Todays Americans don't know what poor is.

Don't ya know in liberals world, free lunches do exist?

 

Nope, you are just a slave on the welfare plantation.

_

 

I just saw a new twist on panhandler signs in Vegas this week

there were the obligatory "wounded vet" signs and "family man" signs but I did see a few with the new sign

"why lie, I need beer"

 

One of the morning guys here in the Bay Area said something about this topic tongue-in-cheek. To paraphrase:

The problem with America is there is no hunger, nor any threat of there being any hunger. Hunger is the great motivator.

Why the hell should people work if their every need is taken care of by the Nannystate?

 

So your point is that poor is relative??? That we'd be fine if we just emulated the Somalis??? That we should be thankful for the blessings of trickle down?

I'm not gettin' it. This is the richest country on the planet in terms of resources and the country could easily AFFORD food, clothing, shelter, transportation and healthcare. The problem is in the delivery system and the fact that some people feel they need to have it all and restrict access to others. No thanks, I'm not feeling gratitude at all.

 

Unfortunately, there will always be a certain segment of society that are happy to sit around and have others do for them what they can and should do for themselves.

And yeah, many of them won't feel grateful- they'll continue to feel ENTITLED.

 

as I say to my kids

some people will drive the BMW's and some will wash them

in your grand liberal scheme what you want to do is punish those who worked to get ahead. There always will be winners and losers

 

AHH!!

Here is the KEY. This is the entire problem!

By "participation in the surrounding culture" you mean, "keep up with the Joneses" don't you??

As living standards increase, it becomes harder and harder for certain individuals to "keep up with the Joneses" as that really is what American culture is about. So that is your main complaint.

You are upset because it is becoming harder and harder for you, or individuals you know, to keep up with your neighbors! So out of jealousy you wish to strike out at the Joneses by using Government as your weapon to hold the Joneses back so that you can maintain your sense of self-worth! Which is apparently tied to what shiny new toys and technology your neighbors own rather than what is inside you as a person.

I get it now. Clear as day.

"If my kids can't be lavished with all the goodies the Jonses give their kids, then the Government needs to step in and take away from the Joneses to give to me so I can keep up with them and "participate in the surrounding culture"."

Interesting.

 

Eventually you run out of others peoples money.

 

hmmm, lemme review this post; ah hah, ah hah, yup, ah hah............yep, you nailed it

 

A hard worker might do both. Paris Hilton wouldn't.

There's a weak positive correlation between hard work and wealth. Republicans support policies to weaken it further. Democrats support policies that provide greater opportunities for class mobility, and don't give the very wealthy an exemption for responsibility.

 

Im not poor but I know exactly what it's like to be poor. I spent a year in Mexico at my great aunts home when I was 9 and let me tell you it was a place that made your stereotypical ghetto home feel like a mansion. Beans and rice was literally the norm for food and unpasturised milk or water from the well to drink.

Wanna take a bath? Ok go fetch your water and boil it over the fire and throw it in what resembles a bathtub on the side of the house lol. No air conditioning, no running water, no tv, and no electricity.

I challenge those sniveling OWS types to even attempt that lifestyle before they (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) anymore about not having (*)(*)(*)(*). Poor things couldn't make it 2 weeks without their mocha latte's and iPhones. You are right, people today have not a clue what it's like to truly be in the dumps.

May my great aunt rest in peace, she taught me so much on how to do without and how to truly take care of myself if something were to happen. Valuable lessons I hope I never have to put into use, but well received if it ever came to it.

 

You are indeed correct, Marine1!

You have a wonderful family and a great deal to be proud of. If there is lots of love in the home, the concept of "poverty " is not all that important!

The accepted definition of "poverty" is indeed very subjective and open to much conflicting interpretation!

"In other words poverty is relative, and in the U.S. a large 45.9% of the "poor" own their homes, 72.8% have a car and almost 77% have air conditioning, which remains a luxury in most of Western Europe."

These discussions from a recent Sweedish study were very good and quite revealing!

 

Yeah, and it is we who work hard, support ourselves and our families, and pay taxes who victimized by this stinking bunch of socialist bastards we have running the Federal Government today. The winners? Parasites, sponges, moochers, leeches, and other thieves who suck a living off of ward-heeler creeps like Obama in exchange for their votes. Nothing new under the sun....

 

I couldn't agree more. You had to share your dad's car? You only had one TV set in your house? I had to buy all that stuff by myself. And you know what? I never felt I had less than other people surrounding me.

I have to admitt that I've never visited the US and I don't know how ordinary people live there, but I cannot get rid of the feeling that people have too much and they do not really know what being poor is. If you are able to fulfill your basic needs such as food, clothes, education, healthcare and basic entertainment you are not poor. Yes, you do not have as much as your neighbour, but you are not poor. Not having the latest Iphone does not make you poor.

Not being able to buy whatever your heart desires does not make you poor. I am an adult now, I work, I pay my bills regularly and because of that I often cannot buy the latest sneakers, or buy a better car. Does that make my poor? No. I know my limits, I try to make ends meet and I do not complain when I have to decide whether to go out this evening or buy a knew coat (yes, a coat, but mind you, that coat is also something I do not really need since I already have one hanging in my closet).

I prioritise. I have all that I need, everything else is a luxury. But what I'm interested the most in is this, how can your system of health care support people who buy new sneakers or cell phones but claim they have nothing to eat?

 

I personally don't know any moochers who aren't 1) too young to work, 2) too old to work, 3) too sick to work, 4) too retarded to work, 5) too rich to work, or 6) wouldn't rather work if they could get hired - unless they are making more money in the drug trade than they can make at McDonalds, thereby living the American dream as entrepeneurs and contributing to trickle down in their communities. Maybe you know some real moochers, eh?

 

Does anyone doubt if you give to much, you take away the incentive to help yourself? I think welfare should be given out on the type of need you have. I don't thin people who have a home phone, cable and Internet, costing over $155.00 should be eligible for a paid cell phone and minutes. I don't think women should be paid more for having another child while on welfare. I don't think we are doing nearly enough to go after fathers that have abandoned their children. If we did more to go after them, we could cut down the support we have to give the mother of those children.