Free Republic

There is much talk and discussion today about helping the poor and downtrodden here in the USA. The only true way to help individuals break free from the tyrannical cycle of poverty, however, is a Conservatism that is rooted in Biblical, Judean/ Christian truths and absolutes. Such values bestow upon these individuals a sense of reality and purpose in what otherwise would be a meaningless, “burned out” existence. Historically, Judean/ Christian values have been the only true advocate and hope for the poor since the fall of man (see Genesis 3:17-19). The word charity - as taught in the Bible...

The left avers that many Americans are poverty-stricken, that we need to do more to alleviate their plight, and that the primary role of government is to help them. Let us examine these claims. 'Poverty' may be viewed as harsh deprivation, such as in Biafra or the Congo. Yet nobody in America starves to death. It is true that the standard of living of illegals from Mexico is far below ours, yet even they are far better off than the inhabitants of third-world countries. Nor do the poor in America suffer as did those during the Great Depression. Consider the...

Villagers step up and unload bags of dry goods to be distributed among them while Troop B, 6th Bn., 9th Cav. Regt. provides security during a recent humanitarian distribution in northern Iraq. Photo courtesy of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. MOSUL — Iraqi villagers in Rabi'ah and its surrounding areas have come to welcome and enjoy the U.S. Soldiers that visit them regularly. Troop B, 6th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd "Greywolf" Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division has spent the last three months building relationships with citizens in northern Iraqi through humanitarian assistance missions."These operations...

How many Freepers know about this program? It gives a free mobile phone to low-income households and free 68 minutes of airtime per month. Tracphone has this website: Safelink WirelessI tried to find what legislation established this, but cannot.

When 87-year-old Alice Jadwigia Armstrong looked up from her hospital bed and saw the smiling face of Sister Lourdes Miranda, she was visibly buoyed by the nun’s presence. Clasping the hand of the Little Sister of the Poor, the white-haired woman seemed transported to the security of her youth. “I like her because she reminds me of my mother,” Armstrong said with a laugh. “You can depend on her.” Sister Lourdes, one of 17 Little Sisters who minister at St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in Catonsville, laughed warmly. The Cuba native reached out and tenderly brushed Armstrong’s cheek with...

Hello my FReeper friends, I am trying to educate myself regarding Medicare and Medicaid to find out the reality of the state of healthcare in the USA. I went to Wikipedia and typed in MEDICAID and right there in the first paragraph, I read this : Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.[1] Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are certain eligible U.S. citizens and resident aliens,...

There is much talk and discussion today about helping the poor and downtrodden here in the USA. The only true way to help individuals break free from the tyrannical cycle of poverty, however, is a Conservatism that is rooted in Biblical, Judean/ Christian truths and absolutes. Such values bestow upon these individuals a sense of reality and purpose in what otherwise would be a meaningless, “burned out” existence. Historically, Judean/ Christian values have been the only true advocate and hope for the poor since the fall of man (see Genesis 3:17-19). The word charity - as taught in the Bible...

There is much talk and discussion today about helping the poor and downtrodden here in the USA. The only true way to help individuals break free from the tyrannical cycle of poverty, however, is a Conservatism that is rooted in Biblical, Judean/ Christian truths and absolutes. Such values bestow upon these individuals a sense of reality and purpose in what otherwise would be a meaningless, “burned out” existence. Historically, Judean/ Christian values have been the only true advocate and hope for the poor since the fall of man (see Genesis 3:17-19). The word charity - as taught in the Bible...

There is much talk and discussion today about helping the poor and downtrodden here in the USA. The only true way to help individuals break free from the tyrannical cycle of poverty, however, is a Conservatism that is rooted in Biblical, Judean/ Christian truths and absolutes. Such values bestow upon these individuals a sense of reality and purpose in what otherwise would be a meaningless, “burned out” existence. Historically, Judean/ Christian values have been the only true advocate and hope for the poor since the fall of man (see Genesis 3:17-19). The word charity - as taught in the Bible...

