PG here. We’re more of like minds than not. It’s just that the “Brian’s” have been in charge of the asylum, and the result is that more and more Americans feel entitled to have an equal outcome, be it health care, house, car, clothes, bank account, whatever, without having to put in an equal amount of work.
Why study your ass off to be an engineer, when you can major in art appreciation, and then complain that your are burdened with student loans you cannot afford to pay back?
The point you make about going to a bar instead of the gym – I can make the same point that I worked 80 hour weeks for the last 30 years (between grad schools and professional life), and as a result I make good (not great, but good) money. So, when Obama vilifies me based on my income in order to suck up to some labor union, yeah I get frosted about it. When I see some Brian or BGG types explain that the 50% of my income that I (self employed) already pay in Federal, Medicare, SS, CA, unemployment, workers comp insurance, property and sales taxes (not counting health insurance) is not “my fair share”, well … it’s probably similar to how you feel about subsidizing America’s legion of self-made (type II) diabetics.
But, let’s be fair. It is one thing to subsidize “victims” of their own bad decisions, but quite another thing if someone is simply born with a medical condition. Maybe in another society where medical care was reasonably priced based on the service provided, they and their family could afford their care. But in this society, the rates for the uninsured cannot be paid by mere mortals and no one pretends they expect anyone to pay. I don’t mind paying a piece of that care, which in and of itself is trivial next to the amount of taxes I pay to the drug companies to fill a tackle box full of pills for every old person.
We’re an entitlement culture. Everyone is a victim. If you can figure out how to “change” this, you get my vote.[/quote]
