My big problem with the "conservative" mindset is that it always seems to be shrouded in blame...
You know a lot of these folks on Yahoo Answers right now are using their palm pilot from the comfort of their air-conditioned corner office and have no idea what the lower class is going through...
What if you were born on "welfare" and never taught the skills that you have now?
What if you tried to go to college and they stole your money and failed you out because you didn't know how to throw a good hissy fit and hire a lawyer?
What if you tried to live above the fray but your kids got shot in a drive-by and now you can't find a good reason to wake up in the morning?
What if you made stupid mistakes as a teenager and now must live with HIV and your parents are hopeless drug addicts that can't help you in life?
There are a LOT of people with these "what ifs" that happen to them EVERY day...
What can we do to get involved instead of treating them like a circus act? I'm a conservative, and I only 'blame' people who complain about their situation but do nothing to improve it...I firmly believe that we are all in control of our own lives, and that our own choices and actions determine our outcomes
"no idea what the lower class is going through"
I know many of the 'lower class', and I encourage them to improve their own lives...Unfortunately, many don't want to...I have been told, "I can't" (even though these people have no disabilities), "I'm comfortable" (Welfare provides home and food, for some, that's enough), "I can't find a job" (From people who haven't even looked - and turn down a job when WE offer them one), and many other similar things
"What if you were born on "welfare" and never taught the skills that you have now?"
This describes my husband...His parents are STILL on welfare...My husband decided when he became an adult, he would never live that way, and he would not raise his children that way...He works to provide for us, without ANY government assistance, as for 'training', he got that when he got a job.
"What if you tried to go to college and they stole your money and failed you out because you didn't know how to throw a good hissy fit and hire a lawyer?"
My husband decided to go to work instead of going to college, and we are doing quite well...If he DID choose to go to college, their are ways to achieve that (loans, grants, scholarships, etcetera)
"What if you tried to live above the fray but your kids got shot in a drive-by and now you can't find a good reason to wake up in the morning?"
We chose to live in a neighborhood where things like that don't happen
"What if you made stupid mistakes as a teenager and now must live with HIV and your parents are hopeless drug addicts that can't help you in life?"
My husband didn't contract AIDS, but he DID impregnate a girl when he was only 15, THAT was certainly a "stupid mistake", BUT he took custody of the baby when it was born, and is still raising him (everyone makes mistakes, some people work to correct those mistakes)...Incidentally, my husband's parents ARE "hopeless drug addicts" which is why my husband moved 6 hours away from them, and has absolutely nothing to do with them...He provides for himself, and doesn't NEED any 'help' from them, or anyone else...An adult shouldn't be depending on their parents
We have helped many people to get a job, avoid welfare, and take care of themselves...Some simply don't want to, this is a fact, and it accounts for our only 'failures', which frustrate us after we have put so much time and effort into helping people, only to find that they are unwilling to help themselves...We are proud of the successes, and they are proud of themselves, it does a lot for their self-esteem knowing that they have a purpose in life and that they CAN succeed.
I answered your question because it spoke to me personally, that's why I have shared this 'personal information' with you Conservatives are greedy and selfish. Some people are born into poverty. That's not their fault. Also they lack education opportunities.
We should probably try to help these people gain skills and education opportunities so that they can lift themselves out of poverty and off of welfare.
The Conservative right wing extremists would just assume exterminate them. That's always their solution, kill people. There are plenty of programs to get people off welfare-even Kentucky makes them get a GED to continue to receive benefits !All states have job training programs but the one thing you can't teach is desire it must come from within .But i would like to offer you a band aid for your bleeding heart scenarios.realize that all those situations can be rectified with the desire to do better. According to you, what we should do is strip the wealth from people who having screwed up their lives through their own stupidity and give it to people who have.
But in reality, the best thing we can do for them is make them own up to their mistakes, and put their own effort into turning themselves around. ROCK ON, DUDE
A lot of us feel the same way you do, but most of the masses would prefer to have a scapegoat and someone else to blame so they don't have to give something up.
Make no mistake about it, that's the biggest reason they don't want anything to change. What can we do to help welfare people?
