Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan
I don't think its 'just' that - but more that many people believe in a fair society with certain things as a 'right', healthcare, education etc. ... there are a fair few of us who are happy to potentially pay higher taxes for the betterment of others.
(and I don't expect everyone present to agree with me on this - that's cool, differences of opinion are all part of living in a free democratic society etc.)
PS - I don't look down on anyone who disagrees with me, but as someone who wouldn't have had the quality of life that I have without access to free education and healthcare I think it'd be ill of me to pretend to be a self made man and ignore the leg up it gave me ..
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There's a delicate balance between providing the opportunity to excel, as you have done, and providing excessive opportunity to, well, not excel. I wish I knew where that balance point was.
What is fair? That's a tougher question than a lot of people would like to admit.
We have an incredible rise in the percentage of people who choose not to work in America. Even in Seattle, where they're in the beginning stages of implementing the $15/hour minimum wage (I think they're over $11 now), employers are finding that many workers are asking for fewer hours because they don't want to lose government benefits.
I think it would help if you explained more about the free education available in Great Britain, and the role of the A- and O-Levels. We could add in a discussion of Germany and its emphasis on education in the trades. So much of the education argument in America versus overseas is apples and oranges.
We can discuss these issues and learn more about the world without demonizing those we disagree with.