Get Your Free Obama Phone!

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

So what's your solution? Or should we keep ignoring that there's a problem?

The people in these neighborhoods don't have the options they should have. No education, no jobs, no activities for children. Poverty breeds poverty. How do you suggest fixing a poverty issue without money?

Yes, let's throw billions at silly wars instead. Forget rebuilding THIS country, let's continue to attempt to rebuild others.

So what happened to cause all this. where did it go wrong ? We have already spent trillions on these problems. let's build more govt housing and schools and watch them turn into bigger cesspools. Oh what a grand plan it was. Build govt houses, subsidize people to have more and more children, It just does not work. It only breeds crime, ignorance and more govt dependance. Let's build a job training center, and free everything center in the worst Chicago neighborhood and watch it fester and rot until it's torn down like Cabrini green

You want to help these people. Make them work for everything they get. I don't care if you load them in a truck and make them shovel sand around all day. They will get the idea real quick.. if you have one child and are on public assistance, mandatory Birth control. If you don't take it and have another. Tie the tubes.

[decocker 7,198]

When did this great decay start.... Google war on poverty.. Then google out of wedlock births...

sorry, i don't support eugenics. try someone else.

[Karee 4,191]

So what's your solution? Or should we keep ignoring that there's a problem?

The people in these neighborhoods don't have the options they should have. No education, no jobs, no activities for children. Poverty breeds poverty. How do you suggest fixing a poverty issue without money?

Yes, let's throw billions at silly wars instead. Forget rebuilding THIS country, let's continue to attempt to rebuild others.

I know what not to do. Throw money at problems. That just breeds more government dependence. Our friend from Vermont is a perfect example, as are both my parents. Get everything you can out of the system, while doing as little as possible.

I do admire your optimism though. I watched this thing on 60 minutes about this lady that ran the D.C. school system for awhile. She started firing under-performing teachers, cleaning up the schools etc. etc. Of course the union teachers had a fit and wanted her gone. They succeeded in the end. But the really shocking thing was that the parents wanted her gone as well. So you see once you start giving people things for doing nothing, it begins a cycle that is hard to break. Even the people that were being hurt by keeping these outdated policies in place, did not want anything to change.

It's an entitlement mentality.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

So what happened to cause all this. where did it go wrong ? We have already spent trillions on these problems. let's build more govt housing and schools and watch them turn into bigger cesspools. Oh what a grand plan it was. Build govt houses, subsidize people to have more and more children, It just does not work. It only breeds crime, ignorance and more govt dependance. Let's build a job training center, and free everything center in the worst Chicago neighborhood and watch it fester and rot until it's torn down like Cabrini green

You want to help these people. Make them work for everything they get. I don't care if you load them in a truck and make them shovel sand around all day. They will get the idea real quick.. if you have one child and are on public assistance, mandatory Birth control. If you don't take it and have another. Tie the tubes.

Work where?

And mandatory birth control? Really? Are we going to make it mandatory for men to wear condoms as well? How are we going to regulate that? Who pays for the birth control and condoms?

For someone who wants less government in our lives, you sure like to suggest putting more government in the lives of people you don't give a sh*t about.

[decocker 7,198]

Tie the tubes.

wow. there it is again.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

I know what not to do. Throw money at problems. That just breeds more government dependence. Our friend from Vermont is a perfect example, as are both my parents. Get everything you can out of the system, while doing as little as possible.

I do admire your optimism though. I watched this thing on 60 minutes about this lady that ran the D.C. school system for awhile. She started firing under-performing teachers, cleaning up the schools etc. etc. Of course the union teachers had a fit and wanted her gone. They succeeded in the end. But the really shocking thing was that the parents wanted her gone as well. So you see once you start giving people things for doing nothing, it begins a cycle that is hard to break. Even the people that were being hurt by keeping these outdated policies in place, did not want anything to change.

It's an entitlement mentality.

What part of my post was optimistic to you?

wow. there it is again.

Yeah. Creepy and disgusting. And I think he's actually serious, which is worrisome.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I just don't understand how people justify the attitude. I guess I'm just a bleeding heart liberal who believes the people in our country should come first and get the opportunities they deserve but currently have no access to.

We'd rather make fun of these people, suggest neutering them, than actually come up with a decent solution. What are these people in these neighborhoods supposed to do? They're stuck and nobody wants to spend the money to rebuild these neighborhoods and attempt to change the attitude and environment so poverty stops breeding more poverty.

What should these people do without an education and without jobs?

You are right you are a bleeding heart liberal and god bless you because you are full of compassion, but too much compassion is the root of all evil. As Herschel Walker use to say, Everybody that is easy on you is not your friend and everyone that is hard on you is not your enemy.

Provide a path for people to take care of themselves and if they choose not to walk down it, then tough. starve.

[Karee 4,191]

So what happened to cause all this. where did it go wrong ? We have already spent trillions on these problems. let's build more govt housing and schools and watch them turn into bigger cesspools. Oh what a grand plan it was. Build govt houses, subsidize people to have more and more children, It just does not work. It only breeds crime, ignorance and more govt dependance. Let's build a job training center, and free everything center in the worst Chicago neighborhood and watch it fester and rot until it's torn down like Cabrini green

You want to help these people. Make them work for everything they get. I don't care if you load them in a truck and make them shovel sand around all day. They will get the idea real quick.. if you have one child and are on public assistance, mandatory Birth control. If you don't take it and have another. Tie the tubes.

Well your 95% there. You can't go around doing the bolded above. That crosses the line.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

You are right you are a bleeding heart liberal and god bless you because you are full of compassion, but too much compassion is the root of all evil. As Herschel Walker use to say, Everybody that is easy on you is not your friend and everyone that is hard on you is not your enemy.

