Forum Groups

 

Forums / Politics / War on Poverty

War on Poverty

11 posts
  1. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    1/9/2014 5:01 PM
    Our country has spend 21 trillion dollars on poverty since Johnson began his great society. For that kind of money, we could have cut out the middle agencies and just given a million to nearly everyone and told them here you go, now sink or swim. If you squander it we are done helping you. Wouldn't that have been a better approach since we have more poverty today than when the programs all began? Government obviously has not been the answer. Of course our great new unaffordable care act will never cost the country that kind of money! I can only imagine if private industry had been given the 21 trillion and asked to make poverty go away? It certainly wouldn't be as bad as today. Just like so many wars, what a total waste of money. Problems are supposed to be solved, not go on endlessly!



  2. Keith Lamb
    Keith Lamb avatar
    3 posts
    1/9/2014 5:01 PM
    If Rush said it, it must be true.

    You're listening to the wrong Rush Sandy, try the trio from Canada.



  3. James Schmid
    James Schmid avatar
    1 posts
    1/9/2014 6:01 PM
    Sandy Clark, CGCS said: Our country has spend 21 trillion dollars on poverty since Johnson began his great society. For that kind of money, we could have cut out the middle agencies and just given a million to nearly everyone and told them here you go, now sink or swim. If you squander it we are done helping you. Wouldn't that have been a better approach since we have more poverty today than when the programs all began? Government obviously has not been the answer. Of course our great new unaffordable care act will never cost the country that kind of money! I can only imagine if private industry had been given the 21 trillion and asked to make poverty go away? It certainly wouldn't be as bad as today. Just like so many wars, what a total waste of money. Problems are supposed to be solved, not go on endlessly!


    Norway has a $1 million per person sovereign fund. That means that instead of owing a certain amount of money per citizen they have assets that total $1 million per person. Maybe Sandy has some kind of point. Apparently it is possible under some scenario to not run massive debt and actually be solvent as a state or even maintain a surplus.



  4. Wahlin Scott B
    Wahlin Scott B avatar
    1/9/2014 7:01 PM
    The ACA does not sell insurance. If you purchase health insurance through the marketplace set up according to the ACA you will doing business with BCBS, Cigna, Humana, etc., not the US Government. Many rightwing self employed, tradespeople, contract people friends of mine have been very pleasantly surprised. They no longer have $10,000 deductibles with kids and wives excluded due to pre-existing conditions and their costs are actually "affordable". This is what the right is afraid of.



  5. Steve Nelson
    Steve Nelson avatar
    0 posts
    1/10/2014 7:01 AM
    James Schmid said:

    Norway has a $1 million per person sovereign fund. That means that instead of owing a certain amount of money per citizen they have assets that total $1 million per person. Maybe Sandy has some kind of point. Apparently it is possible under some scenario to not run massive debt and actually be solvent as a state or even maintain a surplus.


    But James, to pull that off we'd have to do as the Norwegians and have balanced budgets, crack down on immigration, and put budget surpluses away for a rainy day. (sarcasm intended)

    Sandy, maybe you're on to something. Looking back on the couple of trillion in bailouts to banks and wall street, maybe it would have just been better to give that to the general citizenry instead.



  6. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    1/10/2014 8:01 AM
    I have heard that about Norway as well, but have also heard....that they pay higher taxes. Of course their expenses probably are not as great.

    My question is, lets breakdown what has been spent on the war on poverty and compare it to the tax breaks given to people and businesses. Then we can talk about what is getting wasted by whom.

    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

  7. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    1/10/2014 11:01 AM
    Have no clue if Rush said anything about the subject. I simply hear the number from a financial guy while driving home from work. As far as the unaffordable care act, Health Net in California with the limed amount of doctors available, works out to one doctor per 64,000 people. Those poor doctors are going to be pretty busy and it just may take you a little while to get an appointment. My point on the 21 trillion is that our war on poverty has totally failed and we could have simply given everyone in trouble lots of money to solve their own problems without establishing self perpetuating government agencies that only exist to grow, not solve anything. It is so simple, it sounds stupid to the decision makers. Who cares as Hillary once said about the accountability by handing the money directly to the people, the government certainly doesn't know where they used it (beyond salaries) since they have so little accountability and just want more!



  8. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    1/10/2014 2:01 PM
    Here was a good take on the poverty issue by Jon Stewart.

    One of the few times I got ticked off watching the show, only because as Jon pointed out, we must cut the money going to the poor and jobless, yet turn around to cut taxes for the rich and give bailouts to Wall Street. Don't these people listen to themselves? Ba@#$%. Please feel free to post the stupid things the democrats say too.

    Hopefully I get the link posted correctly.

    http://theweek.com/article/index/254946 ... s-benefits


    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

  9. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    1/10/2014 3:01 PM
    Mel, it is both parties. they suffer from OPM disease which is other peoples money. I bet none of them would treat their own income like they treat our tax dollars. I am pretty hard core against helping corporations or individuals when they won't help themselves. The old biblical thing about giving someone a fish or teaching them to fish still holds true today. If we are going to help people out, don't build forever growing departmental empires to do so. As a country, we are really foolish with money. We give foreign aid to countries that hate us because we want to keep them from being more of an enemy. We give the corporate welfare out like it is candy. We are now all concerned with income inequality. For goodness sakes, we will always have that. People that are smarter or work harder or are willing to take risk always create the opportunity for themselves to make much more than those who don't. I am sorry but if you dropped out of high school, were a druggie or boozer, knocked up your girl friend at 17, never tried to finish your ged or go to community college, you just are not generally going to be successful. That sure as heck isn't societies doing, that is a personal choice based on your own decisions. Why should we take from the successful and give to those who chose not to pursue success. That has nothing to do with fairness. That will be the governments next incredible waste of money, trying to solve income inequality!



  10. Robert Crockett
    Robert Crockett avatar
    4 posts
  11. Sandy Clark
    Sandy Clark avatar
    0 posts
    1/30/2014 3:01 PM
    And we want to pass a comprehensive immigration plan for 11 million plus people, many of which have no desire ever to be an American citizen. I am not sure legal immigrants who went by the rules will find this to be compassionate. Don't think our already chronic unemployment rate will benefit from this. I know our local, state and federal programs won't improve because of this. Do we ever think before we go the compassion route. This isn't about racism towards any group, country or culture. We simply can't be all things to all people. That video is pretty eye opening. We need to help other countries become productive in whatever manner we can do so.



View or change your forums profile here.