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I agree that government is cumbersome and often gets in the way. Yes, I shake my head and roll my eyes at the patent office and many other agencies and individu

I agree that government is cumbersome and often gets in the way. Yes, I shake my head and roll my eyes at the patent office and many other agencies and individuals in government. . .Yes, the NLRB may have outlived its usefulness (thought it was certainly necessary at one time, even if only to ensure that the workers didn't die off too soon). On the other hand, NASA and DARPA have come up with ideas and technology that the private sector has been able to capitalize on. Also, there's a huge difference between "innovation" and "getting a job/making money". Maybe humger drives some people to innovate (though it's hard for me to imagine how they could drink clearly when hungry). But I suspect hunger drives most people to simply do what's necessary to eat - and they can and would stop well short of innovation to do that. I would love to see data on a significant number of innovations that were developed by hungry people.

robomartin 14y ago
Of course "hungry" was not used literally. It's about being driven to better yourself. My grandparents, immigrants, landed in the new world with nearly nothing to their names. Nothing. They sought no handouts. They received no handouts. They worked hard and elevated themselves from absolutely nothing to eventually owning their own small business. This is the story of millions of immigrants who, hungry to succeed, pushed through thick and thin and made it happen. A huge chunk of our population would be easy to look like sorry excuses for human being when compared to the stories most immigrants could tell you about their history in the new world. Granted, we created some of these problems. That said, the human condition is such that some of us will not act unless put into a sink-or-swim predicament. Stories of able-bodied youngsters stuck in this alternate reality abound. Some have even taken to YouTube to very publicly show off what they can get for free from the government and actually talk about how you can do the same. Look, I recognize there are a lot of things government has gotten right. That's the truth. However, today, it has degenerated into this thing that has been relentlessly destroying our country from the inside.

robomartin 14y ago

Of course "hungry" was not used literally. It's about being driven to better yourself. My grandparents, immigrants, landed in the new world with nearly nothing to their names. Nothing. They sought no handouts. They received no handouts. They worked hard and elevated themselves from absolutely nothing to eventually owning their own small business. This is the story of millions of immigrants who, hungry to succeed, pushed through thick and thin and made it happen. A huge chunk of our population would be easy to look like sorry excuses for human being when compared to the stories most immigrants could tell you about their history in the new world. Granted, we created some of these problems. That said, the human condition is such that some of us will not act unless put into a sink-or-swim predicament. Stories of able-bodied youngsters stuck in this alternate reality abound. Some have even taken to YouTube to very publicly show off what they can get for free from the government and actually talk about how you can do the same. Look, I recognize there are a lot of things government has gotten right. That's the truth. However, today, it has degenerated into this thing that has been relentlessly destroying our country from the inside.