I can read back of course and have a bit: Doser for instance, in another thread, has said to me, in correction, that it ALWAYS takes a village to raise a child. He and I were talking of two separate things, but I was trying to say 'in most cases' rather than all, especially when kids fall through the cracks or are taught things against their parent's wishes. So at least as far as Doser, he is for some kind of support system.
Perhaps the argument is rather over 'government' providing for it, rather than people in church and communities. I know its a tough one to separate, but I 'think' that's what is being said in thread, not a defunding, but a removal of government from using tax monies to do it. I think we all understand this anytime our respective governments have poorly used our tax resources where a private sector could have done much better for certain.
Again, I think your knowledge on the UK's history of social support past and present, could benefit a discussion such as this. Charles Dicken's Britain was very different (for example). Here in the U.S. Churches and Corporations (believe that one :noway: ) used to take up more slack where government wasn't needed as much. We even had funding for schools that would often go to a church where 'public' school was held the rest of the week than on Sundays. Many of the folks on TOL may remember a lot of this. I came just as this was all ending with the separation of church and state and it caused some very hard feelings as well as some pretty big problems (as such is bound to do with such a massive turn).
Not sure if this speaks to what you mean, but hope it is somewhat meaningful. Kind of brief, but it might pose a meaningful question or two.
-Lon