Boston Firefighter Stabbed – A Boston firefighter is mending from what could have been deadly stab wounds he suffered early yesterday morning when he was allegedly jumped in East Boston while off duty by a group of Hispanic males who…

I’m pretty unsympathetic to all of it, really – I figure if you want to control your living conditions, pay for them yourself. But in all seriousness, this howling conniption fit is just like what people said before the welfare reforms were put in place in the mid-90s, and they’ve turned out to be a big success. I honestly believe these changes are going to be good for the city. And the activists are clear about their goals – they want to stop it here so that it doesn’t get done in other cities. That’s their biggest fear.

GCoastian, preach it, brother!

Jim C

There is a huge welfare culture in this country that believes that their unalienable rights include housing, medical care and and other taxpayer-financed assistance. The basic rights of men as outlined by the Constitution include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Tell me this: By what means did our founding fathers intend for us to pursue these things? Should we believe that these men who fought for our independence expected us to foster a culture that depends on government aid? Our country was founded by people who overcame great adversity. Our founders had drive and initiative to seize what was important to them. They fought for their religion, education and freedom. How can we as a country instill the “welfare culture” with those values, rather than fostering their continued dependence on the government? I certainly do not have the answer to this question, but it is time for the recipients of government assistance to realize that they are fortunate to live in a country that WANTS to help them; it is not their God-given right.

Katrina victims who want to return to New Orleans certainly have every right to do so. New Orleans may be the only home some of the evacuees have ever known. Be assured that there has been assistance available to those who needed it(I am a Mississippi Katrina survivor myself) , although some would say there was too little, too late. Again, receiving assistance is not a “right”; it is a gift. To those who complain, I would ask “What did you ever do to help yourself? Where was your initiative? What did you to help someone else before you started your rant?”