Why dont you give away your money to poor people?

[bkholdem]

This is true. Wealthy democrats nor wealthy republicans, nor wealthy apolitical people would want to trade places with a poor person. I do not remember anyone stating that they would want to do this or that that life would be better than other more common lives where people work, etc. If I missed it please point it out to me. If not what is your point? You have not made a case for why entitlement programs are the best way to assist the poor. My point is that they reinforce dependency and not working.

If your job paid you 75% of your current salary for not showing up and you got to keep your medical care would you be showing up at 8am every day? I sure as hell wouldn't.

The situation with people on social security is that they were struggling and marginally employed before. Some have no work history. Of course some are not capable of gainful employment, but many do have the ability to be (re)habilitated. But where is their incentive? They are getting paid for not working. Pay me for not working and what are you going to get? A non-working me, that's what you will get.

So no, doctor's and lawyers are not dropping out of school to get on the SSI gravy train. But people with sporatic work histories and social problems who have difficulties are being given all types of handouts. What is that teaching them? How is that helping them?

Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.

Give me a free fish every day for a couple of years and I'm going to be sitting on your doorstep when you wake up with my hand out. I don't get the fish I'm going to bitch and complain. Maybe if you required that I go to the lake with you and if you required that I learned how to bait a hook, etc... I would be in a better position. Get it?

And it is not 'supposedly' that he gets social security. The vast majority of all long term homeless people get social security. I have worked in the field for over a decade. You are not going to hear this from many social service workers because they get paid to 'help' dependent people. They do not have incentives to make those people independent. That is reality too.

You think I get paid more money if I help my clients get rehabilitated better and faster than my peers? lol Hell no I don't. You know what I get? I get to graduate my clients and get more clients with more serious problems. So the harder I work the harder my work gets. My peers who don't
challenge themeselves and their clients coast along in their routine and their clients don't improve and their job is relatively easy compared to someone working hard to help people improve. But at the end of the day everyone gets paid the same. In the poker world and the financial world you get paid based on results. Entitlement progams are the problem (sure some people need them as they are significanlty impaired and can't really make much progress, but that is not the mainstream)

So no, it wasn't really well put.

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Well put.

And there's not one of those creepy Republicans who'd trade places with an alcoholic, mentally ill homeless man, even for the $600 a month - or whatever it is - he suposedly gets from social security.

Which sort of makes you wonder if they really think the homeless are living the good life after all.

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IMHO, the blame the poor is an excuse privileged people use to justify to themselves that they are where they are and other people are worse off because they don't work as hard. I've worked with a lot of people who have two college educated parents, went to a very high quality high school, graduated college without any debt with spring breaks in Cancun, got a car as a graduation gift, a down payment for a house from mome and dad, etc., etc., and believe they really worked hard and struggled to get where they are, and that anybody who wants to succeed should work as hard as they did, and they'll get there too.

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This was posted elsewhere, and I didn't write it, but I quoted it anyway because it applies.

Ignoring appeals to help the poor is a lot easier when we tell ourselves they're just lazy and irresponsible, and that we somehow EARNED our own good fortune.

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[bkholdem]

Oh and you want to know what it was like 20 years ago in MA (for you wise asses who want to take shots at republicans this was another democratic gem- and no i'm not republican)

There was something called General Relief. It was basically a welfare check. You should hear some of the old timers in the shelters (and especially those well along the rehab trail) talk about that. They joke around about how many different names they used to get general relief under. hahaa I"m not kidding. That's governement for ya. People on wall street cheat and scam, government officials cheat and scam, poker players cheat and scam. What makes the homeless exempt?

[bkholdem]

And here's my more provocative reply (more in line with the tone of yours):

How many homeless people do you have living with you? And how many years do they live with you before you set some rules and expectations for them?

Like making thier bed or washing their dishes or helping with the house work, for example? At some point do you think it might be a good idea to start to introduce expectations to promote positive change? If not, how many have a key to your house?