There is much talk and discussion today about helping the poor and downtrodden here in the USA. The only true way to help individuals break free from the tyrannical cycle of poverty, however, is a Conservatism that is rooted in Biblical, Judean/ Christian truths and absolutes. Such values bestow upon these individuals a sense of reality and purpose in what otherwise would be a meaningless, “burned out” existence. Historically, Judean/ Christian values have been the only true advocate and hope for the poor since the fall of man (see Genesis 3:17-19). The word charity - as taught in the Bible...

The plight of the poor has been a major bone of contention in the healthcare debate for months now. The morality of various approaches has also been hotly debated from all sides of the political universe – left, right, and middle. A recent statement I made at the National Press Club regarding abortion and what I called “a form of genocide” within the black community has sparked a great deal of controversy among clergy. In fact, I have been labeled by some African Americans as unconcerned about the needs of the poor. Nothing could be further from the truth. I...

Children born in the winter months already have a few strikes against them. Study after study has shown that they test poorly, don't get as far in school, earn less, are less healthy, and don't live as long as children born at other times of year. Researchers have spent years documenting the effect and trying to understand it. But economists Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman at the University of Notre Dame may have uncovered an overlooked explanation for why season of birth matters. Their discovery challenges the validity of past research and highlights how seemingly safe assumptions economists make may...

"We're seeing the natural consequences of unbridled corporate power to reduce wages and benefits. That's why people are working two jobs and still cannot afford food." - Karen Nussbaum, a director with the AFL-CIO, as quoted by CNN in 2004. Source: Dr. Mark J. Perry, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan, from his web site, Carpe Diem. Hoven's Index for September 23, 2009 Percentage of households classified as "poor" by the Census Bureau who have a color television: 97%. Percent of poor with air conditioning: 76%. Percent of poor who have cable or satellite TV: 62%. Percent of...

America's familiar debate over income inequality conceals and confuses at least as much as it reveals. To hear most journalists and activists tell the story, our country is the scene of a rampant and long-running economic travesty, as the rich grow richer, the poor grow poorer, and the distance between them belies the promise of America even in times of prosperity. As President Barack Obama put it during his 2008 campaign: "While some have prospered beyond imagination in this global economy, middle-class Americans as well as those working hard to become middle class are seeing the American Dream slip further...

“Any major shift in the financial status of the rich could have big implications…..Over the last century, the worst years for the rich were the early 1930s, the heart of the Great Depression.” -- New York Times, August 21, 2009 On Friday, the New York Times had a cover story, “After 30-Year Run, Rise of the Super-Rich Hit a Sobering Wall.” The financial crisis has hit the rich hard -- the net worth of rich Americans has fallen an average 24% in the past year, according to a new Merrill Lynch Wealth Management report. The number of people with investable...

The sponsor of the anti-Semitic hate fests known as Durban I and Durban II, Mary Robinson, can't stand even the slightest criticism of her receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama. Stephen O'Farrell of the Irish Independent (Mary Robinson is Irish) reports her viewpoint: FORMER President Mary Robinson accused "certain elements" of the Jewish community of bullying after a number of pro-Israel lobby groups voiced concerns over her being awarded the top US civilian honour. ....

Falling Through the Climate GapPoor Americans will suffer most from global warming. By Michelle Chen July 27, 2009 In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans and laid bare the city’s shame: Deep racial segregation, intertwined with abysmal gaps between rich and poor, had left whole communities to drown in the storm’s grasp. The following summer, nature’s fury struck the opposite side of the country: California neighborhoods were pummeled with a tide of hot air. Continuing a long-term pattern of intensifying regional heat waves, the swelter coincided with a more than ten-fold increase in heat-related hospitalizations and a spike...

