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This is not a post about distracting political conversations, like "baby momma" or another teen pregnancy in society. This is not about democrat vs. republican -- liberal vs. conservative, more a serious question of where the current stand is on the low income families in America.
Don't know about anyone else, but I had always been raised to consider those with less than what we have. I raise my children the same, to do what you can to help, though, knowing it is never enough, while trying to manage our own budget.
I watched the DNC & some of the RNC. In my over-view, I heard too much about "the middle class" from both sides. The lack of "affordable" health care and other essentials of everyday living, etc. I live in a city deemed earlier this year as the 2nd poorest in the Nation. Unless you live hear, you don't know hard it is to over-come that kind of feeling of the place you have called "home" all your life.
I'm not sure we can expect a President to accomplish much there.
What are the NY state politicians or, more importantly, the elected officials in Buffalo really doing about the situation.
The reason behind this post is of the Presidential candidates having a things on their agendas, though neither have taken poverty as serious as their other issues.
I realize as it gets narrowed down, it becomes a question of state/county/city, poverty knows no specific location though, it is in every town and city of every state. I wondered the willingness of Presidential candidates addressing it.
What can they do? Seriously? I grew up in Western Pennsylvania (Rust Belt) and know of which you speak. I moved. It broke my parents' hearts but what can you do? I know that in Western Pennsylvania, they're STILL waiting for steel and manufacturing to come back, sigh. There aren't ANY more educational opportunities now than when I left in the mid-'80s. People either move like I did or work a couple of jobs to make ends meet. They don't seem to want to change.
But Dem. politicians go there every four years promising that steel and manufacturing jobs will come back. And this year, the Dem. goes and talks about these people, saying they're bitter and clinging to their guns and religion. Geez, he's got some nerve!
I live in a Red State and it's thriving. I've never had trouble finding a job or furthering my education to change careers. We are constantly getting new industries and technology here. Our unemployment rate is just over 3 percent in my city and we actually have the problem that we can't grow unless we get more workers!
We're willing to drill our land, put up wind turbines and offer tax breaks for wind technology companies to come here. It's working. Our local vocational college is busy training folks to work at the wind farms. THIS is how you prosper and get your economy going -- not waiting around for a bygone time to come back. And it STINKS that the Dem. candidates keep promising folks up there that they'll make sure it will all come back again.
One of the differences in the tax plans between obama and McCain come down to this group of people. As a genral rule low income wage earners dont pay any income taxes. With the earned income credit and a couple of children they pay in a couple thousand in fed and state income tax and get back over twice that. Both tax plans want to "decrease" their tax burden (which is a ridiculous way of saying tax high wage earners more and redistribute those tax revenues to these low income earners who pay no income tax). Mccain would decrese there tax burden (sheesh) by $300 and obama $1200. There are many programs in place to help low income families with food, housing, job training, college tuition, WIC, medicaide. I dont think they need another $300 let alone $1200 dollars of hardworking tax payers money.
What can they do? Seriously? I grew up in Western Pennsylvania (Rust Belt) and know of which you speak. I moved. It broke my parents' hearts but what can you do? I know that in Western Pennsylvania, they're STILL waiting for steel and manufacturing to come back, sigh. There aren't ANY more educational opportunities now than when I left in the mid-'80s. People either move like I did or work a couple of jobs to make ends meet. They don't seem to want to change.
But Dem. politicians go there every four years promising that steel and manufacturing jobs will come back. And this year, the Dem. goes and talks about these people, saying they're bitter and clinging to their guns and religion. Geez, he's got some nerve!
I live in a Red State and it's thriving. I've never had trouble finding a job or furthering my education to change careers. We are constantly getting new industries and technology here. Our unemployment rate is just over 3 percent in my city and we actually have the problem that we can't grow unless we get more workers!
We're willing to drill our land, put up wind turbines and offer tax breaks for wind technology companies to come here. It's working. Our local vocational college is busy training folks to work at the wind farms. THIS is how you prosper and get your economy going -- not waiting around for a bygone time to come back. And it STINKS that the Dem. candidates keep promising folks up there that they'll make sure it will all come back again.
I live in Texas too. Texas has the highest number of children without medical insurance. Texan's income is below the national average. Major metropolitan areas have higher than average crime rates. The divorce and teen pregnancy rates are high.
"But Dem. politicians go there every four years promising that steel and manufacturing jobs will come back."
Could you be more specific here? What Dems have said this? Your source?
I find this extremely hard to believe.
I LIVED there -- I HEARD it. And every time I call a relative back home, they say a politician has been in town promising funds to help attract steel back. It's pathetic. I have a cousin who loves welding and I told him they are CRYING for welders down here and he could stay with me until he saved up enough money for a place of his own. Nope, he doesn't want to move.
But, here you go, from Obama's own webpage.
"Obama will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies. Double Funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership: The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) works with manufacturers across the country to improve efficiency, implement new technology and strengthen company growth."
I've heard him on the stump, promising that manufacturing jobs will return to the Rust Belt. They won't. You can't FORCE companies to go to places with limited vocational education, high taxes, and UNIONS. Why would they pay $25 an hour for union machinists when they can pay $15-20 in a Sun Belt state?
I live in Texas too. Texas has the highest number of children without medical insurance. Texan's income is below the national average. Major metropolitan areas have higher than average crime rates. The divorce and teen pregnancy rates are high.
But I do agree it's easy to get a job.
A lot of the statistics you mentioned come from the dang illegals. That is a drawback. Otherwise, we've got the S-CHIP program for kids' health care, like every other state. We just have so many dang "anchor babies."
But Dem. politicians go there every four years promising that steel and manufacturing jobs will come back. And this year, the Dem. goes and talks about these people, saying they're bitter and clinging to their guns and religion. Geez, he's got some nerve!
From my very first post, the second sentence.....
Quote:
This is not about democrat vs. republican -- liberal vs. conservative
Perhaps the question of poverty was wrong of me.
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That is a drawback. Otherwise, we've got the S-CHIP program for kids' health care, like every other state. We just have so many dang "anchor babies."
