One reason sometimes advanced to me by liberals in defense of their policies is a desire to ensure that everyone in society has a “chance” at success however defined. This is a seductive idea. Who, after all, would be so hard-hearted as to wish that someone not have a chance at a happy, successful life?
The main problem I have with this is that “giving people a chance” is often a cover for “protecting people from the consequences of failure.” I have yet to meet someone advancing the “give people a chance” argument who was willing to clearly define the conditions under which the chances should stop being extended. A chance, after all, is not a guarantee of success. There will be people who have every opportunity to succeed in life but blow it anyhow through making bad choices. At some point, the honest chance advocate faces the question of when to say “Sorry, but you had your chance. Now you have to live with the consequences.” If the chance advocate isn’t willing to draw that line, then they aren’t really talking about giving people a chance. They’re talking about subsidizing failure.
