Joe Manchin say he wants a compassionate society: “I’ve been very clear when it comes to who we are as a society, who we are as a nation. I don’t believe that we should turn our society into an entitlement society. I think we should still be a compassionate, rewarding society.”
So I ask you, Mr. Manchin, which is a more compassionate society:
One that provides affordable health care to all, or one that knowingly denies health care to some? Is it not compassionate to help those in need?
One that provides day care for children so both parents of a family can work to provide enough income for a family to survive, or a system whereby one parent can’t afford to work because the cost of daycare is almost as much as one would earn, forcing that family to remain in poverty?
One that provides higher education to all so that anyone can pursue happiness and a better job, or one that forces people to start off life with massive debt or remain limited to low wage jobs?
And why is feeling “entitled” such a negative thing? Are there not things we necessarily feel “entitled” to? Does not our Declaration of Independence say that we are “entitled” to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Does not the constitution entitle us to a government that will “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”?
So if it can be shown that lack of affordable health care, lack of free higher education, lack of affordable day care for children are all not in the interest of the general welfare, and that having those things would promote the general welfare, then the government is failing in its mission statement.
So, please, Mr. Manchin, explain what a “compassionate” society means to you? Please explicitly declare which elements of the 3.5 trillion dollar human infrastructure package you feel will make American society less compassionate? Of course you don’t want to do that as it would expose the weakness of your argument.