The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." And we … kill those people. "Shut him up! I've got a lot invested in this ride, shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry, look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real." It's just a ride. But we always kill the good guys who try and tell us that, you ever notice that? And let the demons run amok … But it doesn't matter, because it's just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your doors, buy guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love instead see all of us as one. Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.
Bill Hicks

A friend shared this with me last night and its been percolating in my brain today. Something we hear so often, when talking about social programs and helping people who are less fortunate, is the question "what if they're just lazy/bad people/drug addicts/ fat/ what have you.
My answer is"what does it matter?" Are any of you perfect? Do you do everything you "should" all the time? Are you at work every waking moment? Are you always kind? Do you never have a beer too many? Why do people need to be perfect before we're willing to assist them when they're struggling. Over and over we've had programs set up and implemented to drug test welfare recipients. Over and over again we've found what any poor person could tell you. Poor people use drugs at a lower rate than other segments of the population. Drugs are expensive and poor people need the money for things like rent and food.
Whenever living wages are brought up, " low skilled workers don't deserve living wages!" Is the answer. Why? They are spending their precious time and expending effort to make others large profits and make all our lives easier. Somehow you're ok with people who work hard not being able to afford the basics of life?
How about we stop fearing that someone might get something they "don't deserve"? How about we start building each other up instead of tearing each other down? How about we stop looking for reasons to look down on our neighbors? Thats an ugly way to live and view your fellow man. Lets stop being stingy about how our shared resources are meted out and start focusing on the things that really matter.