Homestead Section 8

[Mcsmith0210]

Everyone seems to be on the "help the poor" ticket until they get their taxes done. Many people on here will be singing a different tune when theyre paying for ideas like the above stated ones- which are based in clouded and outdated idealism. Help the poor by letting them help themselves.

[buzz_cii]

Sometimes my heart is bigger than my brain and I would like to subscribe to the outdated idealism to help help help. But now I am living and working for the second time in a poverty stricken country. I can see that all the help, by the billions, is keeping them in poverty. My colleague says, "Misery is the goose that lays the golden egg". More misery means more inflow of aid to the pockets of someone not living in the streets. Most thinkers here believe that if you take away the aid, folks will just go back to the jungle and fields and become farmers again. I know it's not that simple, but something has to change.

[Cougar Beach]

Originally Posted by buzz_cii

Sometimes my heart is bigger than my brain and I would like to subscribe to the outdated idealism to help help help.

You understand that there's short-term and there's long-term, don't you? What do you tell a hungry child who was just hit by a bus -- Hang in there and it will work itself out when you're in the fields?

Originally Posted by buzz_cii

But now I am living and working for the second time in a poverty stricken country. I can see that all the help, by the billions, is keeping them in poverty.

You may not realize this, but there are a lot of people who are on public assistance for a period of their life, and then not any more. Everyone on welfare does not spend life on it.

More on the subject, post-Clinton's welfare reform: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html (broken link)

Originally Posted by buzz_cii

My colleague says, "Misery is the goose that lays the golden egg". More misery means more inflow of aid to the pockets of someone not living in the streets. Most thinkers here believe that if you take away the aid, folks will just go back to the jungle and fields and become farmers again. I know it's not that simple, but something has to change.

Most "thinkers"? Can you name said "thinkers"? Will they just steal land? And where is the jungle you speak of? Back in Africa?

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Originally Posted by Mcsmith0210

Everyone seems to be on the "help the poor" ticket until they get their taxes done. Many people on here will be singing a different tune when theyre paying for ideas like the above stated ones- which are based in clouded and outdated idealism. Help the poor by letting them help themselves.

Some people really can't help themselves, or they run into a run of misfortune, i.e. a job loss, sickness (since healthcare in this country is so unaffordable), or there could be a hundred and one other issues at play.

Section 8 (like it or not) is a good program because 1) it helps those on low incomes afford to pay their rent and 2) it gives landlords a good safety net, in terms of the rent they receive.

I find the attitude towards the less fortunate particularly appalling here in the United States (not just in Miami). People are always expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, in an society which grows more and more complex, more and more competitive on an almost yearly basis; a society in which so many people are simply left behind, often through no fault of their own.

I also find it funny that many Americans love to complain about the poor "swindling" their hard earned tax dollars, yet few people bat an eyelid when some rich CEO is caught swindling millions of dollars, or when corporations are bailed out by the government.

The terrible attitude towards the less fortunate members of society probably stems from the fact that in America, weakness isn't tolerated. It is drilled into you from an early age that you must be a certain way, or you'll be a failure for life. I also believe there's a hint of underlying racism in there too, since many poor people just happen to be black. Another reason is the mistrust of government and government programs, even if some of the programs are actually beneficial to us, as a society.

Just remember, pretty much anyone can hit hard times, especially in this economy. Blaming the victim, chastising people for accepting welfare and having the holier-than-thou "pull yourselves up by your bootstraps" mindset is getting old and to those who think that way, karma's a b*tch. Personally, I'd rather the taxes I pay go towards helping people, not pointless wars, corporate bailouts and in the case of Miami, pointless tunnels and a new stadium for the Florida Marlins.

Just my 2 cents' worth.

[Cougar Beach]

BC> I find the attitude towards the less fortunate particularly appalling here in the United States (not just in Miami).

BC> I also find it funny that many Americans love to complain about the poor "swindling" their hard earned tax dollars...

BC> The terrible attitude towards the less fortunate members of society probably stems from the fact that in America, weakness isn't tolerated.

I find that particularly flabbergasting in such a Christian country. Maybe they've switched to Ayn Rand for their redemption.