OK,
@Orion Bailey. I am going to answer.
First, this is not directly about the campaign, but you talked about why should you pay for people's bad choices. Have you noticed when someone says bad choices they nearly always mean someone who is poor, usually a woman, frequently woman of color? Although the biggest determiner of poverty is being born into a poor family, something no one chooses.
I don't know your position on reproductive choice, but I know that the individuals and politicians who want to outlaw birth control and abortion, and oppose sex education, are the first to scream about women making "poor choices" when they have children, and oppose any program to help mothers and their children.
We don't hear about the poor choices of a rich white man who fakes a medical record to get out of the draft, is repeatedly bailed out by daddy, declares bankruptcy six times, cheats contractors and employees, is fined millions of dollars for fraud, and sexually assaults women; we hear he is his own man who doesn't have to follow rules. Even god-like.
If a rich kid has a drug problem they go into expensive rehab, if a poor kid does they go to prison. They both made the same "bad choice".
I also don't have children. But I know that society benefits when children are well fed, healthy, and educated - and those children are more likely to rise out of poverty.
You say life should not be easy. What planet are you on? Ever had to take half your prescription meds because you couldn't afford all? Ever had to choose between food & paying the phone bill? Ever had to live in a car or on someone's couch because you were laid off and your pay was so low that even if you get unemployment it won't cover rent? Ever had an employer tell you they want to hire a man or that an employee with a disability is too much trouble? Ever had to let your teeth go because you couldn't get dental care?
We are not wild animals (and even many wild animals live in groups where they take care of young and old members). We are civilized human beings, at least theoretically. You might recall hearing about "social contract" in school. It's the idea that we all participate in caring for those who need care (children, sick, elderly, etc) and that there might be a time when we need help. It's the idea behind paying into social security.
Even if you think people deserve to suffer for what you call "poor choices", their children didn't ask to be born into "poor choice" families, will you punish them?
Now, as to who pays. You probably know many of the largest corporations like Amazon pay NO federal income tax. A lot of them get returns. Billionaires pay a lower federal tax rate than poor people. Throw in the bloated military budget, more than the rest of the world combined, and there's the money.
Most of us admired Paul Allen and there was a lot to like. But at his death he had a reported worth of $25 billion. Honestly, who needs that? He could have had 10% of that and been very very wealthy, able to have sports teams, yachts, houses, private jets, anything he wanted, and the country would have $23.5 billion for schools, housing, developing renewable energy. That illustrates the price society pays when wealth is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Warren does not propose any such radical expropriation. She proposes a wealth tax. The first $50 million a person owns would be exempt, so we are talking about the 1% of the 1%. After $50 million, they are taxed two cents on the dollar. That's hardly socialism, they would still have tons and tons of money. But so would the rest of us.
Next time Forbes comes out with their list of billionaires, get a calculator, or a pen and paper if you're good at math, and do the calculation.
Although frankly if you ask me whether I'd rather pay for another nuclear weapon, Trump's golf outings, or preschool, I'd pick preschool any day.
One more thing about Senator Warren. We hear a lot about "electability", which usually translates into old white male (hetero and Christian, so sorry Bernie). She has both former Hillary Clinton supporters and former Bernie Sanders supporters on her campaign, do you know how rare that is? Sanders supporters still think Democratic leadership put their thumbs on the scale for Clinton; Clinton supporters can't forgive the Bernie bros who sat out the election or even voted for Trump. I know Sanders supporters who said they absolutely would not vote for Biden, one even told me if Biden was nominated then Trump should be re-elected because people would deserve to suffer, kid you not. Clinton supporters would probably vote for Sanders if he was the nominee but would not campaign for him. Warren can bridge the two wings. Maybe you don't care about that so much.
