I just came across this excellent quote:

[howard112211]

"A welfare system increases individual freedom, because it lets people experiment without the threat of catastrophic failure. You are not really free if you are not free to fail."

This should be pinned to every conservative's forehead, who thinks that socialism is a threat to freedom.

[demwing]

1. Do you think the word "Welfare" is tainted?

or can it be recovered?

[howard112211]

2. Hard to say. Ironic, somehow since the word itsself means something like "someone being well".

[liberal N proud]

4. It is like everything else the right wing is against...

They have twisted the meaning or made the term shameful through their constant attacks and rhetoric against it.

They did this with public employee, Social Security, Medicare, all the way down to the word liberal.

[Drale]

3. The Republicans don't want to get rid of their welfare

only everyone Else's.

[snagglepuss]

5. What evidence is there to come to that conclusion? IMO motivation is

very complex and simply giving money isn't going to promote curiousity and experimentation. You only have to look at people who are very well off to see that money hasn't freed them from narrow and constricted lives. I support social safety nets but don't see them as being a grand panacea.