[bumby]

>think about the resolutions as a way of making everyone else's life better.

I think most people are willing to chip in to solve the problem. Not just for the transactional benefit of making their own life better, but also just for moralistic purposes of not wanting to see others suffer. I think what you're referring to is more of a political one, where people see their tax dollars consistently being spent without any discernable improvement in the problem. And it's natural for people to balk at the idea that the way out of the mess is to continually throw more money at it.

The second issue seems much more difficult. Again, I think most people want a society that takes care of the infirm, or those just genuinely unable to take care of themselves. But when that population gets relatively high, we need to take stock of why that's occurring. Is it because society has just changed so much that it's incompatible with so many people's constitution and ability? If so, that implies we need to restructure a lot of societal aspects or take a second look at whether all those changes were really for the better, given the blowback. As an example, was the revamping of mental health services in the 1980s under the guise of increasing personal liberty really a net benefit?