What would you do with the low income of this nation?

[rufus]

First off, I just read that the US government just wrote a check for $150 million dollars to the Palistinian Authority. Now, I have to get down to paying my quarterly estimated taxes.

As to the issue of poverty in this country, I feel that it is pretty much self imposed. Education through high school is free. Higher education is available cheaply through junior colleges and state universities.

When people drop out to just hang out, smoke dope, drink, get tatoos and piercings, they sentence themselves to a life of misery.

People need to think before they make these stupid decisions.

Should they be allowed to starve? Probably not. But then if they can't afford to care for themselves, they surely should not be having children they can't feed or raise correctly.

Greedy labor unions have driven industry from this country. When a company is no longer profitable, it gets bought up by foreigners. And they didn't pay all that money to run a losing business in the US, no it goes overseas. And that is why everything is made in China now.

There is no place in a de industrialized society for the uneducated and unskilled. It is even hard for the educated and skilled.

We can only carry social parasites so long in our society. Eventually, something has to change.

Rufus

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

When I teach this at school I do an experiment: I sort the kids into six groups and give them each a puzzle to do. They are competing with each other for points.

I give out the puzzles and start the timer. One group usually finishes first and starts cheering for themselves. Soon, the taunting and arguing begin. Shouts of No Fair and "Our puzzle is harder" come next.

Eventually, one group realizes that their puzzle is actually missing pieces! More shouts of no fair.

When all of the groups finish I ask the first group how they finished so fast. The puzzles are all 100 pieces. But, one puzzle is partially assembled. One puzzle has a few pieces together. One puzzle is for a higher age group than the rest and one is missing pieces. The fight is not fair. The first group never stops the game to tell everyone that they got an unfair advantage.

People do not start from a level playing field and the concept of a deserving vs undeserving poor is part of what creates people's animosity. The number of people who genuinely abuse the system is actually low. I understand people wanting everyone to work, but not once has anyone mentioned providing child care! You never mentioned cars and transportation. I have seen people's entire lives dissolve over lack of bus fare. I have seen people lose their jobs because their kid got sick again. Or because they couldn't work overtime because they had to get their kids from day care.

People DO make lousy decisions, but learning to make good ones is part of the puzzle some people get.

Some people are born on third base and spend their entire lives thinking they hit a triple.

Some people are so angry at the idea that someone else is getting over on them that they'll let the entire group suffer rather than help one person who didn't "deserve" it. Set up a system where everyone gets the same access to education, avoid the kind of stratification we've allowed to grow here and you'll have fewer poor. There ARE people starving in America and there is no excuse for that whatsoever.

 

[chickmamawannabe]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

When I teach this at school I do an experiment: I sort the kids into six groups and give them each a puzzle to do. They are competing with each other for points.

I give out the puzzles and start the timer. One group usually finishes first and starts cheering for themselves. Soon, the taunting and arguing begin. Shouts of No Fair and "Our puzzle is harder" come next.

Eventually, one group realizes that their puzzle is actually missing pieces! More shouts of no fair.

When all of the groups finish I ask the first group how they finished so fast. The puzzles are all 100 pieces. But, one puzzle is partially assembled. One puzzle has a few pieces together. One puzzle is for a higher age group than the rest and one is missing pieces. The fight is not fair. The first group never stops the game to tell everyone that they got an unfair advantage.

People do not start from a level playing field and the concept of a deserving vs undeserving poor is part of what creates people's animosity. The number of people who genuinely abuse the system is actually low. I understand people wanting everyone to work, but not once has anyone mentioned providing child care! You never mentioned cars and transportation. I have seen people's entire lives dissolve over lack of bus fare. I have seen people lose their jobs because their kid got sick again. Or because they couldn't work overtime because they had to get their kids from day care.

People DO make lousy decisions, but learning to make good ones is part of the puzzle some people get.

Some people are born on third base and spend their entire lives thinking they hit a triple.