[ QUOTE ]
Well put.

And there's not one of those creepy Republicans who'd trade places with an alcoholic, mentally ill homeless man, even for the $600 a month - or whatever it is - he suposedly gets from social security.

Which sort of makes you wonder if they really think the homeless are living the good life after all.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
IMHO, the blame the poor is an excuse privileged people use to justify to themselves that they are where they are and other people are worse off because they don't work as hard. I've worked with a lot of people who have two college educated parents, went to a very high quality high school, graduated college without any debt with spring breaks in Cancun, got a car as a graduation gift, a down payment for a house from mome and dad, etc., etc., and believe they really worked hard and struggled to get where they are, and that anybody who wants to succeed should work as hard as they did, and they'll get there too.

[/ QUOTE ]
This was posted elsewhere, and I didn't write it, but I quoted it anyway because it applies.

Ignoring appeals to help the poor is a lot easier when we tell ourselves they're just lazy and irresponsible, and that we somehow EARNED our own good fortune.

[/ QUOTE ]

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[montechristo]

i am now dumber for reading your responses to this thread. maybe you should read more than just self help books and learn about the state of the world. the world is generally prosperous? come the F*** on!

[mmcd]

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Alot of people around here are making alot of money. I am just curious why I dont see alot of threads about donating the majority of people's earnings to charity? Why do people buy Porsches and Jaguars when others are homeless? Why do we buy gold, when others are starving to death? have you people no shame? Why arent you giving your money to poor people?

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Because I am not a communist.

[NDHand]

Maybe, one day, if im a millionaire lol...

[newfant]

Poor people don't really do anything for me, they just ask me for money. Jaguar and Porsche designers and builders make nice cars that cost money and that I would buy if I could afford it. I like my money to reward people that are useful.

[kasey2004]

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I like my money to reward people that are useful.

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NH

[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Kasey [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]

[crookedhat99]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
IMHO, the blame the poor is an excuse privileged people use to justify to themselves that they are where they are and other people are worse off because they don't work as hard. I've worked with a lot of people who have two college educated parents, went to a very high quality high school, graduated college without any debt with spring breaks in Cancun, got a car as a graduation gift, a down payment for a house from mome and dad, etc., etc., and believe they really worked hard and struggled to get where they are, and that anybody who wants to succeed should work as hard as they did, and they'll get there too.

[/ QUOTE ]
This was posted elsewhere, and I didn't write it, but I quoted it anyway because it applies.

Ignoring appeals to help the poor is a lot easier when we tell ourselves they're just lazy and irresponsible, and that we somehow EARNED our own good fortune.

[/ QUOTE ]


Yea it's true that it's easier for a malibu socialite's kids to 'make it' than an inner city kid, but the thing is that a driven inner city kid WILL 'make it'. America, and capitalist societies in general hold back the weak and undriven, and pay off the driven hard workers. It's like there are 4 groups, poor undriven, poor driven, rich undriven, and rich driven. Everybody in America has sufficient opportunity to 'make it' except for those who belong to the poor undriven group. I mean, I geuss it sucks but compared to any other economic system the world has ever seen...it stacks up pretty well.

[USGrant]

"ta ta" ?!?

I think the problem I have with you is your arrogant attitude. What makes you jump to such conclusions that other people couldn't possibly know as much as you about additiction or the current problems with fighting poverty and homelessness? Even if they didn't, go buy yourself a medal and hang it around your neck, you win first prize for being the smartest boy!!!

Listen, I think my original post applies: you sound like a burnt out social worker. e.g. just making "observations" about how the shelters clear out at the beginnning of the month then pleading innocent that you're not taking one stand or another on an issue is a little disingenuous, don't you think? I can make observations that a lot of black people are in prison and a lot of Mexicans work as busboys, and a lot of bartenders are Irish immigrants. Can I just leave it at that, or, if I want to be the smartest boy in class and get a ribbon, should I also back it up with some explanation? You tell me. ta ta.