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A Grand Strategy on Ending Poverty Could Separate Dems from GOP
Madison.com ^ | February 27, 2006 | Bill Spevacek

Posted on 02/27/2006 2:46:40 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin

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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Grand Strategy??
We've had Several..
Communism...
Socialism...
The NEW Deal...
The Great Society...
The "New" New Deal...

Same old tripe socialist agenda repackaged for consumption by a newer generation...

The cures for poverty are SIMPLE: EDUCATION, FREEDOM, FREE TRADE, CAPITALISM. All things that leftists hate.....


21 posted on 02/27/2006 3:03:07 PM PST by tcrlaf
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To: Aurric dihydrogen oxide
It's worth noting also that Norway currently owns bragging rights to the highest quality of life in the world, despite a significantly smaller GDP- clearly some socialism can't be that bad.) Like everything else, the best is gained from a mixing of both elements.

Norway is floating on oil. With the huge profits available to it, their government simply could not do anything to hurt the economy. These oil profits provide a convenient crutch for a bad system. If the country had to actually earn a living, it couldn't survive.

The true measure would be a comparison between their current situation and a functional free market economy.

Calling Norway a success is akin to praising the money management of a spoiled child with a billion-dollar trust fund.

22 posted on 02/27/2006 3:04:10 PM PST by TChris ("Unless you act, you're going to lose your world." - Mark Steyn)
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To: gate2wire; Patrick1

Yes, I'm curious, too, as Jesus said: "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always." Matthew 26:11. Which tells me that poverty would always be with us, not eliminated.


23 posted on 02/27/2006 3:05:36 PM PST by small voice in the wilderness (...what do you mean "Candy isn't married to Alan..?...)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Can we also agree that eliminating poverty will reduce resentment toward the United States among the people of Africa, South America and the Middle East (a leading cause of terrorism)?

Uh, no we can't agree on that. We already give billions of dollars in foreign aid to those countries and it does nothing but increase their resentment of us.

...eliminating poverty is a dominant message of the Bible...

No it's not. The dominant message of the Bible is accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. That certainly involves giving to charity and helping the poor. But that is a voluntary action and choice that a person makes to become more like Christ. There is nothing Christian about forcing people to charity.

...if we follow the "teach a man to fish" school of charity.

Actually a good point. Let's eliminate the "give a man a fish" school of charity that we have engaged in for the last 40 years. If you truly want to "teach a man to fish" then admit that the "Great" Society and the War on Poverty have been complete and total failures and have done nothing but increase poverty. Lets eliminate welfare and other handouts and replace them with programs that encourage people to work. Instead of a welfare check, you get job training. Somehow, I don't think that's what the author, or Clark, are referring to. And I know that the bulk of the Democratic party will never go for that.

24 posted on 02/27/2006 3:06:34 PM PST by usapatriot28
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

You are a stronger woman than I am to have to deal with that type mentality on a regular basis.........


25 posted on 02/27/2006 3:06:43 PM PST by Gabz (Smoke gnatzies: small minds buzzing in you business........SWAT'EM)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

This guy's an idiot. Our pastor tried to sell us on Bono's One World initiative last Sunday.

I just shook my head.

He asked me afterward what I knew about it, and that I seemed sort of resistant to it.

I said that I was. The issue with poverty in most of these third world dumps isn't a lack of local resources. The problem was a corrupt government that kept the poor hungry and the rich isolated from them. I said that unless you were willing to carry your cash down with the 3rd ID ready to displace whatever despot happened to be living in the presidential palace, that the cash wasn't going to get to the people you wanted to send it.

Even if you did depose the local idiot by force, its likely another idiot would take his place. Look at how fast it takes Republicans to go native once they are sent to DC.

Nigeria is the very best example. It's long been considered the garden of Africa. In addition to oil, it's got rubber, strategic metals, gems, etc. No excuse for it to be anything other than rich, save for the string of military juntas, the 1800 tribes speaking different languages, and the ongoing antagonation between Muslims and Christians there.

Less remotely, look at Mexico. With Pemex around, there's no reason to bail Mexico out of anything, especially with oil at $60+ per barrel.

However, if that's the best the D's can do, "Let's bring back the war on poverty, but this time let's make sure the taxpayer foots the bill for the rest of the entire world."

I'd love to see that on an election year.


26 posted on 02/27/2006 3:07:05 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: Aurric dihydrogen oxide

Norway is oil independent. Try again.


27 posted on 02/27/2006 3:07:18 PM PST by monkeywrench (Deut. 27:17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark)
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To: small voice in the wilderness

Exact quote I was thinking of.


28 posted on 02/27/2006 3:07:39 PM PST by gate2wire
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Somebody's been smoking waaaaaaay too much dope.


29 posted on 02/27/2006 3:08:56 PM PST by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
In a recent speech in Washington, Gen. Wesley Clark...

That's where I stopped.

30 posted on 02/27/2006 3:09:13 PM PST by airborne
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

"Democratic ideas"

Now *there's* an oxymoron!

Their last new idea was Jimmy Carter's gas rationing - and its been downhill since then.


31 posted on 02/27/2006 3:09:18 PM PST by WOSG (http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Hey, there's an original idea! Let's spend government money to get rid of poverty. It's never been tried before!


32 posted on 02/27/2006 3:10:54 PM PST by T. Buzzard Trueblood (left unchecked, Saddam Hussein...will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." Sen. Hillary Clinton)
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To: Aurric dihydrogen oxide
"The only real objection here is that I am a firm believer in mercantilism and that there is a set amount of actual capital in the world."

Balderdash. The amount of capital is constantly increasing.

33 posted on 02/27/2006 3:11:00 PM PST by Wonder Warthog (The Hog of Steel)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

The grand strategy? Simple: Eliminate poverty throughout the world."

This would require:
1) Eliminating Islam, the scourge of many a nation.
2) Making the whole world a free-market arena and zone.

Any other strategy of the socialist variety will fail.


34 posted on 02/27/2006 3:11:00 PM PST by WOSG (http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Let's see - seize all private property, the state owns and runs the means of production and those who disagree go to the gulag.

Did I miss anything?

Oh, yeh. The ruling politburo gets dachas, special party member stores and limos.


35 posted on 02/27/2006 3:11:26 PM PST by sergeantdave (You can count on phalanges)
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To: gate2wire

Mark 14:7

"For ye have the poor with you always,..."

It says exactly the opposite of what this writer alleges.


36 posted on 02/27/2006 3:11:29 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: okie01
The solution? Simple: Raise taxes.

Ah good point. Isn't poverty defined as below a certain percentage of the average salary? If we just tax everyone so heavily, maybe it will bring the average salary down far enough, that there won't be any room to fall below that threshold. </sarcasm>

37 posted on 02/27/2006 3:12:33 PM PST by usapatriot28
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Bill is living in a world of make-believe, with flowers and bells and leprachauns, and magic frogs with funny little hats.


38 posted on 02/27/2006 3:14:31 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
The second leg of Republicans' grand strategy is to shrink the role of government in people's lives. That, too, is failing.

That is 'failing' because they are NOT doing it. Duh. Domestic spending is raising out of control with neither party looking to do anything about it.

39 posted on 02/27/2006 3:15:17 PM PST by Always Right
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

(Democrats have been criticized for offering no alternative grand strategy. We might forgive them on two counts. Republican control of the White House and Congress virtually dooms any Democratic ideas.)

How forgiving! More like partisan...


40 posted on 02/27/2006 3:18:35 PM PST by winner3000
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