Is this "fair"?

[detbuch]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

The obvious solution is to put a wall around the Windy City.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

If a solution is required, there must be a problem.

If it is a problem that a poor person cannot afford to live in a rich neighborhood, the obvious solution is for the poor person to become rich.

If the poor person is made rich through government subsidy, then, to be "fair" that subsidy should be available to everyone who cannot afford to live in a rich neighborhood.

Then everyone would be equally rich, and, in effect, no one would be rich, since their would be no comparative disparity in wealth to define rich or poor. (Of course, that's an overriding goal of socialism.)

But the catch is that rather than a solution, the result would be a bigger problem. Solving problems by creating more problems is stupid. Not only will there be the functional problems pointed out in the article, there's that sneaky sociological problem that economic equality destroys motivation. All things being equal, there's nothing to strive for.

On the other hand, there's that Nancy Pelosi notion that not having to spend the time and effort to provide the necessities for yourself would free you to write poetry or create music. But what would there be to write or sing about. The ultimate problem with socialism, if it could actually work, would be that it is boring. Stultifyingly boring.

All that is an extreme oversimplification, but it is the germ of a worthwhile discussion which I doubt anyone cares to have. So, in keeping with simplicity: it is not "fair" (that being one of the major operative words driving progressive policy) to subsidize some to live in rich neighborhoods, but not to subsidize everyone else who would like the subsidy . . . especially when those who won't get the subsidy have to pay the taxes used to subsidize the others.

Then, there's that trampling the Constitution thing. And American values. And work ethic. And individual liberty. And all that stuff that nobody really cares about anymore. The important thing is that everyone is equal, and everything is fair. If that's possible