Hey I never said we should let people freeze to death.

I completely agree that there's a role for govt in helping people who can't help themselves when it comes to the basics like food and a roof over their head.

But as far as finding the perfect job, or using those skills so hard-won in college or university, that imho is an individual's responsibility. If you majored in astrophysics but can't seem to climb above the McJob, I'd say A) I very much respect your education, and B) you might need to re-evaluate your career approach.

Yes, capitalism puts a large measure of responsibility on the individual. That can be either very scary or very empowering depending on a number of things, both tangible and non. I think the practical aspects of capitalism and entrepreneurship deserve a much more prominent place in our education system, because far too many people don't understand the fundamentals. People needn't make those bad career decisions that can de-rail their whole life.

And sometimes the pat answers are the best answers. How's this for pat: if I could go back in time, I'd kick my ass for not listening to my mother when she told me "You want to study art, that's fine; just have something practical to fall back on." If I'd taken that pat advice, a whole decade of my life would've been much easier.

I see so many people out there who spend so much time yearning for "perfect" that they let "good" slip right through their fingers. "Good" ain't bad (that's why they call it good). My current job is pretty good, but some might say it's not perfect because it offers only a minimal venue for artistic expression, which had previously been a big part of my life. The happy compromise I've struck is that "artistic" is what I do elsewhere, when I'm off the company clock. And to my great joy, I've discovered that programming is actually a very creative endeavor.

I'd never have found my current situation if I hadn't been willing to re-visit some choices I'd previously made and change my path from time to time. In other words, I had to exersize the responsibility capitalism had given me over my own life. I wish I'd done it sooner.

There's an old saying you're no doubt familiar with. It's trite and cliched and completely true: Give a man a fish and you've fed him for a day; teach him to use a net and you've fed him for life. So is someone is starving, sure, you give him a fish...and his first lesson in how to use a net.