This is society breaking down

Originally posted by Tapdancer: ↑

Pinto, I look around and see people (and have worked or dealt with people) who squander their money through drinking, through gambling, through drug taking, through poorly thought-out purchases, through paying for things they don't need, through failing to live within their means, through failing to be productive with their time, through failing to take advantage of the educational opportunities provided by the government, through failing to lead any sort of disciplined life and some form of sacrifice, through failing to respect the wise advice of their elders, through failing to comply with the Law, through failing to take care of their health.....

Sure, we're going to have parasites at the top, dumbass legislation and poor or corrupt administrators - but that doesn't stop anyone in Australia reaching their full potential. Hasn't stopped me or anyone in my extended family.

I would estimate that only 10% max. of Australia's poor find themselves in that position due to circumstances outside of their control. As for the other 90%, sorry, but I find it hard to empathise with their lot, because now I understand WHY.

Expand

I see your point, TD, but you seem to be judging everyone by your prescribed work ethic. And while your ethic is applaudable not everyone dances to the beat of your drum. There are (of your 90%) those not mentally equipped to hold down a 9 to 5 job of menial labour - I've done it from time to time in my youth, like many here have, but I found it soul destroying, so I can understand why the generational poor opt for the dole.
The trick, I think, is to individually find out what those in that predicament are passionate about and set them on that path - everyone has a passion, an asperation.
For example, about 10/15 years ago they (can't remember who) did an experiment here in Oz where they asked random kids in an underprivileged school with low average marks what they wanted to do. About 5 said they wanted to be doctors; and seemed quite passionate about it, even though they wouldn't have a hope of entering university, due to their low grade average. So, over the ensuing few years, the architects of said experiment paid the cost of the first few years of university medical training, and guess what - every of those 5 kids, regardless of poor high-school marks, attained a better than average pass in all medical subjects WTF .
So, perhaps the current punitive system of attaining social benefit for those outside convention is totally counterintuitive if you want them to enter the workforce.