The only way to fix this problem on a large scale is to create a non-governmental grass-roots program/system to replace the broken one. Once there is something else in place, the government program will become superfluous and hopefully fade away. Until then, it ain’t gonna happen.

But Mike, I agree with you for the most part. I agree that the true responsibility lies with “us.” But I also believe the interim solution is to have the government put the responsibility back on the citizen. Specifically, they need to help the abusers by taking away the ability to abuse. 😉

The liberal solution is for the government to do something about it. The conservative solution is to do nothing about it except demand that those who use the system be more responsible. Those are both easy to talk about, but when the solution actually demands that “we” do something ourselves, we want to characterize it as idealistic and too far-fetched and unreasonable, so we settle for faux solutions that give the facade (I’m trying to see how many French words I can use in this sentence) that we are doing something about it.

Government should be given jobs that individuals and small groups of people “can’t” do. Instead we have given them the jobs we don’t “want” to do, like clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick, liberate the captivity. We’re too busy trying to make more money.

As for Iraq, I agree that it hasn’t improved our economy. Whether it has (or will eventually) improved our security is very much debatable.

A further question to ask is what would be the cost to the country in other costs if this $112 billion were not spent in this way.

And you are reiterating my point that the country needs to take some responsibility. I didn’t say the government needs to take some responsibility. I said society needs to. I meant it more towards those that abuse the system, but I do agree with what you said.

This is not a role for a private for-profit company. Society, not business (unless it wants jails full of people…oh, wait we already have that) needs to assist those who are unable to feed or provide for themselves. The question is how to do it. Doing this at the federal level is not the answer. The further away the program is from the people, the more abuses and waste there is. These are programs for communities and states (at the largest level). If we, as individuals and families ignore our responsibility to our fellowman, we are left with the federal government doing it. Conservatives like to blame everything on the government, not recognizing that primarily the problem lies with us, the American people.

I guarantee if we hand over the administration of these programs to a private (for-profit) company, we would save money.

I agree that the best way to solve the problem is a societal change. But there has got to be something we could do to make these programs more efficient.

But the likelihood of it is nil. In other words, “Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?”