tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10898244.post4752481654283210974..comments2024-02-03T18:13:42.370-08:00Comments on ricklibrarian: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayorricklibrarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11621583568674705756noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10898244.post-32046258030669134632015-06-27T06:27:51.964-07:002015-06-27T06:27:51.964-07:00I would have no problem with leaving assistance to...I would have no problem with leaving assistance to charities if it was adequate, but the problems are so monumental and some charities are as prone to inefficiency and corruption as governments. And you are correct in that people resent taxes because they are imposed. Yet we have to rely on both in this imperfect world. We need to get help to people in whatever form we can.<br /><br />ricklibrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621583568674705756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10898244.post-67624522656546539672015-06-25T14:38:04.217-07:002015-06-25T14:38:04.217-07:00No argument that we are at our best when we help t...No argument that we are at our best when we help those most in need. However it is a question of how to best go about helping. Entitlements are fraught with problems; they rely on other peoples money that is coerced through taxes, they eliminate the need for individuals to practice the "golden rule" ( why should I personally care about my fellow citizen when the state/fed govt does it for me) and lastly they serve as a disincentive to hard work and enterprise through enslaving people into welfare. Versus individual cooperative actions via charitable giving, which is targeted and temporary. And American are very generous - over 303 billion dollars were given to charities in 2014 ( see below). So really we are of similar minds on this issue, it is just how we go about it that divides us. <br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/business/charitable-giving-rises-past-prerecession-mark.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10898244.post-70638451435871067772015-06-24T15:29:41.977-07:002015-06-24T15:29:41.977-07:00I think affirmative action is a grand idea. Many p...I think affirmative action is a grand idea. Many people need help getting with affording education and getting started in careers. I certainly needed help and have been helped through every phase of my life. We need this more than ever in our country which is becoming so mean-hearted as more and more social programs are being defunded. Fiscal conservatives so we cannot afford to help people any more. That's short-sighted. Helping people is our greatest calling. What is money for? Money spent together is much better spent than held tight. <br /><br />There is no stigma of being helped.ricklibrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621583568674705756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10898244.post-70277836752358516252015-06-24T14:57:56.756-07:002015-06-24T14:57:56.756-07:00Did she earn her place in life as espoused by this...Did she earn her place in life as espoused by this comment ? ... " Sotomayor's book is a lesson about effort being rewarded". Or was she offered an advantage via affirmative action due to her minority status ? .... " She received a scholarship to Princeton thanks to affirmative action". FYI SCOTUS has upheld a ban on affirmative action in college admission, and 8 states including Californian ban the practice.<br />Lastly you point out .. the death of her Puerto Rican father when she was only nine... I grant you that losing a father can be traumatic but what's so special about his ethnicity ? Is is any more or less hard for children of black or white fathers when they die ? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com