Are We Raising a Generation of Socialists?

Many of our kids grow up and live at home, unable to get the kind of job that pays for an independent lifestyle. They make the rational choice that the standard of living their parents provide is far beyond anything forseeable for them on their own. The path from a minimum wage job (especially in this downturn) to higher pay is not a straight line. Most of such work does not involve upward mobility, so the worker has to leave and find something better. The sharp turns seem to have nothing to do with the first job. So why head out into the world and try to support yourself? Why believe that capitalism works for them? They only see no good jobs and their best lifestyle comes from a shelter provide for by their parents.

I know several single mothers, every one intelligent and able-bodied. In some cases, they gave up on remarrying, sometimes after two tries, believing all men are pretty much the same. They live on their own, but only by state aid, which seems to allow such beliefs to continue, even encourages them. I'm not saying the mothers are wrong to choose public aid, I'm saying the system is wrong and that it pays people to believe in it. One reason the men are no good is economic, they don't provide, which brings us back to the minimum wage problem, which points back to the same government that both provides the state aid and sets the minimum wage. See the problem? Not to mention the broken families that resulted.

In short, we are seeing the flywheel of the economy slow down as more friction wears it down. But its going to need new, young energy to spin it up. The capitalists above the entry level (myself included) will not benefit if the bulk of Americans give up much of their freedom in exchange for a little handout of wealth. Giving up freedom opens the door to larger government. If funding is the key to influencing public opinion, then we have done a bad job of funding the workers with a decent wage. On the other side of the argument, the government is doing a great job of funding welfare.