tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post4122888090204346370..comments2024-01-14T16:29:16.030-05:00Comments on killing Mother: The Myth of the Social Welfare State and Other False Economies of Free Market Capitalismkilling Motherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-5317159510919285162011-02-03T14:25:17.702-05:002011-02-03T14:25:17.702-05:00You're welcome. Glad you liked it.You're welcome. Glad you liked it.David in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00493832668051350697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-53963568629511195042011-02-03T09:50:09.221-05:002011-02-03T09:50:09.221-05:00@David, Great quote. Thanks for sharing.@David, Great quote. Thanks for sharing.killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-17255909403878916482011-02-02T12:03:12.335-05:002011-02-02T12:03:12.335-05:00My condolences on your struggles with Atlas Shrugg...My condolences on your struggles with Atlas Shrugged -- I know what you mean. Given that, I thought you might be a bit cheered by this:<br /><br />“There are two novels that can transform a bookish 14-year-kld’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish daydream that can lead to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood in which large chunks of the day are spent inventing ways to make real life more like a fantasy novel. The other is a book about orcs.”<br /><br />– “The Value of Nothing” by Raj Pate<br /><br />;-)David in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00493832668051350697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-34253352245812653052011-02-02T08:31:39.577-05:002011-02-02T08:31:39.577-05:00@David, I am currently struggling through Rand...@David, I am currently struggling through Rand's Atlas Shrugged - torture for someone who appreciates good books. It amazes me that people worship this literary piece of garbage as economic gospel. Rand was obviously an extremely disturbed woman with an ax to grind. That anybody could praise the human attributes of selfishness and greed as righteous is a sad commentary on the state of our culture. Thank you for your perspective.killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-88374023224870102612011-02-01T13:31:39.036-05:002011-02-01T13:31:39.036-05:00Well said. Anyone who believes that there is a le...Well said. Anyone who believes that there is a level playing field out there clearly does not reside in the real world.<br /><br />Some other observations:<br /><br />-- I had the (mis)fortune of actually listening to Ayn Rand speak to a very small gathering. When I attempted to ask her a very simple question about her economic "theories" and how they account for events beyond one's control (e.g., Katrina; what insurance companies like to call "acts of God"), she was unable to answer because she didn't even understand the terms used in the question.<br /><br />-- There are indeed "human parasites", as you put it, in this world. The problem in our society is that those who are poor are held as typical and despicable (while they are neither), yet those who are rich (e.g., Paris Hilton) are actually applauded and rewarded for their lifestyles.<br /><br />-- Stories such as Kelley Williams' are indeed intended to put the "fear of God" into the non-elites, to keep them in line. In a broader way, the "War on Drugs" is intended to do much the same thing.David in NYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00493832668051350697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-56617005145500829372011-01-31T11:44:00.410-05:002011-01-31T11:44:00.410-05:00@Wayne, the story of Kelley Williams is a testamen...@Wayne, the story of Kelley Williams is a testament to how seriously our contemporary culture has divided itself into classes, with the elite class maintaining their supremacy at any cost. I hope this issue sparks enough outrage in the public to start turning the situation around. Unless one is a millionaire, we are all potentially Kelley Williams. Thanks for the insight.killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-71764623834731845812011-01-30T22:07:11.939-05:002011-01-30T22:07:11.939-05:00Your points about the false economy of the use of ...Your points about the false economy of the use of resources is clearly demostrated in the case of Kelley Williams and her father in Akron Ohio. How can we tolerate a parent being jailed and added to the even growing lists of felons for the "crime" of struggling to provide her 2 children with a safe and quality education. Than taking her future from her as a future teacher.(http://www.ohio.com/hottopic/114372139.html) There has been a crime committed but it was not by her or her father. Those that think she is a criminal are at best sick or criminally insane.waynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06749983001467392174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-10375135594784317342011-01-30T09:06:24.054-05:002011-01-30T09:06:24.054-05:00@Anonymous, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Hypo...@Anonymous, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Hypocrisy has never been a problem for those on the Right. Note the Republican House that recently voted to repeal healthcare but are quite happy to carry on with their own government-sponsored health insurance. I also just learned that Ayn Rand, the darling of neoliberal capitalism, after spending a lifetime condemning Social Security and Medicare, happily collected both at the end of her life. Thank you for reading and I will look forward to a continued conversation.killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-12671816778344123862011-01-29T22:41:43.112-05:002011-01-29T22:41:43.112-05:00I came across your blog this evening from the post...I came across your blog this evening from the post you made regards DAVOS, Krugman's report. I'll become a regular reader gladly, in the months since the nov election so many of the "left/progressive are reflecting bitterness rather than see what is unfolding. The outcome reflected those that were motivated and organized to actually vote.I suppose its easier to blame those that don't see the world like we would want them than work harder. Though jds09201 comments regards his brother raises for me the question always of why bring it up unless one doesn't believe in social insurances. I wonder if a survey was done on those on the right that complain about social programs purchase insurances of all kinds. If they truly believe they won't as the very nature of insurance is "shared risk" Most in my experience tend to be over insured. Social security is labeled an entitlement to be despised but not a 700 plus billion dollar budget.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-87349296375319063522011-01-29T19:49:16.775-05:002011-01-29T19:49:16.775-05:00@jds09201, I would agree that there will always be...@jds09201, I would agree that there will always be some dregs that society has to drag along like your brother, but I think these people are a minority. We can choose whether we will pay unemployment insurance or the hefty cost of prison, but we will pay for them one way or another anyway. Sadly, people like your brother are held up by many on the political Right as the rule rather than the example; thus seeking to deprive those with misfortune through no fault of their own, the help they need to improve their lives. Thank you for your perspective.killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-18825313514240989242011-01-29T17:41:47.271-05:002011-01-29T17:41:47.271-05:00Wow, just found your blog for the first time. You ...Wow, just found your blog for the first time. You make some very compelling points in this post. Malnourishment is certainly a big factor for why many children born into poverty don't succeed in school. To play devil's advocate, however, whenever the state provides any form of social safety, there will always be free-riders. Take my brother, for example, who, for the past 3 years, has been gaming unemployment insurance benefits. What he's been able to do is work for 20 weeks, then go on UI for as long as he can, then work for 20 more weeks, then back to UI, and so on. The point is, there's always going to be lazy free-riders in the system, but you're right, most people born into extreme poverty are not unsuccessful because of laziness; they're unsuccessful because of social factors outside of their control. Check out my blog sometime.<br /><br />http://joeseydl.blogspot.com/jds09201https://www.blogger.com/profile/07752741957337929698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-998557951027211192011-01-29T12:21:04.374-05:002011-01-29T12:21:04.374-05:00@anonymous, thank you for sharing your EU perspect...@anonymous, thank you for sharing your EU perspective. I lived in Europe for a few years in my youth, and think all Americans should be forced to live there for a few years so they can learn that socialism is not the same thing as fascism:)killing Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07029992871936764888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2584734024537154964.post-90110464859706339722011-01-29T11:35:55.033-05:002011-01-29T11:35:55.033-05:00Nice post. As a EU citizen living in the US and t...Nice post. As a EU citizen living in the US and traveling back and forth at least once a year, I can see the differences in social well being. Cutting spending on the poorer members of society is penny wise and pound foolish as the example of the huge increase in prison costs and populations attest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com