re: #878 Existential_Donuts

That really is the truth, chief. We live in a society of individuals.

Albusteve’s primary responsibility is to himself, and by extension, his family. This is the same situation for every able-bodied man and woman of sound mind in the United States. Anything beyond that is up to the free will of the individual.

I personally think I could do a better job paying for one or two (individuals, not 1-2 million) of the 40 million uninsured myself if we did away with publicly-funded sinkholes altogether: I’d have the money, and I’d be able to assist that person immediately—no government agency forms to fill out, no hoops for the hypothetical patient to jump through.

I was raised to help others in need if I have the power to do so—and if I am willing to do so, and I find it offensive that the government wants to force me to do so regardless of my ability and willingness.

At my job (which is in state government, by the way: government employees are ordinary—and overworked—human beings, not lazy slaargs with “no incentive to improve service”) we run fundraisers (in the office) for United Way as well as for cancer and heart disease. In addition, we have food drives and bake sales. I have contributed to all of these—of my own free will. Sometimes there’s an incentive, like “you can wear jeans to work on Friday versus business-casual”; sometimes, there’s simply a need, and I do it—again, of my own volition.

This is with federal, state, Medicare, and FICA taken out; imagine how much more I could give if I could get my money back from FICA (Social Security tax).

Two links:

Adam Smith, and a personal (albeit rambling) analysis of my return on FICA investment/insurance/retirement monies as of 3/1/2005 (w/data from 2004).