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#1
12-15-2011, 1:11 PM
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Half of Americans "Poor" or low Income
Doesn't sound possible. But, it depends how you define poverty. Still this is another sign of our decline.
Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income SOURCE
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You can teach me lots of lessons You can bring me lots of gold But you just can't live in Texas If you don't have lots of soul Doug Sahm 
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#2
12-16-2011, 9:38 PM
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Change you can believe in! Yes we can! (put half the country into poverty!)
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"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." George Orwell Obama simply wants to be the one wearing the "boot".
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#3
12-17-2011, 1:26 AM
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There is another way to look at this.
A few weeks (months?) ago when there was discussion of this matter, Limbaugh blathered on and on about how 95% of "poor" had air conditions and 100% had indoor plumbing and 98% had color televisions and yada yada yada.... One might also consider that such stats are indicative of the SUCCESS of our economic system... that those on the lowest end of the scale STILL enjoy a standard of living that most of the people of the Third World would die for. Come on, folks.... celebrate the SUCCESS of our economic system and the standard of living it engenders! .
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.. There comes a time when the wealthy privileged class becomes SO rich, SO powerful, that they see themselves as gods, and the rest of us as slaves. At that time there will be some who will serve those gods as priests and house slaves, thinking that they have a route to immortality for themselves, blaming the slaves for their inability to become gods too. How wrong they will find themselves ... but by then it will be too late.
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#5
12-17-2011, 5:49 PM
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That's why David said: "But, it depends how you define poverty. Still this is another sign of our decline." This situation is bad because it represents a true decline in income by the people, while the government increases greatly in wealth and power. Yes, the economic power of the US is great, and it will take alot to bring it down, however, that is the road we are on.
__________________
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever." "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." George Orwell Obama simply wants to be the one wearing the "boot".
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#6
12-18-2011, 9:52 AM
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Latest fed g'ment definition of "poor": Jobless student/Occupier, illegal and/or in the underground economy or not enough welfare income to pay any significant taxes.
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Number 1: Every single IRS employee from top to bottom should immediately be put on unpaid administrative leave until the gangs of sharks, liars, thieves and pranksters are discovered and prosecuted To The Fullest Extent of Federal and State Laws ... RICO statutes applied, UnConstitutionality discovered and Treasonable Offenses established. ... There is no number 2.
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#7
12-19-2011, 2:37 AM
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So enough of this nonsense about "the poor" not paying taxes.And if they do not pay federal income tax, so? Isnt that what the anti government crowd wants? No one paying federal income taxes? ..
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.. There comes a time when the wealthy privileged class becomes SO rich, SO powerful, that they see themselves as gods, and the rest of us as slaves. At that time there will be some who will serve those gods as priests and house slaves, thinking that they have a route to immortality for themselves, blaming the slaves for their inability to become gods too. How wrong they will find themselves ... but by then it will be too late.
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#8
12-19-2011, 3:36 AM
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As a working class guy I pay 15%. It's my obligation as an American and I am happy to do so. Plus thats a fair share. Since I dont envy the rich or pity the poor, the only people I think are being screwed are the middle class who are paying 25-28 %.
__________________
Never confuse toleration of a behavour with support
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#9
12-19-2011, 10:38 AM
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HEY! Just so you guys know: I HAVE A JOB! I am still homeless, but I have a job. I am just starting my ninth week as a driver for the local Dial A Ride service making $12 an hour, and I can tell you, the view from my perspective is pretty rosy.
