One In Six People

Discussion
1

What the hell.

That’s right. Those three words. Those three little words. It’s what I said when I heard the news. What news? The news that one in six people in the United States now live below the poverty line.

Below the poverty line. One in six people. Forty six million Americans - twice the population of Australia. The highest figure since the Great Depression of the late 1920’s.

I am still in shock. Still speachless. Nothing to say. Shock. Total shock. Disbelief. A feeling of betrayal. Loss. Hopelessness. Stunned, I watched the rain drizzle outside my bedroom window - staring off into the distance. A distance where forty six million stand with uncertain futures. Staring into the abyss.

I looked at the wall. Then at the bed. Then at the wall again.

And so I want to hear about it. I want to hear from you first hand. I want to hear abou the pain and the suffering.

Tell me straight up - what the hell is going on over there? Over the sea.

Is it the end?

2

one in six people… Those three words. Those three little words

One in six people can’t count that’s for sure.

And yeah the conservitive government gets back in power and rest assured it’s the end.
Late,
grmpysmrf

4

America’s not in good shape, I don’t deny it.
But there’s poverty and then there’s poverty, if you know what I mean. The worst parts of America still don’t look like the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, y’know?

Not yet anyway…

5

Check out Africa.

6

Hooray for Reaganomics! It doesn’t matter how many people are in poverty, it only matters how rich the rich can get.

7

Pretty much. These days, it’s pretty much that “one out of six” are the guys who are working doubles to just pay the rent. One out of six just doesn’t sound right though to me. But remember, there’s no such thing as Rich People these days. Ludicrous fabrication, they say! The politically “correct” term for these people, who just so happen to be wealthy, are called JOB CREATORS. Yeah, I cringe every time I hear that term when I watch tv…

8

EVERYONE is getting the shaft right now. It’s not that all rich people are evil (though some are certainly soul-less bastards). It’s that we threw about 3 Trillion Dollars down a black hole and our retarded government’s so-called “solution” is to throw another Trillion dollars at it.

They encourage a culture of fiscal irresponsibility and when it all goes to crap they “rescue” those who caused such problems and then look for new scapegoats.

It’s the small businesses that are really taking it in the shorts (insane taxes, regulations, health care costs, etc.) and, of course, when these businesses die or suffer, jobs are lost with it.

Does our country look like a shanty-town? No, of course not. And in comparison to REAL poverty, even our worse off citizens are doing quite well. But if you compare our situation now versus 10 or even 5 years ago . . . yeah, it sucks. It’s most visible, I think, when I go to malls and see boarded up shops and abandoned lease spaces.

Anyway, I don’t really see it as a conservative v. liberal thing (though I WILL say that GW Bush did far worse damage than anyone before or after him).

Our country is run by knuckleheads who preach one thing, and do the opposite . . . and fail to understand the implilcations of anything.

This is all just fragmented babble, I understand, but let me just leave this final mathematic summary . . . .

  1. We throw $900 BILLION dollars away on a war with no economic returns.
  2. Then we “coincidentally” find ourselves in a $900 BILLION “crisis”.
  3. Retards from both parties panic and give ANOTHER $900 BILLION (let’s call it a “stimulus plan”) to save a bunch of retards who proved they cannot be trusted with money.
  4. A month ago we suddenly found ourselves in another so-called “crisis”. We reached our “debt limit”. So, our solution to this is AGAIN to “raise the debt ceiling”. We can’t pay our bills and we don’t have any money . . . . so instead of stopping (or reducing) the madness . . . we agree to continue to INCREASE the amount that we borrow from everyone else - - - who we know we can’t pay back.

Dammit. Too many words. I’m starting to feel like Grumpy.

9

This being a Ministry board, I’m not surprised that vast majority of the posts
are far left leaning.

But isn’t the Obama administration PARTLY responsible for NOT being able to
right the ship? I mean that is the ticket he ran on right? Vote for me, I’ll change things for the better. Well it’s been 3 years and things haven’t changed all that much. I’m not dumping on the guy, hell I voted for him.
But this concept that Democrats can do no wrong, and Republicans are solely
out to screw the country over is kind of nuts to me.

