“You see, here in the great state of Utah, we have a huge number of people receiving public benefits (through tax credits, “free schooling,” etc.)....”
####
I assume you are referring to large-family white Mormons? To the extent that new white families embrace this unending welfare state, America is screwed; perhaps permanently, as now close to 50% of the population is fully on board with UNEARNED goodies from the government, and will vote Communist to keep them coming.
That is, until the inevitable fiscal downfall that is inherent in socialism.
“I assume you are referring to large-family white Mormons?”
No, Utah culture is irrespective of the majority of people here being A) White or B) Latter-day Saints. Utah has its goods and its bads, but the culture here is one of frugality (which you could argue is a Latter-day Saint quality, but which is found no where else. Any Latter-day Saint for outside of Utah will tell you, Utahns on a whole are very, very different.
In any event, as you stated, Socialism never works (you said inevitable fiscal downfall, but I’m rephrasing), you always run out of other people’s money. The U.S. btw has been using deficit spending and using OPM for decades. The rest of the world has been subsidizing us (and central bankers ensnaring us) and that will dissipate in short order as well. I pray one day we all learn to live within our means, and throw off the taxation and regulation strangleholds that make people not want to work. With a progressive income tax fueling a giant big brother government, you’re penalized the harder you work. A lot of people simply quit trying. A return to a limited government where men get to eat the fruit of their own labors (not someone else’s) and people will in short order start working very, very hard. People like “stuff,” largely like working for “stuff” but ultimately want to keep their “stuff.” We have few to no property rights left in this country, so many people ( I would never say it’s close to 50%) question “Why bother?”