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It's seems like people in this country have a very strong dislike for programs such as welfare, section 8, unemployment security, food stamps, affirmative action, amnesty for illegals and other similar programs. These programs were created at a time when many in America were struggling to get by, however many people claim that these same programs that were established to help Americans might be causing them more harm than good. For instance, terms such as welfare queen, ghetto people, reverse racism, and believing people are using the system for their own personal gain are always brought up when these programs are mentioned. Do you think that the media unfairly portrays people on these programs as moochers? Please feel free to share your views on the subject.
Discrimination on the grounds of race is and should be classed as discrimination irrespective of the races involved. 'Affirmative Action' is a euphemism for racial discrimination and the mere adoption of a euphemism doesn't suddenly make the practice acceptable.
Level playing fields have to be level in both directions.
Some years ago, UNM was advertising for a Professor (a real professor, one who holds an academic chair - not an over-blown lecturer) in some Hispanic academic discipline.
They managed to hire a suitable academic - but he was an Anglo.
Then the trouble started! "UNM is our flagship university, why can't they hire an Hispanic to fill such a prestigious post?"
"We didn't hire an Hispanic because we couldn't get an Hispanic who had the qualifications and could do the job."
"Well, if you couldn't find an Hispanic who was qualified to do the job, why didn't you lower the qualification requirements for Hispanic applicants?"
(Minor thermonuclear explosion in Boston ..)
A highly-respected and very highly-qualified Hispanic academic pitched in. Words to the effect:
"I take exception to your inference that, as an Hispanic, I need an unfair advantage over other applicants when I apply for a job. The reason you couldn't get a suitable Hispanic applicant is because no respectable Hispanic applicant would be prepared to work for you for the pittance you pay and under the atrocious conditions you wished to impose."
'Affirmative action' might've helped one or two individuals, but it has also blighted the lives of very many highly-qualified and talented individuals who have had their well-earned successes dismissed under the mantra: "(S)he only got the job because (s)he was female/black/hispanic" etc.
Since it's unfair and inaccurate to paint everyone with the same brush, we must admit that there are desperate and destitute people who are in that position through no fault of their own and there are others who are in fact lazy moochers who are gaming the system in order to live on the taxpayer's dime. It is because of the latter group that so many of us resent the welfare system. It irks me that I am paying for my own food, housing, transportation, clothing, etc., etc., and in addition I am paying for the food, housing, transportation, clothing, etc., etc., of other people. I believe government, in general, does a rather poor job of distinguishing between the deserving and the undeserving.
The long-term problem is that the net takers have one vote each in our system, just as the net givers have one vote each. As the group of net takers grows and grows, they can just vote themselves more and more benefits; eventually this will sink our ship. I never thought I would see any merit in the system of the founding fathers of this nation which restricted the franchise to people with a stake in the well-being of the nation as a whole, but I have reluctantly come to that view. Of course the restrictions of the franchise went beyond what can be justified in this day and age; I am just saying that when all adults except felons have a vote, there are extremely serious disadvantages to the long-term well-being of us all.
I did not read the whole thread. I suspect very strongly that if lobbyists, of all stripes, were not able to shape our future through empty congressional wallets, perhaps we would have schools that educate, and legislators who think independently and debate thoughtfully. WE THE PEOPLE do not have the "lobby" advatange. What we have today, across the board, is a complete mess.
There are enough intelligent people who live in the real world that can come together and find real solutions for real problems. You can probably find them in Cook County. Unfortunately very few to none are found in a state legislature or the U.S. Congress.
I am less annoyed by a impoverished person living off our penurious welfare system (just check on how hard it is to get on the welfare rolls) than I am with military contractors being able to charge excessive amounts for supplying easily available goods and services. The mercenary supply outfits are the worst of this bunch. IMHO they are the "welfare bums" taking us for whatever they can.
Some poor sod getting 10 grand in aid and food stamps is one thing but a corporate CEO making millions and spending more millions on semi legal bribery using taxpayer money is quite another. Both are on the government teat but the CEO gets a lot more milk and honey.
It's seems like people in this country have a very strong dislike for programs such as welfare, section 8, unemployment security, food stamps, affirmative action, amnesty for illegals and other similar programs. These programs were created at a time when many in America were struggling to get by, however many people claim that these same programs that were established to help Americans might be causing them more harm than good. For instance, terms such as welfare queen, ghetto people, reverse racism, and believing people are using the system for their own personal gain are always brought up when these programs are mentioned. Do you think that the media unfairly portrays people on these programs as moochers? Please feel free to share your views on the subject.
I can only speak for myself. And just for the record, I always find it very disconcerning when everyone is clumped together. There are millions of people in this country so all of them cannot possible feel the same way about everything. I do notice these all inclusive terms are used mostly for critical appraisals of the American public. (ok..off soapbox)
I don't mind when people use these programs for what they are intended for. What I do mind is sitting back and having to watch the abuse of the systems.
Example #1...watching someone use their food stamp card at the grocery store while seeing fancy nails, hairstyles, I phones on the person. Along side the approved FS purchases are cigarettes, beer and candy...or replace that with some other junk.
If I'm short of $$ (which I have been many times) I don't get the extra stuff. I still have to pay for my house, utilities and vehicle. I don't get to have my nail done, I don't get to drink beer or smoke.
Example #2..I had a friend that was pregnant with her 1st child at age 19...not a big deal, good for her. To help out she applied for WIC. (Great program and I have no problem with it) Why you ask? According to her she "deserved" it. Both her and her husband were both perfectly able to work. In my mind I thinking...you're only 19...what did you do to deserve it?
