No, its not.

What is the alternative?

In an ideal world individuals can be helped. The movie "The Soloist", based on a true story, showed a great example of how a person can fall down mentally and be propped back up to a level of comfort and a degree of security. The problem is that each individual needs special methods and attention, but manpower and money are very limited. Mental illness needs to be addressed somehow more thoroughly in society.

Every man for himself, and God against all.

Survival of the fittest? Quest for fire type living?

Heck, I don't have the answer but the world sure seems to be breeding at an alarming rate these days. Population is three times or more what it was when I was a kid. In So Cal it's at least 10 times what it was.

Sorry...guess he should have said "moral duty".

I hope you get to live your entire life not knowing the pain of needing help, the struggle of addiction, or the tragedy of a disease like mental illness.

But if you don't get to, people like me will always be here to hug you, tell you it's going to be ok, and help you straighten things out.

The responsibility is that everyone do what you should do. If you want your life to be about bad choices then lie in the bed you make. It's not fun being responsible by following the law and being over taxed. You don't have to treat people like children and wipe their ass if they can't do it themselves. Everyone needs a hand up or an opportunity to get things in order. Tough love is still love and enabling is just that. No one should be homeless and no kid should be 30 living at home. It's your fault if you are. Plenty of open land across this country sorry if you can't still do drugs and panhandle in those places. Instead build a shelter and a garden as well as learn to hunt. All you need is provided. You don't need someone to do all the work and feed you. It's pretty simple do your part and follow the rules.

That was stated in jest - my second Werner Herzog reference of the day! Maybe I should have offered some other possible takes on Spencer’s life philosophy:

Gordon Gekko: “Greed is good.”
Ayn Rand: “I got mine, Jack.”

Glad to hear you don't actually feel that way. I totally missed the reference, but I would have gotten the Gordon Gekko one.

If I can do it anyone can. Came from a broken home, suffered years of mental abuse, told to leave home and be on my own at 18, addicted to meth for a couple years, convicted felon, lot's of kicks to the teeth from life along the way. Life is choices good and bad.

Hope this shows up

In 1967 my father took a chance on a down on his luck young man

Read the article " Unwilling lane resident takes a bride"

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19690112&id=AdlVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MuEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2165,2324617&hl=en

A bit dramatic maybe? I look after my friends and family, maybe those families should have stepped up?? If you wish to help crack heads and lazy people, all the power to you. Really, good for you. The $50k+ I paid last year in taxes, from hard work, is my contribution.

Good for you. Its about choice as you said, you chose to better yourself, many do not. Its not my responsibility, its each person. Again, good job.

Wonderful to read a human success story. Everyone needs an opportunity, but that person needs to do their part and that person did. Unfortunately this is the exception and not the norm.

Take comfort in how good you have it, perhaps. It might be healthier.

Population grows exponentially....and exponential growth always leads to disaster.

This blow away Homelessness Part One. Can't wait for Part III !!

There are people who literally can not wipe their own ass...but that's okay, according to you they should just wallow in their own shit. Not everything is about the choices we make. You don't choose to be born in a third world country with not enough to eat.

I seriously don't think peope in the US realize just how bad most people in this world have it. "Most people" on this planet are living in squalor.

How has this not been closed topic yet? Lol

I seriously think "peope" have a choice, just because they don't agree with you doesn't mean your right. Do your part, in fact, do my part too. Thanks in advance.

IMO that's the problem right there let's fix the world while US citizens live in shit. Hey let's start here and stay out of the rest of the world and their policies. Hey people stop having children if you can't afford the birth or to feed them. Pretty easy decision but no let's just do what we want and let someone else pay the bills.

I'm all for helping people that want help. Unfortunately many do not want help though and it's about as easy to stop as suicide. You can't make a sick person be normal.

We shouldn't make this a "tax measuring" contest. Plus account for the Canadian exchange rate.

I'm not. Nice try though.

Not too dramatic. Life can flip upside down on you in an instant, trust me.

Well, that's why I've made plans in case something happens. Its simple really.

Not if you make less money. Good on you for being in a good spot though.