10

But isn’t the Obama administration PARTLY responsible for NOT being able to
right the ship? I mean that is the ticket he ran on right? Vote for me, I’ll change things for the better. Well it’s been 3 years and things haven’t changed all that much. I’m not dumping on the guy, hell I voted for him.
But this concept that Democrats can do no wrong, and Republicans are solely
out to screw the country over is kind of nuts to me.

BOTH parties have screwed our country.
BOTH parties fail to help get things fixed.
I know people are passionate about one party or the other, but it’s retarded really. Most of the major downfalls and fiascos have been bi-partisan. GW didn’t make the war by himself (almost everyone signed on). And most of the jackass senators and representatives on both sides have signed off on all the subsequent Fail Packages.

Economic “crises” don’t just happen. Massive assloads of money got squandered over the last 25 (or more) years and no one EVER stood up to stop it, because the politicians just want to be fat and keep their seats instead of making unpopular decisions that piss people off but may actually help in the long run. None of them can see further ahead then the next election.

Screw 'em all.

11

To be fair to Mr. Obama (not that he’s perfect by any stretch of the imagination), the Republicans in Congress are DELIBERATELY obstructing the business of Congress so that through inaction matters actually get worse. They are betting that the people, being uninformed idiots, will pin it all on Obama because he’s the guy running the show, instead of realizing that an entire branch of government has effectively shut itself down to make him look bad.

12

Obama is maybe the biggest fraud perpetrated against 69 million+ voters. Two years is the max a Pres. should be allowed to flap around. His first year was crucial and he pretty much blew it. He spent the last year taking it up the jacksy from an easily disjunctured opposition and now it’s so bad that next year people will only vote for him to keep out loonies like Perry, Bachmann, or Palin. If Obama gets elected for a second term he has a chance to make up for his three years of floundering. Something tells me he wont. And if elections are going to turn into pseudo celebrity wank fests then (if he wants it) get Matt Damon in there. At least he doesn’t still tow the Hollywood-liberal line of “Hooray, Obama!” when it’s quite clear Obama is doing fuck all for anyone but his opponents.

I don’t find the 1 in 6 figure surprising at all. It’s certainly nothing to be proud of. But it’s America.

13

The biggest fraud hasn’t been 4 stupid wars with our tax money?

Useless wars on Drugs, Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan. When in the end all we did was fly a fucking hit team in and whack our old CIA pawn.

Our Congressional branch is hamstrung. We can’t fix our revenue stream with additional taxes or even just closed loopholes on corporations thanks to that.

I keep hearing about ‘small business’ when all I can recall is Wal-Marts and other corporations putting all the small businesses out of business in my area.

14

But isn’t the Obama administration PARTLY responsible for NOT being able to
right the ship? I mean that is the ticket he ran on right? Vote for me, I’ll change things for the better. Well it’s been 3 years and things haven’t changed all that much. I’m not dumping on the guy, hell I voted for him.
But this concept that Democrats can do no wrong, and Republicans are solely
out to screw the country over is kind of nuts to me.

Sort of.

Captain Obama: The last captain nearly ran this ship aground! I need to set it right! Batten down the hatches!
First Mate Republican: No.
Captain Obama: Wha?
First Mate Republican: No. I want to be captain and I’d rather see this ship sink to the bottom of the ocean than help you right it. So I say we DON’T batten down the hatches.
Captain Obama: Look, I’m the captain. You’ll do as I say.
First Mate Republican: Or what?
Captain Obama: Or… or… fine. How about we compromise by me doing whatever you say?
First Mate Republican kicks Captain Obama in the shins
First Mate Republican: Fuck you!
Captain Obama: I’m sorry!

15

The biggest fraud hasn’t been 4 stupid wars with our tax money?

Useless wars on Drugs, Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan. When in the end all we did was fly a fucking hit team in and whack our old CIA pawn.

Our Congressional branch is hamstrung. We can’t fix our revenue stream with additional taxes or even just closed loopholes on corporations thanks to that.

