hi j-t,
i thought tkc's post was interesting on this subject also.
i tend to think that, where it exists, the zone of personal responsibility applies to those who are not dependent. so applying it to children is intrinsically wrong.
tkc offsets this by saying the burden of responsibility belongs to families. but then the question - what to do about families that cannot feed their kids?
a different virtue intrudes. the desire to protect the vulnerable from harm. does society want to feed its starving children? many folks would say yes.
i don't think there are ever simple general answers to these kinds of questions. there is a spectrum of circumstances. we attempt to solve the problem by creating a single solution for everyone. the solution is always going to lack the flexibility to accommodate all the circumstances. people point out the shortcomings. other people point out the benefits.
i think the answer is to try to think about building solutions that are more flexible and responsive. one size doesn't fit all.
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