Some people are so angry at the idea that someone else is getting over on them that they'll let the entire group suffer rather than help one person who didn't "deserve" it. Set up a system where everyone gets the same access to education, avoid the kind of stratification we've allowed to grow here and you'll have fewer poor. There ARE people starving in America and there is no excuse for that whatsoever.

 

[KingsCalls]

Hmmmm........when I read the TOPIC.........it says the low income. Which I took as the low paying jobs. Why should I have been suprised when I find it is talking about people who make or live on a low income? Not that I am either but, if that's all you have to worry about then, you don't think about very much! You know as well as I know, some made their bed and some just had something happen along the way that may have set them back for a while......(I was there at one time). Everyone has their views on something like this and I for one think it should be left at that!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
This conversation has rolled along quite nicely for 7 pages with everyone sharing and respecting each other's position. Nothing wrong with having a conversation.....

 

[eggzettera]

Rufus I totally agree with you except (knew that was coming, I bet....2 things)....

1.) That it is corporate greed that did us in, not unions. Unions brought us safer working conditions, wages you could survive on. Corporations serve the shareholders only, their only mandate is profit, not human rights, not the environment.

Corporations are needed to make things cheap. Why do they have to be cheap? So we can afford them, we can't afford them to be expensive cause we don't make enough $. It is a circle, for example Mac Donald's has cheap food cause they pay the majority of their employees minimum wage.

There is no place in a de industrialized society for the uneducated and unskilled.

2.)My philosophy is EVERYone can be a contributing member in society.

Our problem is knowing the difference between needs vs. wants or quality vs. quantity.

No one needs to be a millionaire, but everyone needs food, shelter, clothing & a decent fundamental education.

I pay my own way, always have, always will. Never been married, raised a daughter on my own, moved out of the house when I was 15, finally got my Metric (in Canada that is a University entrance) high school diploma when I was 21. OK just thought of something if TOTAL truth be told....I have been on welfare once in my life when I was 18 (in Canada) for 1 month & only because they had messed up my unemployment claim & well truth be told I was to stubborn/prideful to ask for help from my parents.

What I resent is knowing that I help support some drop out on meth head with 4 kids that are not being properly looked after, that are going to become gang bangers & doing time in a jail that has to be supported by a portion of my taxes.

I am all for work houses/poor houses (free labor) instead of jails & prisons. Then they could learn a skill that is marketable when they get out, instead of learning to be a "better" criminal from the fellow inmates. More upsides would be.... work them hard enough they may "bond" with their co-worker instead of fighting an inmate, earn some self-respect that comes in doing a job well done, and best of all OFF my dime.

Welfare is different then social security, if you are disabled you should be on SS not W. Welfare mother could open up a day care & let other welfare mother go work, pay her enough to support daycare & essential needs. I have done daycare & know that you can get 2 hours (a day while they are napping) of free time, which she (the day care provider) could use doing an online or correspondence course.

Maybe if we got rid of welfare we would have SS in the future.....

Just my 2 cents.
ETA:
I started typing right after Rufus post so have to add....

Education is Key - totally agree I HAVE....

Mmmmmm low income vs. on welfare - I (& this thread) did get derailed.......regarding low income = income I believe I well stand by what I said about the true evil doers.....@​

 

[Chicabee19]

I hope this is not a "political" thread cause I don't do politics.

Think about what would have happened if there were no govt. programs during the first Depression.

We may all get a taste of what poor really feels like.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
I am eatin some right now, dear. My fiance's check has been cut to the tune of about $800/month. It is temporary... but still 8 months to do that is a long time with a family of 5.

 

[eggzettera]

I hear you debirayond, my job is looking more & more insecure every day, if I had to go on unemployment (who is hiring?) it would cover my mortgage & utilities - that is it. No $ for food, the house would go into foreclosure (who is buying?) & then what?

 

[debilorrah]

If one of us lost our job, we would have to go live in a motel - one of those $100/week places. I am quite secure in my job as I work in transit - the worse the economy the better we are. Sad, but true.