Wendell Potter can remember exactly when he took the first steps on his journey to becoming a whistleblower and turning against one of the most powerful industries in America. It was July 2007 and Potter, a senior executive at giant US healthcare firm Cigna, was visiting relatives in the poverty-ridden mountain districts of northeast Tennessee. He saw an advert in a local paper for a touring free medical clinic at a fairground just across the state border in Wise County, Virginia. Potter, who had worked at Cigna for 15 years, decided to check it out. What he saw appalled him....

Thousands of low-income Coloradans reliant on public assistance could get a free cellphone under a plan before the state Public Utilities Commission. If approved, the plan by TracFone Wireless in Miami would make Colorado the 17th state it has settled into with free cell service for the indigent, a form of wireless welfare that proponents say taps into one of the last untapped markets for the telecom technology. "Our hope is to have it up and running by September," said Jose Fuentes, TracFone's director of government relations. "Historically, it's a very underutilized service, and we'd like that to change."

This extraordinary encyclical letter will take years to unpack. It has the potential to do the same as the feeding of the 5000 did for many in our age. Building on previous Social Teaching it brilliantly analyzes the underlying malady behind the symptoms of our economic crisis and offers a way forward, an economy of communion and gratuity. The universe did not begin with a transaction; it began with a gift and was re-created through gift in the Incarnation, saving life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord. “God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). Giving and...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The poor are more likely to leave California than the rich, despite concerns that the state's relatively high income tax rate is driving away the wealthy, a new study shows. The report released Friday by the Public Policy Institute of California determined the poorest 20 percent California residents are twice as likely to leave the state as the richest 20 percent. Factors such as cheaper rent and home prices outside the Golden State seem to edge out income taxes when people of all incomes decide whether to stay or go, said institute researcher Jed Kolko, who authored...

Are you feeling better off today than you were six months ago? Perhaps more importantly, do you think you will be better off six months or six years from now? Quite frankly, I don’t see how you can possibly think you will be more prosperous in the years to come because it is rather apparent that the Democrats want us all to be poorer. Why do I say that? Let me count the ways: 1. Obama and Pelosi are trying to share your wealth. Remember when Obama told Joe the Plumber that “I think when you spread the wealth around,...

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Margaret Thatcher Serfdom – a member of a servile feudal class bound to the land and subject to the will of its owner – Merriam-Webster We are on the Obama Road to serfdom. This road will lead us to socialism – which will hand our future to the State, and thus to servitude. This servitude will be exemplified in the State’s attempt to solve the problem of poverty, and the caring for our poor. Barack Obama and the Secular Progressives believe themselves as the elites, and...

SOUTH BEND - Three local shelters have lost the ability to acquire food from the Food Bank of Northern Indiana because they charge fees to certain residents or accept their food stamps. It could create a financial pinch for the shelters: the Center for the Homeless, the YWCA of St. Joseph County and the Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Center. Food Bank CEO Lisa Jaworski says she regrets that those ties had to be severed, but she says her “hands are tied” by the strict federal and nonprofit rules for the two kinds of food that were provided. It all came...

The long-awaited switch from analog to digital TV took place last Friday, and if you're like most people, you weren't aware of it. But if you are poor and/or stupid, you've probably had a rough weekend. "Nearly 700,000 calls were received by a federal hot line this week from people confused about the nationwide switch from analog to digital TV broadcasts that occurred Friday. About a third of the calls were about federal coupons to pay for digital converter boxes." Does that really say, "federal coupons for digital converter boxes?" "The largest volume of calls came from the Chicago area..."...

Whoa … this isn’t a study that paints teachers in a positive light, but it doesn’t paint minority students in one either. We’re faced with some tough questions here. Do teachers prefer non-black students, or are black students more difficult for teachers on average? It should be noted that even black teachers are relocating, and it doesn’t completely focus on just black students. Other minorities are discussed as well as economic class.

