Quote:
Originally Posted by Goat
When I was young, we were taught these principles. Not now. when I question the young about the Founding Fathers, they are ignorant.
|
Yes, well I can relate to that. Not to the Founding Fathers, but to the equivalents in the UK. It's not the schools (at least over here): there's a limit to how much you can fit into a school curriculum. There's just very little learning outside of school, at least in many cases, and even less interest.
Quote:
|
I am all for charity, but to force upon hard working responsible people is wrong.
|
But the problem is that if you
don't force it, and rely on spontaneous giving, how many would suffer? In an increasingly materialistic world, how many would sacrifice a slightly bigger car or a nicer model of fridge to help people in desperate circumstances? I think there would be a diffusion of responsibility, where everyone relies on his neighbour to do it.
Then there's the problem of fickleness. Charities are in a kind of Darwinian competition. At the moment, 'Help for Heroes' in the UK is worth over £100 million, and while it's an incredibly worthwhile cause, there are others that have seen their coffers emptied as the fashion has switched over to them.