Wow, I didn't know we established a Constitutional Theocracy. Safety nets are the responsibility of the Church and the local communities, not the Federal Government. Ryan is the best we got?
Equal rights does not mean "equal opportunities." Nobody has an "equal opportunity" at anything, ever.
Pretty people and smart people and hard working people will have a natural advantage over ugly, stupid and lazy people. In order to have "equal opportunity" you have to punish the good looking, smart and hard working people to bring them all down to the level of the ugly, stupid and lazy people. We are a nation of individuals.
We are not "equal" nor should we be. We are all dealt a hand and we have to deal with it. Guaranteeing "equal opportunity to all" simply means that the Government is going to be dealing out the hands... from the bottom of the deck.
The “safety net” has become so extensive that it is a lifestyle. The paper today contained information on income levels to have the gov’t pay your heating bills.
You get food, rent, utilities, healthcare, and walking around money via welfare, food stamp, healthcare, and subsidy programs.
When your safety net is so extensive that it funds a lifestyle, then you have created a culture of dependence. Why would anyone struggle to make it other than through personal pride?