I respectfully disagree with you. I had supportive, loving parents. My father was a college professor. My 2 sisters and I could not have been more different than if we had been raised in completely different environments. Each of us had the same opportunities for education...however...we did not all embrace the opportunities provided.

The strive to succeed comes from within. You cannot ignore this basic human condition, and try to make everything 'fair and equal for all'. It will not work. That is the reason that Socialism will never work. It crushes the will to succeed in those who wish to better their own situation. It rewards those who have no drive to succeed.

Capitalism provides rewards for those who have the will and the desire to succeed. That is why it works.

itsnotright: Well said! I agree and your examples are spot-on! Many who argue for socialism are forgetting to take 'human nature' into account. It is our basic human nature to find the easiest way to accomplish a task. It is our basic human nature to find a way to survive. Socialism provides a way for people to take the easy way out by accepting handouts to survive. Capitalism encourages people to rise above basic human instinct to achieve. In encouraging achievement, you encourage a person to succeed. By encouraging laziness, you allow a person to be less than they can be.

As for poverty...it is every person's choice to help those who are less fortunate. It should NOT be forced by government. In allowing people to make the choice themselves, you allow them to do the right thing, to rise above their animal natures, and to make better their own souls.