Here's a great quote from Ann Coulter
>
>"The U.S. military has had considerably more success in turning Iraq
>around than liberals have had in turning the ghettos around with
their
40-year 'War on Poverty.' So far, fewer troops have been killed by
>hostile fire since the end of major combat in Iraq than civilians were
>murdered in Washington, DC, last year (239 deaths in Iraq compared to262 >murders in DC.)
The DC death stats, if true, were for a full year.
"The deaths bring to 500 the number of U.S. service members who have
died since the Iraq conflict began on March 20."
How many from other nations, including Iraqis killed by US forces,
have
there been? The number of Iraqis killed is a deep secret.
But if you are even a suspect for anything it seems your family and
relatives
can be taken off to concentration camps and your home destroyed.
THE BILL OF NO RIGHTS
We, the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone
get along, restore some resemblance of justice, avoid any more riots, keep
our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of
debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren,
hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense
guidelines
for the terminally whiny, guilt-ridden, delusional. We hold these truths to
be self-evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of
Rights and are so dim that they require a "Bill of NO Rights."
ARTICLE I:
You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV or any other form of
wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is
guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II:
You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on
freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave
the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world
is full of idiots, and probably always will be ... and like the rest of us
you need to simply deal with it.
ARTICLE III:
You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver
in
your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to
make you and all your relatives independently wealthy by telling them they
didn't warn you not to stick the screwdriver in your eye.
ARTICLE IV:
You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most
charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we
are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of
professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of
another generation of professional couch potatoes.
ARTICLE V:
You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from
the looks of public housing, we should be wary of public health care or
public anything.
ARTICLE VI:
You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap,
rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of
us want to see you fry in the electric chair (yes, capital punishment).
ARTICLE VII:
You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or
coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if
the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still
won't have the right to a big screen color TV, pool tables, weight rooms or
a
life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII:
You don't have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job,
and
will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take
advantage
of the opportunities of part time jobs, education and vocational training
laid before you to make yourself useful.
ARTICLE IX:
You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you
have
the right to PURSUE happiness--which by the way, is a lot easier if you are
not encumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those of you
who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X:
This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from. We
welcome you here. English is our language and like the one you left behind,
w
e also have a culture. Learn it or go back to the country and the living
conditions you were fleeing.
Fourteen Commandments of the Religious left
Thou shalt not have no other god except thyself; after all, it's thy
self exteem that counts. If thee don't love thee who will.
Thou shalt not make any graven image out of any substance which can
not be recycled.
Thou shalt not take the name of liberals in criticism including
feminists, racial minorities, or any person who thinks he is a victum
of America.
Remember the anniversaries of Roe V Wade and Anita Hills testimony
before the Senate Judiciary Committee and keep them holy.
Honor thy mother if she's disfunctional it's thy fathers fault.
Thou shalt not kill. With these exceptions; life under the second
trimester and those opting for medically assisted suicide.
Thou shall not commit adultery, unless thou aspire to high political
office, use a condom, or thou cannot help it.
Thou shall not steal, unless thou art disadvantaged or upset with a
California jury verdict.
Thou shalt not bear false witness, unless thou art discussing the
history of the 1980's are campaigning for office, or can afford good
legal council in the event thou art discovered and can ask the
American people to pay thy legal bills.
Thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not desire, thou shalt not desire
anthing. Unless thou art the victum of gender related oppression or
art still angry with Reagan's tax cuts.
Always hide the truth about thyself.
Never admit who or what thou really art.
Always blame someone else for what thou doest even so far as to blame
society.
Thou shalt oppose all punishment.
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
The Hypocritic Oath
June 12, 2001
It's The Pitts By Lee Pitts
I swear an oath on my honor as a hypocrite that...
I will cuss cows but eat beef, blast miners but wear jewelry and drive
a car but condemn oil companies. I don't want trees cut for any
purpose other than to provide the lumber for my next house. As a
Hollywood celebrity I assert my God given right to sire at least four
children by three different wives and then protest about
overpopulation in the world.
