America is not the greatest country in the world

...anymore.

I agree.

Sad, isn't it?

Very.

Absolute truth. I did notice in that statement were the words we "waged war on poverty." Yes, we did, one time way back when LBJ promised a Great Society, wasn't that what he called it?
The war was done with taxes on the wealthy being used to aid the poor.
People back then's hearts bled for the poor and not for the 1% of the worlds population that now holds 49% of the worlds wealth.

Back then Americans had what a lot of folks on this forum and others call a Robin Hood mentality.

I know most of you will disagree totally, but Reagan screwed it all up.
And Jimmy Carter may not have been a great POTUS but by God he is one of the best human beings ever to occupy that office.

That clip was snipped from the tv show "The Newsroom" which I started watching right after I posted that video. I'd never heard of it before (imagine that... I know), but it is very good and I can't stop watching it. I'm just about to start season 3.

Yeah but America kin blow hell outta any other country in de werld....

Eddard wrote:

Absolute truth. I did notice in that statement were the words we "waged war on poverty." Yes, we did, one time way back when LBJ promised a Great Society, wasn't that what he called it?
The war was done with taxes on the wealthy being used to aid the poor.
People back then's hearts bled for the poor and not for the 1% of the worlds population that now holds 49% of the worlds wealth.

Back then Americans had what a lot of folks on this forum and others call a Robin Hood mentality.

I know most of you will disagree totally, but Reagan screwed it all up.
And Jimmy Carter may not have been a great POTUS but by God  he is one of the best human beings ever to occupy that office.

Huh?.....So President Johnson was correct and his programs no matter how well intentioned didn't have problems down the road?...His helping and giving a hand up to those in poverty hasn't turned into a form of employment and entitlements for generations of receivers that have never worked?....No one on this forum has ever expressed opinions about never or not helping those that need a hand up but to make it a way of life is or was never the intention of the program(s)...There are some that do fall into the category of needing permanent assistance and again no one has suggested that the truly needy shouldn't be helped and to suggest such is an insult to a society that is amazingly generous either through the government programs or religious/private contributions...

Eddard, something is wrong when generation after generation of poor folks don't work because they can rely of the government to pay them.

Something is wrong when women keep having babies because they will get more money from the government.

Something is wrong when 49% of Americans receive government assistance.

I agree that folks with hardship should be able to request help, but the help shouldn't be ad infinitum. Help the blind, the paraplegics, the folks temporarily out of work, sure. But able-bodied folks should be working. So provide job training, help them get jobs, and, if they cannot find a private sector job, hire them to sweep the streets or pick up trash... whatever... but don't just pay them to sit around on their rusty-dusty, generation after generation. After picking up trash for a time, they'll get serious about finding a private sector job.

Eric wrote:

Eddard, something is wrong when generation after generation of poor folks don't work because they can rely of the government to pay them.

Something is wrong when women keep having babies because they will get more money from the government.

Something is wrong when 49% of Americans receive government assistance.

I agree that folks with hardship should be able to request help, but the help shouldn't be ad infinitum.  Help the blind, the paraplegics, the folks temporarily out of work, sure.  But able-bodied folks should be working.  So provide job training, help them get jobs, and, if they cannot find a private sector job, hire them to sweep the streets or pick up trash... whatever... but don't just pay them to sit around on their rusty-dusty, generation after generation.  After picking up trash for a time, they'll get serious about finding a private sector job.

When you have generations of the same family on welfare, living in subsidized housing for years, and the younger generation continuing to have kids out of wedlock even a dolt can figure out those people have made welfare and all that goes with it their CAREER.

The country needs to bring back the CCC that employed thousands of people cleaning up and planting trees along the roads.. After they grew, the lumber companies cut them down to make lumber for houses.. They WORKED for govt money instead of having it handed to them for nothing.. There are still thousands of acres of the trees in areas of the country..

Wow, my whole post just disappeared. Most republicans in Congress would never agree to a new CCC Jake, or any new government program intended to help the poor. They want "FREE ENTERPRISE" and would call those programs Socialist. But as for the generations of people who want to live on welfare, that was a good argument back in the early 90's before the Republicans in Congress and Bill Clinton signed the welfare reform act. You can't even get food stamps in this country unless you are either working or registered with the state employment service and actively seeking a job. Mothers don't get welfare indefinitely, if they have healthy kids there is a limit to how long they can receive it without going into a welfare to work program.
Yes, there are loopholes- parents of disabled kids who need to be home with their children can get out of working. And that's a problem because the school system just loves to designate kids as ADD or something they call autism spectrum which I don't believe even exists. The real problem there is the school system gets twice as much money to teach these kids and are allowed to send them to special ed classes so the regular ed teachers don't have to deal with them. School systems love the diagnoses. Doctors love to diagnose these kids too because they get to collect Medicaid money for perfectly healthy kids who just have behavior problems. It's like a giant welfare fund for schools and doctors, and of course, the parents get some money too. That particular loophole needs some serious reexamination, for for the most part, welfare to work has made a big difference in the welfare system.
I simply do not believe the poor are poor because they want to be. I guess that's the difference in how I think and in most of the opinions on here.
There are millions of working poor people out in America and I know a lot of them. You cannot support a family on minimum wage.
Like the POTUS said last night, if you think you can, then go try it.

And by the way, if you don't think welfare to work works, here's an article from FOX news saying how effective it has been.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/17/welfare-work-requirements-are-success-obama-plans-to-change-them-must-be/


They claim in 2012 Obama was trying to make changes to screw up the very good law. I haven't heard of any changes being made, but when Fox news says something has been a huge success, folks on here ought to consider it Gospel.


Here's an article from Fact Check explaining that Obama's plan did not gut Welfare to work, as the above article claimed that it might do:

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/08/does-obamas-plan-gut-welfare-reform/

So it's still in effect and according to the original Fox comments about what a success it is, must still be working.
You don't get to sit on your butt forever and get a welfare check anymore.
That's an old argument.

Sweet mother of christ. Eddard, did you not listen to the entire clip? If you did, you missed the goddamned point. If you didn't, go back and start again. If I'd known that this was going to turn into another fking groundhog day rerun of every other goddamned political thread that has ever been posted on every single Pensacola forum that exists and has ever existed I would have skipped it and just shot myself in the face already. Large caliber, no mistakes.

Eddard, the fed got provides welfare and other give away money to the states.. The states could determine how to distribute it thru giving it away or making them work for it.. The dang lawyers would be lined up to sue the state for every injury from someone being forced to work for the money.. They would sue for millions of dollars if somebody got bit by fire ants...

Jake92 wrote:

The country needs to bring back the CCC that employed thousands of people cleaning up and planting trees along the roads..  After they grew, the lumber companies cut them down to make lumber for houses..  They WORKED for govt money instead of having it handed to them for nothing..  There are still thousands of acres of the trees in areas of the country..

Yeah and those that believe that they are entitled would not be in the line to do any of the work you've mentioned and bet there are lawyers that would fight for their rights to continue to be entitled....sadly they'd probably win....

There are people on welfare who have no other option but there are far too many who know how to work and abuse the system. Making folks who are able work while on welfare not only accomplishes something with tax dollars but gives them skills and a work ethic that might get them to a point where they leave the welfare rolls.

nochain wrote:

There are people on welfare who have no other option but there are far too many who know how to work and abuse the system. Making folks who are able work while on welfare not only accomplishes something with tax dollars but gives them skills and a work ethic that might get them to a point where they leave the welfare rolls.

Very true and like many other things those that do more work to not work stain the program(s) for those as you mentioned truly need these options...Suspect that some would leave the welfare rolls when their well ran dry....