[NovemberWest]

Yeah, I know that. I am homeless and people have told me I should not admit that online, they would not hire me..blah blah. But most homeless were not born that way. It isn't a trait like skin color. "The homeless" come from the rest of of the population. They aren't some distinct separate population that interbreed or something, geez. So you get homeless by failing all of your citizens in some important way.

Welfare in America was designed to "help poor single moms" at a time when most poor single moms were widows and intentionally having a baby out of wedlock was a huge taboo. The very framing of it changed the social contract and actively undermines the social fabric. It has helped foster an atmosphere actively hostile to fathers and has single handedly all but put an end to the practice of "shotgun weddings." In Europe, programs are more generally designed to help women (like maternity leave), help children, help families -- not POOR women, not POOR children, not POOR families.

America requires you to be a failure before you qualify for assistance. Therein lies the problem. It actively creates a culture of failure and too many broken, shamed people.

It's a terrible system. Just terrible.

But I don't really want to discuss this at length tonight.

Later.