Republicans do not equal conservative. You can not claim there is one conservative in any government anywhere in the world. Every politician now is pandering to and paying off voters. Unless of course they aren't living in a democracy. The only thing that this thread points out is that 26 million people are being paid to vote for the democratic party. If they can be bothered to get to the voting booth. The world is in the crapper not just the US. Once they don't have to worry about starving, people the world over devolve into useless blobs of consumerism. I find it comical that any of the critics of America believe that their country will be spared. If anything they will hit the ground of reality at a faster clip. What I find amazing is that the US has staved of the infection this long. I've got to stick with the US because my family is here and I generally feel like the rest of the world will hit the skids soon to. They have just as many if not more problems than we do. EU has such a greater liabilty to there social programs and once our goose is cooked there's will be to. Goes for china as well. Then there are the country's we fund directly. Once we crash and burn we won't be footing the bill propping up their governments. In other word, where did you go when the Roman Empire fell? Well happy rays of sunshine everybody. JIM
While the absolute number of people on food stamps is at an absolute high, the % of the population on stamps is not. It was actually higher for awhile in the 90's (around '94 I believe). This is another one of those stats that the press loves throw out there for dramatic effect. That said, we have some serious financial crap to deal with down the pipeline.
You mean like the "destruction of $USD", or the fact we've borrowed nearly $10 TRILLION which we NEVER INTEND TO REPAY IN KIND? I'd say "that's serious".
Maybe thats what they are telling you in school as I dont think you will find fortune or the WSJ talking about how "planned the economy" is in china. China in many ways is more of a free market than the US or Canada. Minimum wage that is below free market vaule almost no EPA no OSHA local governments that encourage growth Zoning regs that choke the hell out of growth? dont have them lower taxes - income and property no unions If you think for a minute that where you live is not more of a planned economy try opening a new oil refinery or factory that produces PVC. You will find out quickly who is living in the "planned economy" pretty quick. I can not think of one type of business and especially factories that would be easier from a government compliance point of view to open in the US than in China. Can YOU?
Comparing US to China is senseless. I bet most of the food stamp line ups have 75% folks who overspend on other unneccessary items like beer, bigger screen tv etc. and end up having nothing left to feed themselves. Idiots!
It's not quite that bad. Stores are not allowed to accept food stamps for certain items.. including alcoholic beverages and tobacco products... though I'm sure food stamps can be traded for cash at a discount.
China is still a centrally planned economy. The government sets the price of many things.... "The Fifth Plenum in October 2005 approved the 11th Five-Year Economic Program (2006-2010) aimed at building a "harmonious society" through more balanced wealth distribution and improved education, medical care, and social security. On March 2006, the National People's Congress approved the 11th Five-Year Program. The plan called for a relatively conservative 45% increase in GDP and a 20% reduction in energy intensity (energy consumption per unit of GDP) by 2010." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China Our Car manufacturers are getting killed by their Japanese counter-parts. GM and Ford complain about the unions, pensions and high-labor costs. But the japanese workers have better benefits and basically are guaranteed a job for life. More social benefits makes for better and happier workers. I am not saying the US should become a socialist or centrally planned economy, but providing all members of a very wealthy society should be able to meet a certain standard of living. Do the Japanese or Western Europeans have ghettos? Do the Japanese or Western Europeans have any where near the murder rates we do? Maybe you can argue that we are more competitive than western European countries, but you would be hard pressed to argue that our companies are more efficient or competitive then their Japanese counter-parts. I think competition is key to making people achieve their best, but I also think that if you let a portion of your society wallow, you will lose some of your most important leaders. Each US citizen should have the oppurtunity to suceed. If they are born into a family that can't buy the best schools or healthcare, the person is automatically at a disadvantage. 5yr
I think 2004 an article or forecast came across which said a time soon will come when the Superrich will be locked in their colonies and outside of these forts will be a world of chaos, crime and near calamity. This prediction was made for the US. The problem today with US is nobody in leadership, be it political, business, military or even church related................wants to tackle the growing problems head on. During Chechenya war in 1995 one Russian soldier out of frustation mentioned "A fish rots first from the head" pointing to Boris Yeltsin and his henchmen. Seems same logic can, to some extent, be applied to the US. Will the change of person in White House be a big help, do not think so as other leadership in form of Senators, Congressmen, Governors etc. will still remain the same.
You misunderstood my point. What I meant was, for every dollar paid to the welfare, the government has to pay $5 for labor. So, if welfare paid out for 2007 is 1Billion, it will cost the government 5 bill in administrate it.