I was always wondering, and this is the reason why I fell set back when defending the market, is the problem of how the disabled will find work. Say for example that a healthy worker was working at the factory or some physically intense job, but one day he was shot, intentionally or not, in the leg, thereby losing his productivity, and if he gets laid off, he loses his advantage to others that are more abled to work than he is. And what about the blind, schizophrenics, and other disabled?
How about the case for the immigrant, who came here to America to earn a decent living, but the only jobs he or she is limited to is low paying service jobs, and some people who just doesn’t grow in English skills is stagnate in their job. My mom is one example, she works in the restaurant as the waiter/busperson all her life, and she is getting old, and this type of work might be taxing, but maybe there are other options. Can you guys name a few that pay pretty well. What if the immigrant is never married and takes care of him or herself all their lives until they get old. Should he/she live in a retirement home or a cheap place in a bad neighborhood?
Agree on all Daniel’s points. I could not have said them better.
Another thought to consider is how do you decide what groups receive the special protection of the coercive powers of government. A disabled person can park in any parking spot. If a non-disabled person parks in a spot for the disabled, he is slapped with fines, towing, etc. Why don’t dog lovers have their own spots? How about stamp collectors? It sounds silly, but the decision of who to protect can be arbitrary. Disabled people makes sense to many, so they rationalize the priveleges they receive.
Read this book about the effects of the American’s With Disabilities Act:
One more thing…Government cannot solve the “problem of the disabled,” or any other problem for that matter, better than individuals acting voluntarily and free from coercion!