It begins

Prahasaurus

maybe my wording is wrong, but i don't want to be the welfare mom. using the gov't because i can't do it on my own. i refuse to be her...... so, yeah.

You sound like a wonderful mom who is teaching your kids important values.

My only point is that welfare (and other types of government support) is not a bad thing in times of crisis. Civilized countries need to have safety nets to help people when they are down. Capitalism, while providing great opportunity, can be harsh at times, and temporary support can help people get back on their feet. I suppose the key word is "temporary." But there is no shame in needing help at times, we all do.

The biggest welfare cheats are not the stereotypical (and quite frankly, racist) black mom with X kids, but corporations. The US government, four years ago, bailed out our financial industry to the tune of 19 trillion dollars. Lots of rich, white guys very well connected to our politicians were saved from bankruptcy (and probably jail), thanks to a massive, unfathomable, government handout. The people who least needed the money, got it. That's socialism in the US of A. Bush started it, Obama finished it. It's neither Republican nor Democrat, it's simply a fact: our political system favors the rich and well connected (shocker!), who are BY FAR the biggest welfare recipients in the USA today. And that's a fact.

I do think it's hard for societies to be social (help others when they're down), especially in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society. It's one thing for a small country with little racial variance to be generous - Austria, for example. It's another for a country of immigrants. Race has always been a huge issue, and it still is. The US is in many ways the first post-racial society, and should be commended. But in many other ways, little has changed. It's all quite tribal. For example, the US doesn't have a national healthcare system because white politicians (under President Truman) refused to vote for a system that took care of blacks, as well. So we have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, and not even close to being the best in spite of the propaganda you hear in the US, because whites refused to be included in a social system with blacks. And a lot of the anti-government rhetoric today is couched in racial terms (but carefully, obviously, since being outright racist is verboten).

But I digress. Good for you that you teach your kids to be self-sufficient. Those lessons will pay off later in life.

--P