Cost of a bowl of soup at homeless shelter $0.00 Having Michelle Obama Serve you your soup $0.00 Snapping a picture of a homeless person who is receiving a government funded meal while taking a picture of the first lady using his $500 Black Berry cell phone: $$$$ Priceless

You have to be rich to be poor. That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand. Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain. So we'll explain it here. Consider this a primer on the economics of poverty. "The poor pay more for a gallon of milk; they pay more on a capital basis for inferior housing," says Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). "The poor and 100 million who are...

Don't take too much offense. Before the Civil War and since, a thin veneer of wealthy whites have manipulated middle class and poor whites by pitting them against blacks. Today the core constituency of the Republican party is roughly the old South. They have eyes, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear.

KTVU is reporting that Mary Ann Wright, who for nearly 30 years provided meals to poor people in Oakland during the holiday season, has died from a long-time illness.

Being the child of a wealthy entrepreneur must be something of a mixed blessing. Growing up in such a hothouse atmosphere, full of privilege and expectation, cannot be a relaxing experience. I spend most of my time working with entrepreneurs, and I really believe that they are not the same as other people. They have an ambition, a competitive urge and a lust to take risks that is way beyond the norm. I recall meeting Rupert Murdoch, Jimmy Goldsmith and Richard Branson on separate occasions in my late teens and wondering what they were like as businessmen and, even more,...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserted that the U.S. is losing ground in the Third World because of “our inability to break free from our own greed.” “The United States is the wealthiest nation on earth, yet we are neglecting our duty to share that wealth with the less fortunate,” Clinton exclaimed. “Americans indulge themselves with luxurious homes, fancy cars, lavish entertainment and the like at the expense of the poor. This has led the former recipients of U.S. foreign aid to transfer their allegiance to China.” The Secretary called upon the American people to “make the sacrifices that are...

Social pathology: crack and heroin epidemics, family violence, out-of-wedlock births, abortion as "just another option," alcoholic mothers having brain-damaged babies, violent and uncontrollable schools, constantly irresponsible and self-destructive behavior, endemic crime. Obama has seen that for twenty years in South Side Chicago, and it is well-established that social pathology is directly responsible for the failure of the "structurally poor" to rise out of their misery. Obama seems to be in denial of the obvious. His own life is entirely middle class. Married, career-oriented, successful, steadily rising income, two daughters born in his marriage. Yes, Obama has a lot of dubious...

A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away. Proverbs 13:23 If you do a quick search throughout the Scriptures, you'll see that God has a special place in his heart for the poor and needy and those who cannot defend themselves. The poor rarely have an honest voice (when they have a voice at all) in government. In many lands, what they do have is ripped away by greedy bureaucrats and power-hungry officials. Stop today to consider the plight of the poor and the needy. Many, through no fault of their own, are in desperate...

GENEVA (AP) — Six in 10 people around the world now have cell phone subscriptions, signaling that mobile phones are the communications technology of choice, particularly in poor countries, according to a U.N. report published Monday. By the end of last year there were an estimated 4.1 billion subscriptions globally, compared with about 1 billion in 2002, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said. Fixed line subscriptions increased at a much slower pace to 1.27 billion from about 1 billion over the same period. "There has been a clear shift to mobile cellular telephony," the agency said, noting that developing countries...

(2009-02-22) — In what’s shaping up as the first potential rift between Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration, some of the president’s most stalwart supporters have complained privately that his 2010 budget proposal is unfair to poor and middle-income citizens. “As everyone knows, paying taxes is even more patriotic than serving in the military,” said one unnamed Democrat House member, “and yet Obama’s budget grants the privilege of higher taxes mostly to those earning more than $250,000 per year, or who inherit large estates, or who make wise investments. This is tantamount to questioning the patriotism of the working class....

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13 Have you ever stopped to think about this verse?