Most Americans are living in squalor. Open your eyes living in MI go to Detroit and see the conditions people are living in. My grandparents made a great life being a diesel mechanic and working the GM floor with health insurance in MI. Not possible these days due to politics and greed. But hey send a bag of rice and some condems to somewhere, so no baby is forced to live in horrible conditions. And send some to Detroit and other US cities. People need to make a choice not to have kids if things suck and make a choice to better themselves. Make a change Astropin and let us know how it works out. People only change when they decide to change.

I see your point but if I made less money, I'd have less games and more money in the bank. Its my responsibility to make sure the family is safe/secure. If I made less money, it would still be my priority.

True you can plan with a rainy day fund but life can still get flipped upside down on you in so many ways. If you don’t think that could happen then your just being arrogant.

Whatever. You look after your family, I'll look after mine. Such a stupid response.

Enjoy your stricter gun laws each year to protect your family from those people you are trying to save.

The South doesn't have these problems.

Gun laws? What are you talking about. I never stated I was trying to protect anyone.

Just did it no paycheck for 4 months truck that I used to help other pinsider to move a pin got repossessed and didn't qualify for any assistance and didn't start a go fund me. I have a wife and two kids. So just got my first paycheck and my truck back and starting to rebuild. Again if I can do it anyone can. And I pay more in taxes than most people earn in a year, I also work 80 plus hours a week. So if your lazy your lazy. I'm climbing out of yet another hole. Funny if you never give in you can make it.

Awesome bud! Good for you. Id like to have a few drinks with you sometime.

With money system. And some peoples inability to defer gratification, homelessness will always exist.

What? Try to make sense.

I once lived in Germany. I never had to tip and I never saw a homeless person!

If you give people a reason not to get off their ass and work, they never will!

I'm on my third passport in 28 years.

Most of these self-righteous posts are from people who have never left the comforts of America.

Hell yeah I love beer. I'm not ashamed of my life and what I've been through. Life is not easy and people can overcome hurdles if they keep fighting. But I'm 49 percent Irish so it may be genetically easier for me. LOL

You should be proud as hell.

Thanks man. I'm no different than anyone else. I would assume most are a couple paychecks away from ruin. I just hate to see people make excuses for not getting ahead. Excuses are an easy way out. I do agree everyone needs a hand up, but what you do with opportunities is up to the individual. Many great people came from nothing and their stories inspire me. I came from nothing and horrible up bringing, but didn't let that be a crutch but inspiration to be who I want to be. It's not easy but you have to be positive and keep fighting. People that say different maybe send a check and are out of touch with reality and don't spend any personal time trying to change things. About 1 percent will better themselves while the other 99 percent make excuses and sit on their ass feeling sorry for them selves.

Proud but always super humble.

I'm not sure its "how bad" Astro. What more can we do to save the world?

Other countries need to step the F up. The USA is the most charitable and compassionate country in the world and its not close.

We always help those that can't help themselves. Those that can, and need a hand up, I'm all in.

Think about the 80/20 rule. 20 percent of any work force does 80 percent of the work, while the other 80 percent does 20 percent of the work.

Before some of you judge me as being "arrogant," ironically I made a small contribution to the Red Cross last night. I also donate goods and clothing to the Salvation Army, United Way and other charitable organizations each year.

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My whole post was that life can throw many curveballs that can shake your world that no amount of preparations can foresee. That’s it nothing more.

It had zero to do with Gun Laws, whether you support charitable organizations or anything else beside the simple fact that unforeseen things can happen that can flip your world upside down.

Accidents, Diseases, Natural Disasters, .....listing them all would take years.

I would agree with what you've said about the USA ice. But for your "how bad"..."Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. More than 80 percent of the world's population lives in countries where income differentials are widening."

So $2.50 a day...that's $890 a year...3 billion people.
80% of humanity is living on less than $3,650 a year.

You must have missed the memo - literally everything comes back to the 2nd Amendement. Literally everything.

Totally true.

Just got off the phone with Big Brian.

He just got out of the hospital yesterday from an emergency appendectomy.

The bill currently stands at $138,000 (and you know for the next couple months more **specialist** bills will be arriving in the mail).

He's only 2 months into his new job, so he's still uninsured.

28 years old, and heading into bankruptcy no doubt.