Some folks see 95% or more of all people as potential (or actual) lazy bums who will quit their jobs and shamelessly take advantage of The System if it offers them a free lunch, free health care, a free place to live, etc.
The same folks see 95% or more of all businesses, large and small, as noble law-abiding ventures, engines of creativity and social progress, hamstrung by senseless regulations and bureaucratic red tape.
They see Government in the process of becoming a criminal organization, perverted from its original mission of ensuring liberty and justice for all into something evil that takes from the deserving and gives to the undeserving, that strips away freedoms and tramples the rights of decent individuals and organizations.
Other folks see 95% or more of all people as hard-working, honest, and generous, inclined by nature to help their neighbors in need, willing to pay their fair share and a bit more if they're fortunate enough to have a good job, good health, good family, good friends.
The same folks see 95% or more of all businesses, large and small, as potential (or actual) rapacious cheats, enterprises to take advantage of the weak, cancers on society that concentrate wealth, pervert the political process, and largely write the rules.
They see Government in the process of becoming a criminal organization, perverted from its original mission of ensuring liberty and justice for all into something evil that takes from the deserving and gives to the undeserving, that strips away freedoms and tramples the rights of decent individuals and organizations.
Reality? Call me Pollyanna: I see 95% or more of all people and 95% or more of all businesses as basically good and sensible. Yep, there are jerks and crooks. We need rules and enforcement of those rules. But most of the time most of us try to play fair. Over time things are mostly getting better. Some people and businesses are unlucky and need help; others are lucky and can afford to help. "Luck" includes being born with stable brain chemistry, having wealthy parents, making fortuitous career choices, etc. There's a lot more "luck" in life than many of us realize. Getting angry and shouting at each other is less beneficial, overall, than working together to make the rules — which we call "Government" — more balanced, transparent, and easier to understand. Strive to maximize liberty and justice for all. Worry a bit less about keeping score. Have more fun playing the game together.
(cf. AuthorizedVersusForbidden (2005-07-03), GovernmentJob (2005-08-23), WhateverYouWant (2007-02-26), ...) - ^z - 2012-07-24