I need some facts concerning poverty and the Bush tax cut

[OklaRancher]

I belong to a Methodist Church in a rural area with a small congretion of 30 or so. This past Sunday the Pastor started his sermon by saying how much good the Bush tax cut could have done if it had been used to alleviate poverty.

[FreeKeys]

My read of history is that the social, political, moral, and economic glue of societies becomes problematic as wealth inequality grows to historic levels.

Has it occurred to you that the effects of free-market economies are adding totally unprecedented effects to mankind and writing a brand NEW kind of history? Did you absorb absolutely NOTHING of what I posted about WEALTH BEING BASED ON PRODUCTIVITY AND PRODUCTIVITY BEING EXPANDABLE????? Or are you personally hurting so bad financially that you would rather project your situation on the whole world and become a griper/complainer/blamer instead of changing or adding to your own business/work endeavors?

[JoeV1]

Uhmm.... That isn't from the Bible. It's a paraphrase of a Chinese proverb from Confucius.


Right. I was thinking of the thing where 1 fish was used to feed 1000 people. Sorry about that and thanks for the correction.

[TChris]

No sweat.

Interesting how a thousands-year-old Chinese proverb boils down to an issue relevant today:

"Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime" = In the long run, welfare is an inferior solution when compared to education and self-determination.

[beckysueb]

You were rich compared to us. I never had a phone till I got married. 1970 was the first time I had a phone. We didn't have television until 1958.

[Mears]

Wow----I think we got the TV about the same time as you did.I always felt as if we were the last ones in the world to get a phone(I lived in the city)but I guess I was wrong.

The "poor" today wouldn't be able to survive the way that we did.

[jefferson02130]

Actually I am doing quite well financially, thanks for asking.
And, I can read quite well also. What I am trying to point out is that the wealth of everybody is, in fact, not increasing. During the recent recession and jobless recovery, most hard-working families with low incomes actually lost financial assets. It is the conditions of those you quote and scream that are not met during the recent past. And, I, at least, would prefer to keep this discussion to the substance instead of personal psychologizing or attributing bad motives to ideas you personally happen not to agree with.

[Mr. Buzzcut]

During the recent recession and jobless recovery, most hard-working families with low incomes actually lost financial assets.

I've heard that the "wealthy" suffered the largest income drop during the Clinton Recession and that everyone else stayed about even or inched ahead ... incomes have been up across the board since the recovery kicked in ... big leaps in productivity tend to have that effect.

[Professional Engineer]

[FreeKeys]

Maybe you're right (about what to talk about).

[stands2reason]

I have noticed most liberals ( not all, but most) are not real big on charities. They think the government should take care of everyone.

Voting Dem IS their charity. They actually believe they don't have to help the poor, or even acknowledge their existence because they "help" them at the voting booth.

[Dave278]

America has the fattest poor people in the world. It just so happens that most of the poor people have money for beer, cigarettes, and occasionally a big screen TV.

[OklaRancher]

Thanks for all your replies...and thanks also for being able to post again...............God Bless