Amnesty for Illegals...yes this country was build by immigrants....but legal ones. All of our ancestors had to go thru the loops to be call Americans. Why should these people get a free ride? Before I get slammed....please don't look past the fact that I am referring to the Illegals.
I feel Affirmative actions is fine to a point. Time and time again, I've watched a job got to someone less qualified just so the quota can be filled.
To go back and reference the word "deserve" again. The people who abuse these systems have somehow been lead to believe that they "deserve" these things.
I guess I was led to believe that in order to "deserve" things, you have to work for it.
It gets tiring to day after day, work your butt off, then watch your tax $$ be abused by others and if you say anything then you are unfeeling and selfish.
So here's one American that doesn't "dislike" these programs...she hate the abuse of these programs.
This hate is especially perplexing considering that federal spending to pay for the interest on debt will exceed total spending on the (bloated) defense by $125 billion. Why not to hate bankers first? Obscenely rich (and secretive) bankers cabal creates money out of thin air, lends it to government and charge interests for ... exactly what? Why talk radio does foment hate to this sort of mega welfare (an authority to be a mega parasite, actually) for the rich people who don't extra 125 billions to survive?
Very perplexing priority of hate. Actually, not so much if one to notice that in hierarchical societies violence, hate, derision and spite flows from top to bottom of the hierarchical pyramid and never the other way around. It's much safer (and satisfying) for a blue color unit (an inch above the bottom of a pyramid himself) to hate "welfare queens" who ate his cake than to bark at mega welfare for the wealthy. This even more perplexing considering that bulk of talk radio audience unlikely to pay substantial sums in federal taxes anyway. Most satisfaction in life does come from feeling superior to other people, it's not about money.
I dislike the fact that the current system discourages people from working at their fullest potential.
A few years ago, I worked as a supervisor in a hospital laboratory. We were always short-staffed among the laboratory assistants (entry-level position). I had several full-time lab assistants, and 20-some full-time degreed laboratory scientists (who would do not only their own highly skilled jobs, but also the entry level work when needed) who thankfully were willing to work overtime, even numerous double shifts (16 hours). But I also had several part-time lab assistants (24 hours a week) who would not stay even a measly 5 extra minutes past their assigned time. It was perplexing to me....until my manger explained that these part-timers could not earn one extra cent beyond their limit, or they would risk their government paid child-care, food stamps, housing allowance, etc.
These entry level positions started at $18.00 an hour (they were in a union), and some of them who had been there for many years earned as much as $25.00 an hour!! Yet by working part-time they got all these freebies at taxpayer expense. (and if you're wondering why we didn't require all staff to work full-time, well that was in place before I started there, but I was told it was a union thing)
It's seems like people in this country have a very strong dislike for programs such as welfare, section 8, unemployment security, food stamps, affirmative action, amnesty for illegals and other similar programs. These programs were created at a time when many in America were struggling to get by, however many people claim that these same programs that were established to help Americans might be causing them more harm than good. For instance, terms such as welfare queen, ghetto people, reverse racism, and believing people are using the system for their own personal gain are always brought up when these programs are mentioned. Do you think that the media unfairly portrays people on these programs as moochers? Please feel free to share your views on the subject.
They're a whole lot of people getting different sorts of benefits from the federal government. Many of these groups are seldom criticized. We subsidize agribusiness to the tune of millions/billions of dollars every year for not growing crops at all or for growing crops that are not needed and for which little market exists. I don't know if we still subsidize tobacco farmers, but that was about as illogical as it could get. The same government was paying for tobacco cessation programs and paying medicare dollars to treat old people with lung cancer and emphysema.
Many corporations receive tax breaks for being in the right industry at the right time that other businesses don't get.
I don't dwell on foreign aid much, but I've often wondered why its still our responsibility to give aid to both Israel and Egypt. Together, that's costing us about $4 billion. If this is established by treaty, than its time to renegotiate the treaty.
Food stamps is a vital program that keeps many of the poor from going hungry. Yet, its total cost to this country is about $57 billion a year. What shocks me is that about 1 out of every 6 Americans is currently receiving some food stamp benefit. The problem isn't the program. The problem is the overuse of the program by some who could manage on their own.
People don't look at Medicare as public assistance because we pay taxes for it and the elderly pay monthly to have it. The problem there is that the amount the elderly are paying doesn't begin to cover the cost of the program. The elderly pay for about 1/4 of the current cost of Medicare and its slowly (or rapidly) going bankrupt. In essence, much of what they receive really is just welfare or public assistance.
I know young working people who abuse Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Some unmarried young people deliberately choose to work about six months during the year and than play the rest of the time. This keeps their income low enough to qualify for EITC, a program where instead of paying taxes, they get money back from the government.
The point is there is a lot of what I will call "gaming the system" going on. I bet many people pointing their fingers at the poor for "mooching" are gaming the system in their own way.
Some of us actually play by the rules. I've worked for the last 28 years without a single period of unemployment. I've paid high taxes. I've employed others during this period. The irony in the whole thing is that I think playing by the rules actually results in you doing better and having a higher income. Instead of focusing on some scheme or artifice to beat your government out of money, you instead focus on how to increase your own income. Its not just a question of ethics. I think the rules are actually there for a purpose.
Anyway, unless we get some kind of control on the spending our government is doing its going to harm everyone in the long run. I won't change human nature, but remember there are consequences for everything.
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Hate aid programs