Provide a path for people to take care of themselves and if they choose not to walk down it, then tough. starve.

Your problem is that you believe poor people are poor because of their choices and because they're lazy.

In a neighborhood where kids can't get a good education and where adults can't get any jobs, what would you suggest they do? Move? With what funds?

Provide a path is exactly what val and I are suggesting. How do you provide a path without funding it though?

Edited March 11, 2013 by Evylin

[decocker 7,198]

Provide a path for people to take care of themselves and if they choose not to walk down it, then tough. starve.

exactly. when are we going to provide the damn path? our current welfare system breeds dependence. it's half-assed. everybody knows it, but no one wants to fix it because in order to fix it - we'd have to throw more money at it.

[Karee 4,191]

What part of my post was optimistic to you?

Sorry, I was referring to Val erie on the optimism front. I get my white liberal Canadian chicks mixed up sometimes.

[decocker 7,198]

Sorry, I was referring to Val erie on the optimism front. I get my white liberal Canadian chicks mixed up sometimes.

american chick.

i'm optimistic in my ideals but have a pretty nihilistic view of reality. i don't think that as a country we will ever put the proper amount of effort into restoring our failing communities. not before we get wiped out all together for failing to strengthen our own.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Here is my 02.:

You don't need a lot of money, just enough to get it started with restrictions. You shouldn't be having six kids if there isn't a means to support them. At the maximum, I would say two kids. Anything after that, comes out of your own pocket. No tying of tubes or madatory birth control, you make them, you take care of them. I also think mandatory drug testing is a must. If you are on drugs, and need assistance, you need to get in a program, and show you are making progress. Don't give out money so they can go buy more drugs. This will weed out the people who are trying to make it, and those who want to be dependent for the rest of their lives. I hate to be harsh, but you need to be responsible for you and your family.

For the education portion, you need to at least have your GED or high school diploma. They have programs where you can get this even if you have kids or get pregnant while in high school. Make going to school a priority, stop letting kids skip school. If you're not in school, get a job. I don't care if you are flipping burgers, you need to contribute to the house and bring something to the table. I've been working since I was 15(hell longer than that if you count cutting grass for other folks and getting paid for it)

Sad thing is, (I hate to admit it) Gary had this whole plan laid out before. I read it and found myself agreeing with a lot of what he was saying, if only his delivery wasn't so condoscending...

[Karee 4,191]

Here is my 02.:

You don't need a lot of money, just enough to get it started with restrictions. You shouldn't be having six kids if there isn't a means to support them. At the maximum, I would say two kids. Anything after that, comes out of your own pocket. No tying of tubes or madatory birth control, you make them, you take care of them. I also think mandatory drug testing is a must. If you are on drugs, and need assistance, you need to get in a program, and show you are making progress. Don't give out money so they can go buy more drugs. This will weed out the people who are trying to make it, and those who want to be dependent for the rest of their lives. I hate to be harsh, but you need to be responsible for you and your family.

For the education portion, you need to at least have your GED or high school diploma. They have programs where you can get this even if you have kids or get pregnant while in high school. Make going to school a priority, stop letting kids skip school. If you're not in school, get a job. I don't care if you are flipping burgers, you need to contribute to the house and bring something to the table. I've been working since I was 15(hell longer than that if you count cutting grass for other folks and getting paid for it)

Sad thing is, (I hate to admit it) Gary had this whole plan laid out before. I read it and found myself agreeing with a lot of what he was saying, if only his delivery wasn't so condoscending...

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Here is my 02.:

You don't need a lot of money, just enough to get it started with restrictions. You shouldn't be having six kids if there isn't a means to support them. At the maximum, I would say two kids. Anything after that, comes out of your own pocket. No tying of tubes or madatory birth control, you make them, you take care of them. I also think mandatory drug testing is a must. If you are on drugs, and need assistance, you need to get in a program, and show you are making progress. Don't give out money so they can go buy more drugs. This will weed out the people who are trying to make it, and those who want to be dependent for the rest of their lives. I hate to be harsh, but you need to be responsible for you and your family.

For the education portion, you need to at least have your GED or high school diploma. They have programs where you can get this even if you have kids or get pregnant while in high school. Make going to school a priority, stop letting kids skip school. If you're not in school, get a job. I don't care if you are flipping burgers, you need to contribute to the house and bring something to the table. I've been working since I was 15(hell longer than that if you count cutting grass for other folks and getting paid for it)

Sad thing is, (I hate to admit it) Gary had this whole plan laid out before. I read it and found myself agreeing with a lot of what he was saying, if only his delivery wasn't so condoscending...

Going through basic training (OSUT in my case) at Fort Leonard Wood was interesting. You got to see a large cross section of the country, all different backgrounds and attitudes, going through the program 170 kids at a time. Very few had their act totally together at the beginning, but at the end, the 120 or so that graduated, were starting to see the light. I went through at 26 -- that was an advantage, not physically, competing with kids fresh out of high school, but mentally. It took me about 5 minutes on the first early morning five mile run, to get that thing to click in my mind, that if that old drill sergeant could do it, I could do it. Not everybody found that within themselves the first day, but there was no dropping out, at least not right away. We lost a dozen or so "profiles" the first week or two, but they didn't disappear, they were working in supply and in the kitchen, objects of our contempt, every time we saw them, until the Army decided to either recycle them to another class, or send them home.

Bring back the draft. Send everybody through it for 18 months. I bet we would find society would be the better for it.