'd do a hell of a lot more good there. But I don't have that choice because people like you vote for higher taxes to provide welfare for americans. how is that helping the world?
deleted 17y ago
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F_J_H 17y ago

I understand your argument, the basic gist of which seems to be that we shouldn’t feel sorry for, or help people who have fallen on hard times due to their own irresponsible behavior. They should have to live with the consequences, and especially if they still have it better than others who do act responsibly as you feel is the case with the Eisens. You know, there are people out there who feel that we shouldn’t help those of have contracted AIDS through subsidizing drugs or health care when the person got the virus due to risky behavior. I’ve heard people say that although they feel sorry for someone who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, there is no way they are going to feel sorry for “some fag who got it from romps in a bathhouse”. Hopefully that sounds abhorrent to you, but it really is not far off the logic you are using in the case of the Eisens. Or think of the Katrina victims, which hit the impoverished the hardest. City officials knew there were problems with the levies, and some of the victims behaved in a pretty reprehensible manner (shooting a police/rescue workers, looting, etc.) But you know, despite the clear path of blame, I don’t think the right thing for the rest of the country to do would have been to stand there with arms folded saying “It’s your own damn fault, you fix it! Don’t look to me for a handout!” I know there are people out there who are suffering due to their own irresponsibility, and yes, it is hard to feel sorry for them at times. But what do we do? Let them die? I am not proud to say it, but I once felt the same way as you do about people like the Eisens. But then someone helped me understand that poverty and disease, no matter who is at fault, ultimately effects all of us (e.g. when my neighborhood starts to crumple, my own house starts to lose value.) And at the end of the day, we all make mistakes, and what helps us progress is education and a helping hand, not an “I told you so” lecture.

xenophanes 17y ago
People are dying in India from poverty. Why should my tax money go to americans with 20k/year instead of indians with $350/year? Personally I'd rather my charity go to the Indians. It'd do a hell of a lot more good there. But I don't have that choice because people like you vote for higher taxes to provide welfare for americans. how is that helping the world?

deleted 17y ago

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