OT: Jibjab, Politics, the Big Bang and more!

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Graeme Dice:
What's wrong with it is that whether the person is lazy or not is irrelevant. They still deserve a standard of living that is better than the poverty line. They deserve this because they are _human_.

Why? It removes the important concept of personal responsibility.

What humans deserve is "the chance for a better life", not the better life itself. The latter should be earned. You and I have the right to have the opportunity to become wealthy. We do not have a right to be wealthy. Note the distinction. In the former, you can work towards your goals. In the latter, you are given what you seek without having earned it. I have the right to try to become a U.S. senator. I do not have a right to be one. Society owes me the opportunity to succeed, not the success itself. Society owes me the right to be able to find good medical care, not the care itself.

If humans have an innate right to be taken care of by our society, then why must we pay for rent, food, or anything else we might want in our ordained right to happiness? Please recall the United States Declaration of Independence says "pursuit of happiness", not "happiness".