perhaps not.... I think you meant to suggest its probably or its circumstantial or its due to (whatever other qualifier ...) but "only" wow, that's pretty strong
I agree with you. But the problem is these idiots will be roaming your neighborhood at night to rob and kill you when they get too hungry. Unfortunately things like this can only happen in America.
Im not a GOP member, but hopefully the neocons currently running the Republican Party aren't representative of Republicans in general. (that doesn't mean their not stupid enough to keep voting Neocon agendas)
What I find interesting is that the average American doesn't know anything about what is going on in the rest of the world while they can recite our problems chapter and verse. It is amazing to me how ignorant we as a society have become of our 'home.' This may be off the subject, but we really need to wake up and get with a program.
Actually America has one of the lowest overall tax rates in the developed (and even developing world)(see link). Its amazing how heartless people can be, I have no problem giving some of my income away to help my fellow person and think that we should give more away. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP We are the most advanced and wealthy "society" the world has ever scene. The way we stay rich is by working with others not by striking out selfishly on our own. See "tragedy of the commons" I agree with the posters that said things like, think of it as a payment to live in a safe society. Many conservatives and capitalists hated (and hate) FDR for his "socialist" ideas and programs; but I believe that those socialist programs are the reason we aren't a communist country. Ask if you want more of an explanation. In the 1950's the richest were paying 90% tax rates on income earned over $400K, thatâs high, what you pay now is nothing, even if they raise it a little. Does a 4% tax on the upper portion of your income really change your life style much? 5yr
I am sorry but did you eat paint chips as a kid?? I am not kidding... Our economy is circling the drain and you want MORE money pissed away?? Medicare is about to give us a 70+ trillion dollar bill. SS is about to go into a negative cash flow meaning the treasury will have to borrow money at real market rates and we already spend over 11% of the budget on interest payments. This is simple and as basic as it gets with economics. If you give people incentive not to work guess what ....they dont work and they become baby factories that produce more of the same. Then the bleading hearts will sell the next BS handout with the old "the children will suffer if you dont give away 30% of your income" Well its a line of shit and if people can get past the emotion and look at the facts they are clear. The war on poverty that Johnson started hasn't done a damm thing to help but has done a whole lot to hurt. These programs cost money and they cost a lot of money. While your sitting there thinking that OTHERS should give more of their money to these bums let me remind you of some facts about the average "POOR" person in the US. owns a car owns a TV and VCR Owns and has a phone has cable service has air conditioning has heat during the winter has food (show me one person who has starved to death in this country due to being denied food) OWNS THE HOUSE THEY LIVE IN works less than 20 hours per week has a higher than average amount of children. These are not my thoughts this is from the government itself. food stamps WIC housing assistance energy assistance welfare other than SS no tax on income child health care provided by the working people you better start learning to speak chinese because as someone who goes to asia a lot I can tell you that they dont give a shit if you feel good about poor people. they are going to work you for as little as possible and take all our wealth that they can as we raise the minimum wage and tax the productive to the point where the french call us liberal. read a book on economics and read whats coming out of the GAO from Washington and see if you still want to borrow more money to provide that AC for the unproductive leaches and the "feel sorry for me I didn't plan past yesterday when I was drinking"
I hate to fantasize about solutions that will never be implemented, but I'm doing it again anyway. The government, (under total authority from hughb of course), would offer all of these recipients of taxpayer assistance a one time bonanza. When they come in to sign up, tell them, "you can sign up for your $500 a month of assistance, or, WE CAN CUT YOU A CHECK FOR ONE THOUUUUSSSSSAAAAND DOLLAHS right here on the spot!! Which do you want? Of course they will take the thousand bucks. When they sign for their one time bonanza they don't read the fine print that says they are relinquishing their US citizneship and being deported to Monrovia. "Now tell me boy, now wouldn't that be sweet?" - Gwen Steffani Oh well, back to work here.
Um, the Chinese still have a centrally planned economy to a large extent. The government plays a much more direct role in supporting institutions such as education, scientific research, etc. They're about as far from the libertarian ideal as you can get. I would argue that we will lose our competitive edge to China if we remove all structural support. We don't need harder workers, we need smarter workers. We'll always have non preforming members of society. But we can at least offer the structural support to those able members so as to maximize our human capital. Free market incentives only go so far... I live in Montreal now. My sister is dating a black guy from a poor back round. He's also in an incredibly rigorous electrical engineering program in university. How many inner city kids go on to study electrical engineering at top universities? Maybe 3....in Canada, it's not that uncommon for a poor guy to get that level of education. My roommate is middle eastern, poor backround. He's going to Standford for his PhD, got his undergrad here. I'd say it wouldn't have been possible in the states. He would have gone to a crap high school and never would have made it to university, if he could even afford it.
I would imagine a lot of those 26M are getting food stamps because thay can, not because they are "starving". Most welfare programs in this country are based on growth.....not eliminating the root causes for the program. Do any of you really believe this country has 26m people starving?