What people don't seem to understand is that it is fear more than anything that makes being among the "working poor" so intolerable. Once you accept your circumstances and get beyond it, all that goes away. What irks me most about this article is the accompanying photograph. It shows a man who is unshaven and ratty looking. There is NO excuse for it! He is unshaven and ratty looking out of choice or laziness. The likelyhood is that he is also rather unappreciative of the help he's receiving, something I see every single day! This morning I was waken up at our local homeless shelter http://www.livermorehomelessrefuge.org/ at six o'clock along with all the rest. One guy there gave attitude to the director, a lovely woman named Sandra, who was pulling duty that morning as a volunteer, got in her face and told her she was being rude to him. The cops were called and he was chased off, and is no longer welcome at the shelter. I've seen kind of thing WAY too often to have any empathy for the unwashed masses who's plight this article wants to peddle. One either decides to make it or one does not. It took me three years to get a job, and I'm doing everything I can to keep it. While I was out of work, I got more support than I had any right to ask for from private organizations, primarily churches, and still do. I also received food stamps, and two weeks ago, I cut up my EBT card and cancelled the service! It was as happy a moment as I'd ever had! I am sick to death of this kind of propaganda.
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#10
12-19-2011, 10:42 AM
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 His point is not lost on me, but his numbers are slightly off.
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#12
12-19-2011, 11:12 AM
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The shelter is not open every day. Only when the tempurature is forcast to get below 40 degrees. If the temperature is forecast to be 41 degrees or higher, I sleep outside.
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#13
12-19-2011, 6:52 PM
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But when that report came out, listing the huge percentage of "the poor" who had various material amenities, that was the first thing that struck me, the obvious success of our economic engine, rather than the take that people like Limbaugh took, was that having such amenities meant one was not "poor". .
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.. There comes a time when the wealthy privileged class becomes SO rich, SO powerful, that they see themselves as gods, and the rest of us as slaves. At that time there will be some who will serve those gods as priests and house slaves, thinking that they have a route to immortality for themselves, blaming the slaves for their inability to become gods too. How wrong they will find themselves ... but by then it will be too late.
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#14
12-19-2011, 9:01 PM
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 There aint nothing wrong with dealing with hard times, we all have been there. It is how you deal with it. Some folks give up and have a victim mentallity. Others figure out a way to fight. Yer Fightin.
__________________
Never confuse toleration of a behavour with support
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#15
12-20-2011, 2:54 AM
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The greatest impediment to success for many people is an unwillingness to widen the range of their search for gainful employment. If one lives in a place with few opportunities, the answer is to go where the opportunities are more plentiful. As Wancow has pointed out, it is fear and that leads to despair.
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All rights reserved.
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#16
12-20-2011, 5:19 AM
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I didn't scratch, claw and bite my way to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian.
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#17
12-21-2011, 11:56 AM
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Thank you all for your words of encouragement. They're not lost on me.
My plan is to buy a full sized, very simple WHITE Panel Van (the kind that has nothing but two seats (or a bench seat) in front and nothing else. They're inconspicuous and, more importantly, common. They tend not to attract attention. I'll use it for accomodations when I can afford it. I don't have the $36K a year necessary to qualify for an apartment lease in this area. As it is my home, I refuse to leave. This place is too important to me. Too, even if I did, I'd probably do the same thing. Wasting money on indoor plumbing is not at all smart, IMHO. Once I have my own wheels I'll be able to get to 24 Hour Fitness daily and use their showers. The Livermore Public Library is where I hang out when I'm off work even when it's closed. They have the most powerful wifi I've ever used and it's on 24/7. BFDwarf, you may have no idea how true your words are about a victim mentality! I see it daily! Toobdoow, I've learned that few obstacles are insurmountable. The only ones that are involve the actions and intentions of other people. One thing I will encourage all of you to do if you're so inclined is spend time at the whatever local operations involving the homeless there are and get to know the characters. You'll be able to pick out those who can get out of it and those who have talked themselves into defeat in fairly short order. At that point, you'll be able to talk about this issue with considerable authority.
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#18
02-12-2012, 10:35 AM
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Dr. Friedman addresses "the welfare establishment".
__________________
Number 1: Every single IRS employee from top to bottom should immediately be put on unpaid administrative leave until the gangs of sharks, liars, thieves and pranksters are discovered and prosecuted To The Fullest Extent of Federal and State Laws ... RICO statutes applied, UnConstitutionality discovered and Treasonable Offenses established. ... There is no number 2.
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