Compassion and Complexity

If you read Megan McArdle's tales and perspective about poverty at The Atlantic, you may rail at at the disincentives, lack of rationality - and lack of compassion - in our nation's system of welfare assistance.

If you read the comments following this post, you may reconsider your original reaction - or be dismayed at the small mindedness of some.

Should you visit the Wall Street Journal's comments from readers, you could read this from Dave Bowers:

Why is it that many seem to believe that there must be economic equality among all Americans? This is the land of opportunity, not the land of entitlement nor guaranteed success.

I am a business owner. I started with nothing 20 years ago and now have a very successful business with over 40 well-paid employees. Yet the media and the politicians wish to demonize me, and others like me, for having played by the rules and achieved success.

I have worked many, many 100 hour weeks and taken great financial risks, endured stress and uncertainty, yet I am the "bad guy" because I am in the top 1% of income earners. Rather than support me and encourage me to build my business and employ additional people at good wages, the government wishes to tax me at a higher rate and provide NO incentives to continue.

I love my work and my employees, but frankly I can't wait to retire and be done with the talking-head politicians that wish to slam me, disrespect me and make a mockery of the diminishing group of hard work and risk taking entrepreneurs that drive the majority of job creation in this country.

The Robin Hood mentality of the politicians and Washington in general is what is driving job-creators away and driving companies overseas. After all, the general population wishes to have more income and a better life - this is why entrepreneurs take risks and work 100+ hour weeks. If that incentive is removed, why take the risk and work so hard - everyone will be financially equal when the government takes from people like me and redistributes my wealth to those that have made different choices in life.

Unfair and un-American. Washington WAKE UP to the people who are creating jobs - help us to employ more people and stop telling us we must accept and be happy about more taxes on our success. Fed up !!

Should we collect more tax dollars to help disabled people make it?  Are the dollars sufficient, but the system one of bureaucratic insanity?  Were we better served when private charity and religious organizations aided people rather than the government?  Are people like Mr. Bowers of the "I made it; why can't you?" ilk and selfish?  Or is Mr. Bowers expressing an honest and fair sentiment that if we put the burden of care for the bulk of our population on those who have worked and risked and sacrificed tremendously to become successful, we will eventually stifle and kill this sort of entrepreneurial spirit - and our nation will be far the worse for it?

I am certain that I do not know even one third of all the answers - much less all the answers.  I believe that there are nuggets of truth in a wide variety of opinions on these topics.

And I am also most certain that these compelling issues are terrifically complex and intertwined - and anyone who does not believe so is either foolish or fooling themselves.