You are stating things bluntly, but you are not wrong. A lot of things that people take for granted as "social goods" are littered with moral hazards, which in

You are stating things bluntly, but you are not wrong. A lot of things that people take for granted as "social goods" are littered with moral hazards, which in many cases, make the cure worse than the poison. It's true of cultural phenomenons as well as private institutions, but it is 10x as applicable to government programs where no opt-out mechanism exists. The scope of schools, social services, police, etc. in the US are all perfect examples of this. We are now at the point where children from ages 6 and up are doing more work than full-time office workers. My nephew (4th grade in Missouri) leaves for school at 7:45 AM, comes home at 4:00 PM, usually with 2-3 hours of homework a day. And when he does happen to get free-time? Oh, better carry his phone and be with an adult. Frankly, it's total madness, and I'm glad that I am not a child in today's world. I can't help but feel that this is the result of decades of grand-standing. Every single person wants brownie points for being seen as someone who "supports school". Of course, supporting school never means improving current paradigms, it always translates to "more school days, more supervision, more money, more teachers, more subjects, more more more". New idea, next time someone suggests adding more to a school curriculum, ask them to project the increase in teen suicides. That's a low-blow and an emotional appeal, but that's where things are at right now.