I will put fish first by saving the sucker and salmon, but not the
farmers and ranchers who feed me. I demand that politicians and
federal judges in Washington save all endangered species, except the
small business man. I feel government is imminently qualified to
micro- manage nature, after all, look what a smashing job they've done
with the IRS, EPA, USDA, FBI, BLM and assorted other alphabet
agencies.
As a self-righteous hypocrite it is my duty to celebrate Earth Day
with barbecues and parades and by leaving tons of trash behind. I
demand that feedlots and farms stop polluting our ground water. That
privilege should be preserved for me every time I flush the contents
of my toilet into a septic tank or the ocean.
I want to relocate grizzly bears and wolves to the West but not in my
big-city backyard. After all, people live here! I give my permission
for mountains lions to eat lambs but if a lion eats my dog or cat I
demand the abominable beast be shot on sight.
I will cuss oil companies on talk radio and stand in the way of their
drilling more wells while sitting in my gas guzzling SUV with the
engine running. I will write letters to the editor on my computer
castigating utility companies for not providing enough electricity. At
the same time I will send money to green groups who want to tear down
hydroelectric dams and stand in the way of any new power producing
projects.
I avow at the next cocktail party I attend while smoking a cigarette
and sipping a martini that I will sue the tobacco companies for
causing my lung cancer.
Although I have never personally milked a cow or grown vegetables in a
garden I demand to have a say on how farmers and ranchers do it. As a
pompous hypocrite I demand that water, herbicides, and pesticides be
taken away from farmers immediately, but I don't want it to affect the
price, quantity or quality of the food I buy in the store. It is my
strongly held conviction that we should ban all pesticides, except the
can of bug spray I use to kill ants and other unwanted bugs in my
home.
As a mealy-mouthed hypocrite I vow to help stop global warming by
watching the Discovery Channel on my giant sized television in my
air-conditioned house.
I assert that cattle pooping on our nation's grasslands is a national
disgrace while fertilizing my urban lawn with steer manure and urea is
simply good ecology. I will complain about fertilizer runoff from
farms but not from golf courses because I happen to be a golfer.
I will hound hunters in the woods because they use guns despite the
fact that hunting groups have increased habitat and wildlife numbers.
I demand that the government end all timber cutting or recovery in our
national forests but I'll cry like a singed coyote if the feds allow
wildfires to burn near my house.
As a card-carrying hypocrite I disavow the use of fur, leather, wool
and all animal by-products, except the ones used in medicine that
might save my life. I demand labels be placed on all food products but
not on a rock album that endorses killing cops.
Finally, as an arrogant and self-serving hypocrite I firmly believe
that rural folks have done a terrible job of taking care of the
countryside and they must do a better job because that's where I want
to live or visit someday when I can escape the pollution, crime, and
insanity of the barren big city in which I currently reside.
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
Rush's 35 Undeniable Truths
There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism
and self-reliance - which made America great.
The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their
wealth; they earned it. They are the country's achievers, producers,
and job creators.
No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
Evidence refutes liberalism.
There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
Character matters; leadership descends from character.
The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you
cut it down.
Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was
the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy - every
time it's tried.
Condoms only work during the school year.
Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish
those who do not.
If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the
reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four
"R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
I am not arrogant.
My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
There is a God.
There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is
too much religion.
Morality is not defined by individual choice.
The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're
not liberals.
Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access
to the mainstream of society.
Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's
always the money.
Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the
ballot box.
Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been
neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but
economic growth.
Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare.
Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
Compassion is no substitute for justice.
The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're
losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they
can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then
empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The
Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't
for your government.
Words mean things.
Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
George Washington
The man who is known to all Americans as "first in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," gave us much sound
advice on how to keep our independence and freedom. George
Washington's advice is part of our American heritage that should be
known to all our citizens.
#1 RELY ON GOD
When George Washington took the oath as first President of the United
States on April 30, 1789, he added this four-word prayer of his own:
"So help me God."
These words are still used in official oaths by Americans talking
public office, in courts of justice, and in other legal proceedings.
Washington's words show that he was a man who believed in asking God's
help in every part of our private and public lives.
