[nverno]

> Wards of the state: our responsibility

People that really feel this responsibility become foster parents. But saying the state should deal with them isn't taking on that responsibility - at the end of the day actual people need to be their parents. I'm happy to support those people by having taxes directed their way, but the state doesn't get credit for their good deeds.

[Retric]

It’s unreasonable to expect individuals acting on their own to solve social issues. I am perfectly willing to support 1% of the financial needs of a severely disabled child, but in no way willing to step up and provide 100% of the support they need. There are people willing do do so but it’s not 1:1 with the existing need and so it’s simply not an option.

The common US system where foster families receive funds to provide temporary care for kids in the system isn’t parenting it’s a disaster that’s a massive disservice to kids in the system. In many individual cases it works, but overall it also results in unacceptable amounts of mental, physical, and sometimes even sexual abuse.

[CobaltFire]

This is uselessly dismissive and reductionist. I have a special needs child who just hit remission from Leukemia. To feel that the state has a responsibility for those kids I'm now supposed to also take in a foster child?

Your statement reeks of someone who lives in an ivory tower somewhere.

[edmundsauto]

IMO, the state bears the responsibility to structure the laws and regulations to make it easier for regular people to be heroes. Servant leadership is generally not a characteristic of democracies, as politicians need to take credit in order to win votes.

[nverno]

I agree, but this is also a problem with heavy reliance on government - people can just punt responsibility, and the wrong people get the credit.

[edmundsauto]

Is it because of a heavy reliance on government, or a general issue that we face when dealing with hard problems?

Put another way, when we don't rely on governments to help with things like this - does that incentivize people to take on responsibility? I suspect not...