Lawmakers Find $21 a Week Doesn't Buy a Lot of Groceries

[KSigkid]

I can see both sides of the issue; as someone who grew up in a household where money was tight, and who worked full-time to pay for undergrad (and is doing so through law school), part of me just wants to say "get a job, pick yourself up and make yourself into something." My parents weren't able to help, so even with a bunch of academic scholarships paying for most of my undergrad, I had to do 40+ hour workweeks in undergrad (and around 40 now) to pay my way through.

Then there's the part of me that realizes I grew up in a morally-supportive household. There's the part of me that has volunteered and seen people who didn't even have that level of support, kids who are now in the poverty cycle and who have their own kids.

I tend to go more towards the side Kevin is arguing in all of this, only because I don't know of an easy answer. Would people be ok if taxes skyrocketed for more programs, like the maternity leave program in Australia? Would people be ok if other programs were cut in favor of increased funding for the homeless? Do people want all their paychecks to go to taxes? Do you put your energies on the older people who are now homeless, or do you focus more on the children and teens who have an opportunity to turn around their lives?

I don't know, I just don't see it as an easy issue. I agree with Monet that education is a huge (probably the biggest) part in this whole thing. I also agree with squirrely girl that these types of conversations are/can be solid and productive. I just don't think some people should be getting so defensive about other's differences in opinions.