[Pablo Rafael]

Originally Posted by The Cobalt Sieg

I keep in mind these three things - in most cases, the poor are poor because of their own choices. Dropping out of highschool, bad work ethics, wasted money... I understand that a great deal of our lower class is comprised of people who had no choice in their status - those who were simply unlucky enough to lose everything they had. These people I have the utmost sympathy for, but I believe they are the minority in the lower class.

Do you have any statistics to back up this opinion? It seems to me that most people are poor because their parents were poor. In the year 2000 blacks made 58% as much as whites and hispanics made something like 67% as much. (I don't exactly remember the latter figure.) Are blacks and hispanics more prone to bad choices?

I take my case as an example. I live in a cute little house in the mountains. I chose to live here on purpose even though the economic opportunities are dismal. How can I afford to live here with a 28 hour-per-week job? It is because my grandparents left me an inheritance that paid off my mortgage. Others do not have that opportunity. Not because they make bad choices, but because their circumstances dictate it.

Even those who have made bad choices in their lives, should we just let them die?

Are you also opposed to public schools? Would you rather the private sector totally take over education?

Following are just some random thoughts and semi-rhetorical quesrtions:

Should we eliminate taxes that go to road construction and maintenance and instead just have all roads be toll roads?

Should police protection be pay-for-service?