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Doubtlessly, some do work. Example? First Time Homebuyer programs have been an enormous success in many states at elevating people out of poverty and helping them settle down and build equity and a stable lifestyle. Even better, many of these programs are "sweat equity" programs where the homeowner participates in building their own home. Not perfect, but a pretty good program overall.
Doubtlessly, some do not. Example? The classic welfare queen baby factory. Why do we keep handing out the money? Because we are reluctant to punish the innocent (kids) with the guilty (slutty mom).
It's not an either/or situation. This is what irks me about communists and teabaggers alike. Commies think government is always the solution. That's crazy.
Teabaggers think government is always the problem. That's also crazy.
Well thought out response and good job of avoiding partisian politics. Right up to the last line. Why did you have to take a responsible post and ruin it?
I believe that most programs simply encourage poverty. I have visited "poor" neighborhoods. They are not full of physically and mentally handicapped people. They are full of people content with poverty. Bottom line is that poverty in the states just isn't all that bad a lifestyle or a lot less people would be engaging in it. Poverty is measured by income. You don't need a large income if you pay no taxes and all services are provided and there are no consequences for not paying the bills.
IMHO many people living below the "poverty" line are like the 35 yr old still living at home leaching off mom & dad. There is simply no incentive to get off the teat. In my family, you graduate HS and you get 3 options. Go to college, get a job or go to jail. But you sure as he** aren't staying home doing nothing.
Are government programs effective in getting people out of poverty? If you think "yes" can you give some examples. If you think "no" why do you think we keep pouring money into programs that don't work?
To be perfectly honest I believe welfare programs that include able bodied people on it's rolls actually creates poverty.
I'm a moderate/left leaning voter and I believe they do not. I don't believe that public housing should be available for life. People work very hard in the city I live in to try and afford a home. I don't think it is fair that someone gets into public housing, and stays there for life. The incentive is not there to improve. I want limits on all public assistance, including housing. I firmly believe that the govt should be there to help you when you hit a bad patch in life, but then you only have so many years, like maybe 5 max, to get your life back in order. What we have now are generations of people collecting benefit. Wrong. And based on informal polls I've taken with friends, we are all pretty much in agreement that the current unlimited public housing benefit doesn't work.
Well thought out response and good job of avoiding partisian politics. Right up to the last line. Why did you have to take a responsible post and ruin it?
Ruin it how?
How is it partisan to have a problem with the extremists from both ends of the political spectrum?
Am I being a moderate extremist? Am I a Montague or a Capulet, because I wish a plague on both their houses?
Not at all. The War on Poverty has been an utter failure, there are more people than ever living on Medicaid, food stamps, WIC and in Section 8 housing. Government dependency is skyrocketing. More babies are born into welfare programs than ever, more children on free meals programs than ever before. Poverty rates are skyrocketing, the money being thrown at it only increases it.
Since Dems and Repubs rarely agree on anything, I thought it was a good question.
Polls.
You can get 52% of the idiots in this country to believe just about anything.
It's silly, simpleminded absolutism. Some programs work, some don't, and they both do or don't to some relative degree.
It's not a black and white world...
It's like asking everyone if they favor cutting taxes. Nearly everyone will answer yes.
Then ask then whether they are OK with cutting Program X, whatever it may be, and watch the numbers change dramatically.
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