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wittynickname · 08-20-2012, 08:21 AM

I would absolutely still be working, but this brings up an interesting argument. I don't want a government that pays my every need--I don't want to just survive. But Nordic companies offer better educational support beyond basic K-12, and I would love to see the US adopt a system which evened the playing field, with regards to higher education, for lower income students. As it stands now, if you're born into a lower income family, you live in a lower income neighborhood, you go to a lower income school, you get a lower tiered education with fewer resources afforded you, and often you bypass further education because your family can't afford to go into debt to send you to college. If you're born in a wealthy family, you live in a safer neighborhood with better transportation options, you go to a better school with better resources, you're afforded better opportunities for further education because your parents can afford it.

If the US fixes that one issue, it would fix a lot of the issues in this country. Until then, the wealthy cannot argue that lower income families don't work hard enough--you can work your entire life and still have nothing, if you came from nothing. Class mobility is severely limited in this country, if you're born into wealth, you're likely to keep it, if you're born into poverty, you're likely to stay there, or slightly above. You can no longer count on hard work and dedication to get you from lower class to upper-middle. Ask all the people who worked diligently for companies for 20-30 years, only to lose their jobs as soon as the recession started. It isn't just about hard work, hard work is a small part of the equation here. The government doesn't need to offer to cover all basic living expenses, but it should offer equal opportunities to all income levels.

08-20-2012, 08:21 AM	#11
wittynickname wittyusertitle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Exp:	I would absolutely still be working, but this brings up an interesting argument. I don't want a government that pays my every need--I don't want to just survive. But Nordic companies offer better educational support beyond basic K-12, and I would love to see the US adopt a system which evened the playing field, with regards to higher education, for lower income students. As it stands now, if you're born into a lower income family, you live in a lower income neighborhood, you go to a lower income school, you get a lower tiered education with fewer resources afforded you, and often you bypass further education because your family can't afford to go into debt to send you to college. If you're born in a wealthy family, you live in a safer neighborhood with better transportation options, you go to a better school with better resources, you're afforded better opportunities for further education because your parents can afford it. If the US fixes that one issue, it would fix a lot of the issues in this country. Until then, the wealthy cannot argue that lower income families don't work hard enough--you can work your entire life and still have nothing, if you came from nothing. Class mobility is severely limited in this country, if you're born into wealth, you're likely to keep it, if you're born into poverty, you're likely to stay there, or slightly above. You can no longer count on hard work and dedication to get you from lower class to upper-middle. Ask all the people who worked diligently for companies for 20-30 years, only to lose their jobs as soon as the recession started. It isn't just about hard work, hard work is a small part of the equation here. The government doesn't need to offer to cover all basic living expenses, but it should offer equal opportunities to all income levels.