"The best way to help the poor is to make them uncomfortable in their poverty"

[1devil]

no, i actually do work and learn... sorry i don't fit the mold that you seem to expect of other people



this was my last semester of school and i didn't work this semester because i had enough money saved along with $$ coming from scholarships and other reimbursement programs to cover my living expenses

You need to read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...858880,00.html

[testmonkey75]

how much money would be saved from slashing welfare programs?



over a quarter of the budget

Where? That chart shows less than 1%. Are you saying cut medicare and medicade? That covers babies and elderly. Wow. Yea screw them! Lazy babies, get a job!

[US_Ranger]

Do you think private charity is capable of filling the void if public assistance were ended tomorrow?

I personally do not think so. I volunteer alot and at both organizations we are always short of volunteers and lately at one organization we are really, really short on available funds?

How do you propose private charities fill the void with the student lunch program? When I was in elementary school, one year that was pretty much the only meal I could look forward to.

I dunno...call me a crybaby christian..but I would rather see several people abuse the system, then to cut off all funds and see a kid go hungry.

I think private charity would take over. Everytime a disaster happens in America, there are always people willing to help. The reason we fail as a country is because of dependency issues. The idea of "community" is gone and replaced by nanny state.

I guarantee the welfare meth addicts who lived across the street from me (until they burned their house down) would have been cut off instantly if private charity was helping them. Of course we'd all have to worry about being robbed but we had to worry about that anyway. The private sector > US government.

[J-Bol]

You need to read Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...858880,00.html

How would you rate this book? I saw some excerpts from it and thought about picking it up.

[J-Bol]

Where? That chart shows less than 1%. Are you saying cut medicare and medicade? That covers babies and elderly. Wow. Yea screw them! Lazy babies, get a job!

And the mentally retarded.

[tenthirtytwo]

yes, not drop them completely from one day to the next, but scale them back gradually

i also believe that social security can be privatized by scaling it back gradually as well. instantly dropping it wouldn't be fair for those who have been paying into it for 40+ years

How does that add up to "over a quarter of the budget"?

[testmonkey75]

yes

Oh, I just saw how old you were. That explains it. Try again when you've lived a little junior.

[US_Ranger]

how much money would be saved from slashing welfare programs?



over a quarter of the budget

You can't lump all the numbers together in that chart. While I'm against most welfare, unemployment has a purpose and is widely needed. People who get laid off and land another job that starts in 3 months need something in order to survive. The "rainy day" fund doesn't always work out and having job transition time =/= being lazy.

Hell, I used unemployment when I got out of the army. I get back from Iraq, I spend 2 weeks turning my **** in and signing out and then all of a sudden I have nowhere to go and no job. Unemployment came in quite handy for me while I got back on my feet (literally and metaphorically)



Also, I have to lol @ the amount the veterans get on that chart. All these guys that the government sends into **** storms who get hurt end up getting jack **** in the end. Typical.......

[jmonty]

how much money would be saved from slashing welfare programs?

what is more important than helping the people? geez..

[danny987]

Spoken like a kid that has never gone hungry.

I have lived in a homeless shelter. And i agree with sharkeh

[tenthirtytwo]

are you really that stupid that you can't add numbers bro?

You said that by slashing welfare, you'd cut out over a quarter of the budget, right?

Or by "welfare" did you mean "welfare, unemployment, medicare, medicaid, and social security"?

[jmonty]

ensuring that the inventors, innovators, and leaders who make this nation great get theirs before we start helping people who are looking for a free ride

poor people have potential too. and i'm sure this has been stated but most of them probably aren't looking for a free ride.

but keep lumping classes of people together as all being the same. that should work out for you well.

[jmonty]

ss is classed as welfare

you know, people are required to pay into social security specifically so they'll have it when they are older.

[-TC-]

The problem is the corrupt people abusing welfare. I would rather pay more money to people who would use it efficiently than people who are on drugs and have welfare babies to get more government money.

