Jean Deaux

At age 82 I still suspect I'm closer to the old coots than you, although it is true I don't know your age. Your reference to "old coots" gives a good idea of the appreciation you have of your ancestors' accomplishments. I have done a number of those chores/tasks and know how salty the sweat of hard labor is when working out in the broiling sun. I have spent time in an August kitchen with the wood cook stove heating up water to sterilize canning jars and cooking the product (I was tasked with carrying in the wood for the stove), helping my uncle wipe the caked sweat off the mules after both a morning and an afternoons plowing and tilling session, splitting wood for kindling, hoeing corn that is 8-10 feet high. I've eaten a lot of meat soaked for months in a brine barrel, and pulled a good many buckets of water up out of the well for drinking, cooking, washing, as well as pumping the water trough full for the mules, etc. How much of that have you ever done?

I also suspect that your teaching kids in a church environment skews your ideas of youth. You were obviously working with kids that had parental supervision vs some of the kids today with their pants halfway down to their knees, hats on backwards, slouching around, etc. You get the picture.

acknowledgeurma

As I wrote before, "I would imagine that a fully socialized society would have no taxes, since the government would own all means of production and distribution and be the only employer there would be no need for taxes."
Notice, "the government would own all means of production and distribution and be the only employer".
I hear that rail travel in Europe is rather nice.
I suppose the loss or gain to the Danish society of immigrants would depend on their riding bicycles or not.

acknowledgeurma

I suspect that if Cuba had access to the same resources as the US, it too would be a superpower (or on its way there).
In a society where 70% of GDP is due to consumer spending, I imagine the riches that those on welfare get and spend does profit those whose products are bought.

acknowledgeurma

You're only one year older than me (all be it a Jovian year ).
As best as I recall, none of my ancestors were ever "old coots". They never complained about how much harder they had it than us young-ins. Mostly they told stories about funny or exciting things in their lives. When they talked about hard times, it was never in comparison to our lives.

Since I grew up in a town I didn't have much occasion to do the chores you describe, except for the times I visited my grandparents; by then they weren't doing any farming; by then granddaddy worked as a hunting and fishing guide. The jobs I had were typical town jobs: newspaper delivery, yard work (to this day, the smell of fresh cut grass turns my stomach - I think I worked without a hat under a Texas sun a few times too many).

Most of the young people I meet are in my classes at a community college and most seem to have jobs in addition to their classes (even the ones who wear their hats, God forbid, backwards). Pants halfway down the knees, slouching around, hmmm, sounds like my youngest (who just graduated with a BS in Computer Science), what a bum.

Voice of Reason Loc: Earth

As evidenced by their technological and economic stasis since the c****e takeover almost 60 years ago. That and unicorns.



A good thought experiment to test a theory is to take it to the extreme and see if it still works. So, your contention that able-bodied people who refuse to work and collect welfare are a net benefit to society implies that everybody should refuse to work and spend their time shopping with EBT cards.

Who would stock the store shelves? Who would run the checkout? Who would produce the merchandise? Who would deliver it?

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

Where do you git the idea that those on welfare are "able-bodied people"?

Jean Deaux

Your imagined utopia is usually better known as c*******m and has been repeatedly proven not to work. I prefer not to forfeit my rights and responsibilities to a bureaucrat I don't know. I'll make my own decisions and live with the results, good or bad.
I'm certainly not rich but I have earned a comfortable retirement based on my life's work and I have no regrets. I have a kind and sweet wife, a fine house, adequate but not ostentatious, a 19 year old car that runs like a fine watch and still looks like new, enough to eat, dress warmly when it is cold and have adequate medical care. I have my burial expenses saved and I can pay my taxes. I'm proud of that (but I h**e paying to support some no'er do well that has lazed through life knowing that he will be supported by a benevolent government with my taxes). A squirrel is smart enough to put aside nuts for a hard winter, some people wanted to eat all the nuts they found.
That is enough for me to claim that I have a good life and I earned it, by dint of hard work and perseverance and no regrets.

My suspicions are that the immigrants to Denmark are those that have learned of the Danes past good life and felt they could move in and share the benefits, free for the taking, bicycles be damned. Beats having to put a halter on your donkey to take your wife shopping.

debeda

And you, sir, embody the quintessential American. Self reliant and responsible. Hats off to you

Voice of Reason Loc: Earth

Where do you get the idea that nobody on welfare is able-bodied?

permafrost Loc: Minnesota

wrong, I did not say "nobody".. you said all..

I have no doubt that welfare c***ter exist.. It seem anywhere that money in involve we will have c***ters..

Sometimes they are orange, other times simply fools who know no better.

but I do not think a policy, any policy should be removed because it does not work to perfection..

It should by fixed. by wh**ever means..

Jean Deaux

:

Wealth is relative! I had no idea that those on welfare get "riches" but the money they spend on the economy
is certainly not a major profit factor unless that economy is barely surviving. "If Cuba" sounds like a takeoff of the old saying, "If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his butt", or clinton's, "It depends what the definition of 'is' is". At your age and level of wisdom, you surely know and have to appreciate the superiority of capitalism to c*******m. Capitalism has succeeded based on constant improvement to the economy and technology, while c*******m has failed in its every attempt. Even Russia and China are no longer the stalwart enthusiasts they once were.

Jean Deaux

Did the idea of the New World Order ever occur to you, what with it's having the world run by the uber rich? Try the Rothschild's, Rockefeller's, Gate's, Soro's dynasties for examples of those that have exhibited enthusiasm for such a scheme. And if you have to ask about many on welfare being able bodied I have to ask about your powers of observation. You either have a preconceived notion of all welfare recipients or are easily duped.

acknowledgeurma

I guess you missed the part where I said, "if Cuba had access to the same resources as the US". It might make more sense to compare Batista's Cuba to the current Cuba.


In general, theories rarely work at the extremes.

I didn't say anything about "able-bodied people". Would you argue that buyers don't benefit the sellers? Does it matter to the seller where the buyer got the wherewithal to buy?

When robots stock shelves, when everything is self-checkout, when all production is automated, when drones deliver, who will buy?

Voice of Reason Loc: Earth

You l*****ts are amazing! You are apparently so used to lying and c***ting that you think you can misrepresent what I write on this site, despite the fact that there is a permanent record of all postings.

Either go find where I said ALL welfarers are able-bodied c***ters, or apologize for lying about what I posted.

Voice of Reason Loc: Earth

Nope, I didn't miss a thing. I simply mentioned that Cuba has been in economic and technological stasis since the c*******t takeover. That has nothing to do with access to resources equal to the USA, unless you think Cuba has no access to any resources whatsoever.



Not true, except for l*****t theories. Take libertarian philosophy for example: If everybody supported themselves and their families and lived freely, without infringing on the rights or property of others, and without c***ting others, that society would thrive. And there would be plenty of resources for people to voluntarily help the disabled and those in need.



You answered my question about able-bodied people on welfare.



Yes, it does. How rich do you think Amazon would be if they provided the funding to pay for everybody's purchases?



The space aliens, who are as realistic as your scenario.