During the terrible times of the Revolutionary War, Washington
repeatedly counseled his troops to put their faith and trust in God.
Here is one of his messages:
"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether
Americans are to be, freeman or slaves; whether they are to have any
property they can call their own .... The fate of unborn millions will
now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army ....
Let us therefore rely on the goodness of the cause and the aid of the
Supreme Being, in whose hands victory is, to animate and encourage us
to great and noble actions."
In his first Inaugural Address as President of the United States,
Washington reverently acknowledged our country's dependence on
Almighty God:
"It would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act,
my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the
universe who presides in the council of nations - and whose
providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction
may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the
United States, a government instituted by themselves for these
essential purposes."
After serving as our President during probably the most important two
terms in our history, Washington advised us again that religion and
morality are necessary for good government. In his Farewell Address on
September 19, 1796, he clearly said: "Of all the dispositions and
habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are
indispensable supports."
#2 HONESTY
George Washington was a man of great personal honesty. The famous
story about Washington chopping down the cherry tree, and admitting it
to his father with the words, "I cannot tell a lie," perfectly
illustrates the character of the Father of Our Country. In his
Farewell Address, Washington, having served our country in war and
peace, gave his advice that we as a nation should be bound by the same
rules of honor and honesty that should bind individuals. He said: "I
hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs
that honesty is always the best policy."
As part of his belief that our nation should practice honesty,
Washington urged that our Government always be honorable in money
matters. He urged our country to borrow as little money as necessary
and to avoid piling up a big debt. He realized that emergencies, such
as unavoidable wars, would require us to borrow from time to time; but
he urged that these debts be paid off as rapidly as possible.
Washington said that failure to do this means we will be making our
children pay the debts we ourselves should pay. Here are his words
from his Farewell Address:
"Avoid likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning
occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to
discharge the debts which unavoidable wars have occasioned, not
ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves
ought to bear."
#3 RESIST POLITICAL PRESSURES
Washington was well aware of how politicians are subjected to
political and economic pressures which may persuade them to give up
their principles, or to favor one group over another. In the midst of
such pressures from all sides, Washington stood like a rock of
strength and advised us how to keep to a standard of truth and
justice. As President of the Constitutional Convention of 1787,
Washington gave this advice to his fellow Delegates: "If to please
the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we
afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise
and honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God." The men who
followed Washington's Advice produced the United States Constitution,
which has properly been called "the most wonderful work ever struck
off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."
#4 FORMULA FOR PEACE
George Washington was not only "first in war," but also "first in
peace." He developed the best formula for keeping the peace that has
ever been devised by man: the formula of discouraging the enemy from
attack by making sure that he knows beforehand that America is ready
for war. "There is a rank due to the United States among nations, which will be
withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we
desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to
secure the peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising
prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war."
Washington's advice on how best to keep the peace is thus in two
parts: (1) we must be ready for war, and (2) just as important, the
enemy must know we are ready.
#5 PRESERVE THE CONSTITUTION Washington realized that as our country
grew, there would be "bad guys" who would try to seize powers they
shouldn't have and change the wonderful plan for American freedom and
independence set up by the Founding Fathers. On the other hand, he
knew that some changes in the Constitution would be necessary from
time to time. Washington advised us that these changes should be made
only in the way the Constitution provides - and not in any other way.
He said in his Farewell Address:
"If in the opinion of the people the distribution or modification of
the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be
corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution
designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this
in one instance may be the instrument of good, it is the customary
weapon by which free governments are destroyed."
Washington thus advised that we should be alert to protect the freedom
of the people against men who try to take too much power in an
unconstitutional way. Washington believed that "Government is like
fire a good servant, but a dangerous master."
#6 LIBERTY MUST INCLUDE RESPONSIBILITY As a schoolboy, Washington
wrote in his copybook: "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little
spark of celestial fire - conscience."
