From: crosmun@mickey.rtp.dg.com (William Crosmun)
Subject: Re: Something Wicked THis Way Comes
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 14:49:12 GMT
Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC.

In article <1992Jul28.235442.24607@reed.edu> orpheus@reed.edu (P. Hawthorne) writes:
>  mgreen@cs.toronto.edu (Marc Green) writes:
>: What about compasssion and caring for the working stiffs who have have to
>: trudge to work every days to support the indigents, so they can stay home
>: and have more babies?
>
>  orpheus@reed.edu (P. Hawthorne) writes:
>: So the way you see it all, there are two kinds of people: you and them.
>: They are a parasitic source of all evil, lazy and manipulating you.
>: Indigents live only to breed more indigents, to live off you. It must be
>: reassuringly simple to brainwashed like that.
>
>  crosmun@mickey.rtp.dg.com (William Crosmun) writes:
>: You talk the talk, but you don't walk the walk.  You make self-righteous
>: noises about caring and compassion so why doesn't your care and compassion
>: don't extend to the working stiffs who can't make ends meet because funding
>: your compassion to everyone else is taking such a big bite out of their
>: income.
>
>  Fop! Say, just for the sake of argument, that you can't make the rent. 
>
>  Maybe ends don't meet, maybe you've lost your job at the mill and you
>can't find another one that can pay for food for your family, or a roof
>over their heads, clothes on their back, or health care when they're sick.
>
>  Maybe your house burns down, taking everything you own with it. On your
>pay, you can't afford to stay in a hotel for long. Maybe you need to buy
>clothes because you had only what was on your back before the fire. Heaven
>forbid anyone got hurt in the fire.
>
>  Maybe you get in an accident, and can't work. Or maybe you get sick, and
>need a costly surgical procedure and hospital stay. Or maybe lots of things..
>
>  Would you like to imagine that there was help out there? Would you like
>to think that you could feed your family, shelter them, clothe them, get
>medical care for them, at least until you could find another job?
>
>  In short, wouldn't you want people who could help to do so? I'm not in
>favor of a welfare state. I wish we had the civlian conservation corps back.
>But there are a lot of hazards out there, and a lot of people don't realize
>how lucky they are. Affluent folks take a lot for granted, including the
>severity of the challenges they face.
>
>  I've been the child of a welfare mother, slept outside, lived with addicts,
>and been through more things that I ought to describe. For me, it looks
>good. I'm out of the poverty cycle. I'm out of Kenton. I may even be able to
>contribute something to my country. 
>
>  But for me, and for many of the kids who grew up in the same times, my
>life and anything I can do is IN SPITE of the best efforts of the Reagan
>Doctrine to eradicate any government help I found while I was growing up.
>
>

What I read here is an attitude completely alien to mine and one which may
account for most of the conflict between liberals and conservatives.  You ask,
suppose I ran into a patch of hard luck, I lost my job, my house burned down,
I became sick or had an accident, wouldn't it be nice if the government were
there to help.  My answer, when I lost my job I moved in with my parents, got
trained, and found another one.  When I was sick and didn't have insurance I
paid for the medical care out of my pocket (which was interesting. Since I
wasn't insured they cut the bill by about 40%. Hmmmm).  If my house were to
burn down I have private insurance.  The point is, who do you rely on to get
you through the hard times.  You say the government should be there. I would
rely on myself, turning to the government for help only when there was no
other possible choice.  I agree that it is nice for the government to provide
a last resort, but for too many it seems to be a first resort and then the
only resort.  That can't go on.



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William Crosmun
crosmun@dg-rtp.dg.com

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