On the news the other day they had a kid from detroit public schools (which are failing) that went all the way and graduated from harvard. His parents obviously taught him right. So dont say its not possible for poor people to make it. Yes its rare, Yes its hard, but its possible. Also every welfare recepient should be regularly drug tested. Fail? You're cut off.

[tenthirtytwo]

ss is classed as welfare

"Classed" by who, exactly?

[J-Bol]

you know, people are required to pay into social security specifically so they'll have it when they are older.

Although it's not quite a good investment for my generation.

What are we getting? Like $0.80 to the dollar? Less?

[Armando777]

Thomas Jefferson

End welfare programs and use the money saved to restock the treasury

If everyone is so interested about the poor then maybe a week living as a poor person can give anyone insight.
Its not fun being poor.
Education is good, only when there is a job. Being educated and there is no job is the worst.

[danny987]

The fact that some think they are righteous in stealing from me is insulting. You know something is wrong with our culture when some support theft

[Mr Beer]

I dunno...call me a crybaby christian..but I would rather see several people abuse the system, then to cut off all funds and see a kid go hungry.

This.

[TonyHoliday]

That would be fine if adequate education was provided to all citizens.

well said

[danny987]

all taxation is theft & taxation is a necessity in any state. So what do you suggest?

i know of very few things the government needs to spend money on.

In your opinion what are some necessary expenses of government.

[JUSA]

are you really that stupid that you can't add numbers bro?

Calm down, I lean to your side of this one but there's no need to lash out.

[JUSA]

you know, people are required to pay into social security specifically so they'll have it when they are older.

You and I won't see a penny of it. And, unless Catmando makes an appearance here to bash Bush, nobody else posting here will see any return, either.

I would not lump SS in with Welfare entirely, but there is a LOT of abuse of it with people claiming it early who stop working due to having some sort of "mental condition" or whatnot. I've seen quite a few examples of it with only one being a case where I can see why the guy can't work. People can get SS for "chronic depression" or being "bipolar", which aren't laughing matters (typically when they're not made up) but are treatable and shouldn't keep a person from working. I don't know how it works but I know one family who has a child diagnosed with ADHD who receive checks for him. I don't know how since the kid never chipped into it and I thought that you had to at least work somewhere doing something before you could collect, but who knows...

[reyalp]

yup, your right... attending and paying for college consists entirely of sitting in an ac building doing nothing

I forgot about that 30 second trip from your Prius to the office. Oops.
If you keep attending college they may eventually teach you about contractions.

You're confusing working diligently with working hard.
Go pour concrete slabs, work on a farm, roof a house, be a roughneck on an oil rig, or work in commercial fishing, and then tell me about working hard.

[tenthirtytwo]

classed by the united states government in the social security act

Reference please, oh bag of the douches.

[markymark69]

oh i'm sorry, do you want me to upload my schedule from my blackberry for your ass?

is working nearly full time while going to school full time not enough?

And yet you manage to post close to 1400 times since Jan 2009..

Have you felt the effects of crystal meth yet?

[SaviorSix]

I know some of you guys are living in fantasyland and would like to believe that the norm are people who are not exploiting the system - however that is not the case.

The exceptions to the rule are those people who have the potential to get out of their situation and become productive in society. The norm are the leeches and degenerates

[Mr Beer]

The exceptions to the rule are those people who have the potential to get out of their situation and become productive in society. The norm are the leeches and degenerates

Proof?

[reyalp]

LOL... SS was created in the same legislation as medicare/aid, unemployment, and other welfare benefits

Grab a dictionary and look up the definition of a welfare program you piece of ****

You people are too ****ing stupid to have a debate with.. unsubbed

Medicare/Medicaid was created after SS via an act amending SS.

SS = FDR
Medicare/Medicaid = LBJ, then GWB greatly expanded it
Unemployment is administered by the states and not by the Federal Government.