Hi, I may be the only person here who qualifies himself as "utilitarian", which means that I think society should be structured to maximize happiness of the masses.

However, I believe that my philosophical view is waaay more aligned with conservative and libertarian views than leftist views as I think that maximizing happiness starts with a broad base of personal freedoms unhindered by unnecessary government intervention.

On the other hand, I think that various government programs, including welfare, CAN benefit practically everyone when used as a tool to get people back on their feet and paying their share of taxes. Unfortunately, our government likes to hand out entitlements like PEZ. The Democrats do it because they don't mind spending other people's money to attract votes; the Republicans because they're often too spineless to fight the issues.