“The fundamental fact in the lives of the poor in most parts of America is that the wages of common labor are far below the benefits of AFDC, Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, public defenders, leisure time and all the other goods and services of the welfare state.”

An example of a debasing theocracy's extremely out of balance, immoral, and unlawful dogma application. I really don't know how to rate this, 5 stars for accuracy or a thumbs down for such a sick reality.

I don't know, I guess a 5 stars for the accurate depiction. How sad it is when freedom, liberty, individual inalienable rights can be done away with so simply and slavery can be purchased so cheaply.

-and yet, the lives of the underclass in western countries are far more misirable that those of third-world countries.

Government employees' salaries now surpass the private sector -- and they produce nothing and all the taxes collected by the rest of us do not even come close to paying for them. Our government loads itself with more debt -- a process of creating money out of thin air and paying the banks interest on it. I suppose once 1/2 of the population works for the government and the other half must service it, we will officially be a totalitarian nation -- a mixture of feudalism, communism, and fascism, all under the thumb of those holding our promises-to-pay (one day, when we are able, in the future of course, but not now).

Bob, what on earth are you talking about. Oh, now I get it, you are from Eugene, the lib capital of the planet, this explains a lot.

Bob, you are right. Your tongue in cheek sarcasm does make a point - just as jim's above. The poor in the United Socialists of Amerika (USA) are currently better off than most third-world countries. The economic and life style direction though is to make the third-world impoverishment the standard for the entire globe. Your comment is a misdirection diversion and is off point of the quote. The point was, can the common laborer (that which was the bull-work and foundation of the free man's natural law economy), making now - say 12 to 18 dollars an hour make enough to pay the rent on a section 8 equivalent or otherwise housing along with the utilities, buy the family's food, pay for medical expenses, have a phone, etc. ? The answer is no. It is now more practical and makes better economic sense to be a non-productive / part time productive slave than to enter the market as a responsible for self laborer, participating in the noble endeavor of self sustaining labor.

Shouldn't we have a carefully, thought out planned economic system where everyone is served in an empathetic function?