I am posting this, because of recent events. I am very upset with watching our freedoms being signed away by this new "President", and seeing those who are supposed to be leaders in the GOP not even batting an eye over it. I am sick of the spineless way some of the GOP behave when they should be standing up saying, "Heck No we are Not going to let you do this." We voted for these people on the notion that they would carry out the conservative agenda that we sent them there to perform. So far we have yet...

By Bill Lawson \ Staff Writer \ blawson@maumellemonitor.com Thursday, November 13, 2008 1:04 PM CST Virginia Goeldner of Maumelle said when her nephew was elected to the U.S. Senate, she knew he would someday run for president — she just didn’t expect it this soon. But on Jan. 20, 2009, Virginia or “Ginny” and her husband of 51 years, Cecil, will be in Washington D.C. for the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. Both Goeldners said the reaction has been mixed when they tell people the next president is their nephew — her great-nephew to...

Our society tends to see things as black and white, good and bad, and, economically speaking, rich and poor. Like the small town in the Old West, we see the economy as a zero-sum game; there’s only room in this town for one sheriff. This type of thinking promotes the idea that if you are making money, you are taking money. And if you have money, you made someone else poor. The sheriff, in this case, the financial regulator, rides in with a pen and paper a’blazing to try to right the wrongs of this limited economic vision. But, the...

Well it's back to work tomorrow and the kids will be back to school as well. I had a great time with my family over the Christmas Season. I have made quite a few resolutions which I will keep to myself, so that if I break three or four of them, no one will know. I suppose I am relieved to get back to work, I am not very good to myself when I am off-schedule. I have had a multitude of ideas that I wanted to write about, but never really had a "get me to my computer" moment....

A Berlin politician has come under fire for suggesting that poor people should be encouraged to catch rats by offering them €1 per dead rodent. The intriguing idea entails some gnawing practical problems and has been called "inhuman and cynical". A job opportunity for Berlin's poor? Picture the scene -- hundreds of poor people armed with clubs chasing rats through the streets of Berlin. There's something Dickensian about the notion, but it has been proposed by a Berlin politician who is now being criticized for suggesting that the city's poor should be enlisted to tackle the growing rat infestation in...

Hard-hitting Vatican report lays blame for the global financial crisis at door of 'offshore centres' It is a message sent from on high to the world's financial and political elite. The Roman Catholic Church is calling for the effective closure of secretive tax havens as a 'necessary first step' to restore the global economy to health. In a policy paper from the Holy See, Pope Benedict pins the blame for the international financial crisis largely on 'offshore centres', many of which, such as the Channel Islands, are British dependencies. 'They have given support to imprudent economic and financial practices and...

Did Republican economic prosperity cause their electoral demise? http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=20207520&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=623508&rfi=6

It’s obvious that, as time has gone on, the Federal Government has spent more and more and more money. Since a reasonable proxy of government control over the lives of its citizens is the outlay of funds from its treasury, a sane observer might wonder about this increasing trend. A raw plot of the Federal outlay by year will not do as a measure, however. At least two adjustments have to be made. A government ruling over 1000 people will obviously have to spend more than one ruling over 10 people, so we have to adjust by population size, which...

As Catholics and Christians, what is important in the upcoming elections? What are the priorities involved? Both candidates say they are Christian. Both candidates say they promote a “Culture of Life”! Obviously no candidate has ever been perfect. The only perfect man who ever walked the face of the earth was crucified by all of us sinners 2000 years ago. So how can we discern properly in this complicated, confusing and critical point, in the history of our country? One of the presidential candidates and his followers say they promote a culture of life by helping the poor which will...

Why spreading the wealth around doesn't go both ways. www.helpgeorgeobama.org/

Worried that welfare costs are rising as the number of taxpayers declines, state Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, said Tuesday he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied.

Critics of the lottery call it nothing more than a scam that sells hopes and dreams to the poor. Is this true? Does the lottery target the poor? See for yourself here in this installation of "Geeks on Caffeine." Note: The author requests that you visit his web site and refrain from pasting the cartoon within the thread. Thanks!