Simple:
*) reduce corporate tax to zero
*) repeal all anti-business laws
*) ban the unions
For stupid liberals I would like to elaborate the unions issue. Unions are modern equivalent of medieval trade guilds. As long as there are unions which prevent welfare recipients from getting trade jobs, there will be no end to poverty in America. You know a lot of these folks on Yahoo Answers right now are using their palm pilot from the comfort of their air-conditioned corner office and have no idea what the lower class is going through...
More likely, still living in their parents house and unemployed. I "blame" the democratic party that came up with the welfare system that serves to keep the poor in their place. There are many who have not grown up in privilege who have achieved great success. Most did not do so while living off the public dole. oh please. We ALL have a story and we all have had to overcome our own issues and problems in one way or another. You make it sound as if welfare people are the only ones who ever had a problem. Pick yourself up, dust off and do something with your life. " We" did do something. Bill Clinton and the Republican congress did wonderful work to reform welfare, and your buddy Obama has destroyed that work with his new stimulus encouraging states to swell their welfare roles to receive state funding. God bless. Ween? **** that. Cut the Program and all other social programs.
Notice how you can never criticize on how "Social Programs and Plans" fail but can only talk about the "Good" intentions liberals had in making them. These apes on welfare aren't insterested in getting off of it, the only way is to take it away. NO HANDOUTS for LAZY PEOPLE. If you give a monkey a cookie, he's gonna want a glass of milk The usa spent 35-50 billion on traditional welfare last year.
The usa spent 800 billion on corporate welfare and paying off the gambling losses of bush's wall street buddies. Conservatives do want to ween them off of welfare. It's the liberal politicians who want to keep them there. It's easier to control them that way. Weekly drug tests and mandatory birth control and government work programs. Let them clean up trash in exchange for welfare checks or clean graffiti off buildings. We did when Clinton passed the bi-partisan welfare reform bill. Obama overturned that his first week in office. Just one more reason Bill hates Obama. The poor are poor because they choose to be poor, there is very little you can do about it The current crop of democrats are not for getting people off the welfare rolls. They want to put more people in this state of dependency. All I can say is sometimes life's not fair, it sucks....too bad...suck it up or shut up. Alot of people lift themselves out of misery. They only care about their money. Labor camps. Im not sure what we can do, but i sure liked your question Best guess? Soylent Green? It's refreshing to hear from someone who doesn't waste his breath on blame, which never accomplishes anything. The problem is not Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. The problem is larger than most common people can see. As long as we live in a monetary society, the people at the bottom of the monetary totem pole will always lose. Once you are in the hole, you can't get out without a hand up. Unfortunately, many people refuse to help and they place blame instead.
It's said that a country is judged on how it takes care of its weakest.... and America hasn't done such a good job. Capitalism has been a miserable failure. We live in the richest country on Earth yet we have people living in the streets wearing the only clothing they own and begging for help. We have the most expensive healthcare on Earth but it is not the highest quality. We are on the same standard as Cuba. Americans do not live longest and our infant mortality rate is that of 3rd world countries. Our policy on family values is non-existent and on the same level as Swaziland --- 3rd from the bottom. America does not have the highest standard of living nor does it have the best opportunity for advancement.
Anyone can be down on their luck. For those of you who prefer to place blame, you're going to see more poor people in 2 years than we've never seen before.... and you just might be one of them. No one's job is secure today. We are on the verge of the Greatest Depression and soon you'll have more people to blame for their hardship. Do you also blame your grandparents' generation for their demise during the Great Depression? If so, you have a very small mind and spirit. You are the problem -- not the solution. When i was young there was no welfare . All one could get was army surplus food . But back then the government and big business didn't give our jobs away for that big profit. There was plenty of work for all even the dummies . How can you possibly wing people off if there is no place for them to go ? Wing them off to what ? Tents ? Maybe start a tent city for them ? The biggest problem we have today is not welfare recipients its big business that don't give a damn about America just whats in there pockets .