I keep hearing about ‘small business’ when all I can recall is Wal-Marts and other corporations putting all the small businesses out of business in my area.

IT’S LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND UH
IT’S LIKE THAT AND LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT AND UH

16

The biggest fraud hasn’t been 4 stupid wars with our tax money?

The operative word is fraud. I don’t think much people really believed Bush as he attempted to conceal his and his crews’ motives (help them if they did). Obama rode in on hope for progressives and the downtrodden.

You don’t tell someone who’s hanging off a cliff edge “take this rope and I’ll pull you up” and then yank the rope up out of their reach as they release their grip and then fall to their splattery deaths.

Worst analogy ever.

17

I think what you’re saying is we need less thieves and liars, hypocrites and bastards . . . and MORE INTEGRITY!!!

19

It’s not that all rich people are evil (though some are certainly soul-less bastards). It’s that we threw about 3 Trillion Dollars down a black hole and our retarded government’s so-called “solution” is to throw another Trillion dollars at it.

/thread.

Dammit. Too many words. I’m starting to feel like Grumpy.

Well…you have no understanding of experimental “rake on pavement” music, so…you’re on the right track, Mr Shansty.

20

[reply]Dammit. Too many words. I’m starting to feel like Grumpy.

Well…you have no understanding of experimental “rake on pavement” music, so…you’re on the right track, Mr Shansty.[/reply]

I saw in a music shop the other day . . . . there was a section for heavy metal, a section for punk, a section for rockabilly, and a few other sections I can’t specifically recall.

I found Merzbow under Pop/Rock. No joke. I should have taken a picture. Maybe your tastes aren’t as underground as they used to be.

21

Well, I did listen to Prince’s Diamonds And Pearls cd in the car the other night. But I’m a sucker for Prince. Equal parts Bootsy Collins, Rick James and Jimmy Hendrix. Pity about all the crappy rapping on that album though. One minute I’m rockin out to some funky, psychedelic r’n’b dancefloor anthem and the next minute I’m cringing as some rent-a-homie nobody ruins the whole thing with some wanna be gangster voice over.

Anyway, yeah. My underground credentials have just been shot to pieces.

22

EVERYONE is getting the shaft right now.

everyone is not getting the shaft right now. unless by everyone you mean the middle and lower classes, then yes everyone is getting the shaft.

It’s not that all rich people are evil (though some are certainly soul-less bastards). It’s that we threw about 3 Trillion Dollars down a black hole and our retarded government’s so-called “solution” is to throw another Trillion dollars at it.

regardless of what the news tells you, the way to get out of debt is to spend. That’s right you heard me. you DO spend your way out of debt. THat’s why shop owners take out loans when business isn’t doing so hot; and they don’t just file for bankruptcy.

They encourage a culture of fiscal irresponsibility and when it all goes to crap they “rescue” those who caused such problems and then look for new scapegoats.

I will give you they haven’t been smart with the loans. However, it does need to be said that stimulus money has helped the economies of some states and those governors are taking credit for turning the state around while still bashing stimulus cash and not even acknowledging that they took stimulus cash.

It’s the small businesses that are really taking it in the shorts (insane taxes, regulations, health care costs, etc.) and, of course, when these businesses die or suffer, jobs are lost with it.

I doubt this. small business just means the number of employees that work for the company is small or the amount of money said company makes. either way “true” small businesses are just fine.

But if you compare our situation now versus 10 or even 5 years ago . . . yeah, it sucks. It’s most visible, I think, when I go to malls and see boarded up shops and abandoned lease spaces.

this is not the fault of Obama. this is the fault of the deregulation of everything. it’s kind of Obama’s fault in that he hasn’t repealed that bullshit yet. although I doubt he could with the obstruction with the Publicans

Anyway, I don’t really see it as a conservative v. liberal thing (though I WILL say that GW Bush did far worse damage than anyone before or after him).

anybody that can’t concede that fact is an uneducated buffoon.

Our country is run by knuckleheads who preach one thing, and do the opposite . . . and fail to understand the implilcations of anything.

that’s the problem when we are run by the wealthy that have know idea what normal life is like.
Late,
grmpysmrf