&gt; If the Government could simply hand out American Dreams at the Bureau of American Dreams then why would anyone ever aim any higher? Why would anyone take a risk on anything or try to exceed expectations?<p>You hate some odd quote, yet I hate this constantly perpetuated myth regarding socialism.<p>Firstly, the most &quot;driven&quot; people aren&#x27;t the wealthiest (though, it can occasionally be a side effect). The research scientist who forgoes money in some fortune 500 firm (or a more lucrative field of study) to instead focus on some obscure species of fauna? Probably way more driven than some sociopath focused on the bottom line.<p>Second, socialism isn&#x27;t about handouts. It&#x27;s about moving the ownership of production from the hands of one central figure to the hands of those actually managing the production. Usually, this would mean shifting ownership to the employee collective, not state ownership (a la communism).<p>It sounds like you might be making the mistake of equating &quot;social democracy&quot; (universal healthcare, social security, etc) with &quot;socialism&quot;. Even if that&#x27;s the case, I don&#x27;t see the issue with helping my fellow man with basic health and well-being. It&#x27;s pretty much the entire reason societies and nations were formed. We&#x27;re advanced enough to offer it at this point.<p>Lastly, automation is happening. At remarkable speeds. As we automate more, there&#x27;s less labor to do. Period. In 50, 100, maybe 150 years; there&#x27;s not going to be an option. There&#x27;s a very good chance there will only be work left for the innovators and dreamers (the &quot;Star Trek&quot; model, ascribed to by techno-utopianists), some day. Even if that&#x27;s not the case, unemployment levels are going to grow, and it&#x27;s not due to people being &quot;lazy&quot; or &quot;non-driven&quot;.