I honestly believe if we let big business fall on there face not buy china junk we could save what little we have left . Problem is there are so many with there greedy fingers living off china they will do and say anything to keep it. I don't buy anything from china im afraid its poison . I may pay a dollar or two more for american but i know its safe and it last twice as long . Why in the world would any one in there right mind buy there products just to build them into a supper power and maybe some day take over . Do you really think those people give a damn about us ? Let me tell you about the welfare family next door to me. When her benefits are about to run out she has another baby. She was offered college tuition and daycare for work. She worked for two weeks and quit school after a few classes because she was tired. She has internet and cable and watches TV all day and you pay for it. She sells her food stamps below value for cigarettes and beer and then goes to churches for food because her kids are hungry. She doesn't make her kids attend school consistently and it is considered normal when she or a kid needs to be bailed out of jail. She lost her car because she had so many parking tickets it was impounded because she was too lazy to find legal parking- her driveway was wide open! I am all for getting people off welfare.
The northeast did a thing where they hooked people up with free cars, and they seem to have good success getting people to STAY off welfare. Sounded expensive, but if the stats are accurate it is WAY cheaper than having a welfare family for 10 years on the govt dole.
The biggest problem is it isn't made "easy" to get off welfare. it takes people with real initiative to WANT to get off of it and many people that live on welfare for a few years lose all that initiative. They like the free paycheck
Putting restrictions on welfare for able bodied people may help motivate them to get off of easy-street and get back to work.
ADD: and there are no education restrictions on the poor. EVERYONE in this country has the ability to get a high school diploma. There may be obstacles between the poor and college and that CEO for AT&T job that pays so much. But you CAN live on a highschool diploma job. I have friends and relatives that are doing it right now. and they aren't on welfare, and some even have kids at home. So you're telling me that it is NOT enough to.....
Offer FREE pre-K care....
Offer 13 years of FREE public education...
Offer 15 years of FREE breakfast and lunch programs....
Offer 15 years of education on GETTING A JOB.....
BILLIONS each year of Government programs to help "under-privileged" people...
MILLIONS in tax incentives for businesses to hire "economically disadvantaged" and "urban" people....
Exactly at WHAT POINT do I get to actually expect people to be responsible for themselves?
Help me out here, I'm not very smart. I'm just an entrepreneur and computer systems engineer. I'm not Irish rocker or Hollywood actor. Amen. However, my big problem is that I get told how my mindset is because I am 'Conservative'. How about this:
I am not against abortion, I am against unwanted pregnancies,
I am not against charity, I am against freeloading,
I am not against gays, (Sorry, don't have one for this, be gay if you like, I don't care),
I am not against atheists, I am against persecution of religion,
A thousand others too, but I don't think that's the question. In my town, there are FAMILIES that have been on welfare for three generations. What was meant to be temporary help, became a lifestyle. How to help? Wish I knew. "What if you were born on "welfare" and never taught the skills that you have now?"
Welfare secures dependency on the Government -- Democratic voting block. The Dems have no incentive to alleviate poverty b/c they'd shoot themselves in the foot. Opportunity for all is found in jobs. Democrats punish businesses stifling growth and subsequent jobs they create.
"What if you tried to go to college and they stole your money and failed you out because you didn't know how to throw a good hissy fit and hire a lawyer?"
You mean you didn't do your homework/study/test well and got kicked out according to University policy?
"What if you tried to live above the fray but your kids got shot in a drive-by and now you can't find a good reason to wake up in the morning?"
Life isn't fair -- I found my Uncle in a ditch after a drunk driving illegal immigrant ran him down while he was checking water in his alfalfa field...CPR ensued w/ broken ribs and water in his lungs. It was horrific...it affected me negatively -- but I didn't have a choice to shut down.
That same month two of my friends in high school were hit by drunk drivers and killed...separate accidents.
Gotta keep moving...
"What if you made stupid mistakes as a teenager and now must live with HIV and your parents are hopeless drug addicts that can't help you in life?"
HIV doesn't prevent you from getting a job...neither do drug induced parents.
"There are a LOT of people with these "what ifs" that happen to them EVERY day..."
Life isn't fair -- life also doesn't revolve around any one individual.
"What can we do to get involved instead of treating them like a circus act?"
Support business -- provide jobs -- encourage education -- provide scholarships -- make accessing money to go to school reasonable -- etc. etc..
Lots of options. It's up to the individual to take advantage of them. | 