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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

David Brooks: Deals with a profound issue with a completely idiotic "solution"

Growing caste divides in America are real.  So David Brooks does a decent enough job explaining Charles Murray's "Coming Apart" and then offers a completely idiotic idea to correct it.  A big new national service program is not the answer.  Does anyone even think forcing people to join organizations like the Peace Corps would even help the Peace Corps?  Here is a better solution:  How about the government stop subsidizing behavior that is harmful?  There were not only social but economic solutions that pushed people to adopt a frugal work ethic as a lifestyle.  Immigrants adopted the Protestant* work ethic of America (a gift of the Dutch traders in New Amsterdam) because it worked.  What made America unique was the upward mobility of persons in it (and this was adopted in successful countries around the world).  We live in a society now where you can get by without adopting it.  People should have the freedom to drop out if they wish, but we should not be subsidizing, helping, and encouraging them to do so.
h/t:  Ann Althouse

*  Not the New England Pilgrim/Puritan theocratic form which ultimately failed, but the business form of the Netherlands.  

5 comments:

  1. Democrat would-be presidents, including #Occupant Obama (who's about as "would-be" as they get) are always floating ideas to create a draft for international meals-on-wheels-type programs.

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    1. Yeah, tell me about it. If only we had a "national service program" everything would be great. How about we get government out of the way of business so people can find jobs and get fulfilled by getting a pay check.

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    2. How did you set your Blogger avatar? I have a profile pic but it doesn't come through as an avatar anymore.

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    3. It should do it automatically. I am not sure how I did it.

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    4. Blogger just doesn't like the looks of me. :pout:

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