Many of our cities are social disaster zones compared to those of other first world countries, largely because we've cut our social programs to the bone. It mig

Many of our cities are social disaster zones compared to those of other first world countries, largely because we've cut our social programs to the bone. It might just be greed rather than any puritanical morality, but I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of empathy stemmed from thinking that one's success is much more deterministic than it actually is. If people reminded themselves regularly that "there but for the grace of God go I", they'd probably agitate for better social safety nets. Ironically, the unmitigated social problems that result from lacking basic social safety nets increase expenses many other places, including in healthcare, possibly by more than the programs would have cost. Instead of getting rehabilitation, an addict has to steal to feed their addiction, prompting more spending on police forces, plus fear and mistrust of others, and the addict uses a series of emergency room visits when things inevitably go badly.