Washington had risked everything he had in the Revolutionary struggle
for liberty. But he knew that "liberty" does not mean license to do
anything without restrictions. True liberty must include
responsibility to conscience - to God and to country. In his Farewell
Address, he advised us to give full support to our new Government:
"Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in
its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true
liberty." #7 AVOID FOREIGN INFLUENCE Washington knew that European
nations had been constantly involved in one war after another. He knew
that their political and economic interests were not the same as ours.
He knew also that various foreign nations would try constantly to
extend their influence over the American Government and people.
Washington believed that the only way for the United States to grow
strong and keep her hard-won independence was to remain free from
Eur"History and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the
most baneful foes of republican government. " Washington predicted
that foreign propaganda would operate inside and outside our
Government. He warned that 'foreign influence' in our Government would
even trick Americans about whom we can trust. He said in his Farewell
Address:
"Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable
to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the
applause and confidence of the people to surrender their interests."
#8 DON'T EXPECT FAVORS FROM NATIONS In advising us against becoming
entangled with foreign problems, Washington warned us against giving
favors to other nations in the hope of receiving favors in return. He
warned that we will be "reproached with ingratitude for not giving
them more," and we will have to "pay with a portion of our
independence" for placing ourselves in such a position. He said in his
Farewell Address:
"There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real
favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion which experience must
cure, which a just pride ought to discard." #9 PATRIOTISM
Washington was one of our greatest American patriots, and he demanded
patriotism in the men who served with him in war and peace. Legend
tells us that the night he crossed the Delaware, he gave the famous
command: "Put none but Americans on guard tonight." Even though we
cannot find this quotation in his published writings, it accurately
represents his thinking. In his Farewell Address he advised all our
citizens:
"The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to you in your national
capacity,must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any
appellation."
#10 THANKSGIVING TO GOD Washington advised Americans to set aside a
day of public Thanksgiving to God for the great favors He has bestowed
on our nation. On October 3, 1789 Washington proclaimed the first
Thanksgiving Day - the first of a long series of presidential orders
that have remained part of American life down to the present:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence
of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits,
and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and whereas both
Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to
commend to the people of United States a day of public thanksgiving
and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the
many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an
opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their
safety and happiness, now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday
the 26th day of November next, to be devoted to the service of that
great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good
that was, that is, or will be." Home
Compiled by Phyllis Schlafly Eagle ForumTh
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
Of all the governments in all the countries in all the world, he had
to screw up mine.
Say no to liberalism because no one ever says, "I want to be a tyrant
when I grow up."
Vote Democrat, its easier than getting a job.
Vote Democrat: because higher taxes are cool!
Vote Democrat: The political party for double-standards.
Vote Democrat because racism is okay as long as it is against white
males and rich people.
Liberals don't like reality, that's why they're liberals.
All "smart" liberals know that every white male is a racist, sexist,
homophobe.
The Democratic Party is the political party for murderers, rapists,
welfare junkies, and last and definitely worst: Bill Clinton.
What do you get when you cross a crooked politician with a dishonest
lawyer?
Chelsea.
There is no controlling legal authority to stop Bill Clinton because
liberals don't have to answer to the law.
Support the ACLU: Because Christians have too many God-Given
liberties.
Vote Democrat: Because Freedom and Responsibility just aren't
working.
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
WAR ON POVERTY
The War on Poverty, declared in the State of the Union address on Jan.
8, 1964, was the attempt of President Lyndon B. Johnson to break the
cycle of poverty affecting nearly 35 million Americans. Economic
expansion had reduced unemployment to 5.3 percent, but projections
showed that 25 percent of young blacks were destined for a life of
irregular employment. Johnson, having enacted the modest antipoverty
program of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, wanted his own, and
directed Sargent Shriver to steer the development and passage of an
omnibus bill.
Rejecting an alternative of direct subsidies, the Economic Opportunity
Act of 1964, signed into law by Johnson on Aug. 20, 1964, attempted to
prepare the poor for successful competition in an expanding economy.
It combined new and existing programs of services by
professionals--VISTA, Neighborhood Youth Corps, Job Corps, College
Work Study, and Head Start--with the novel Community Action Programs
(CAP), designed to involve recipients with "maximum feasible
participation." Shriver's Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was
given authority to run its own programs and supervise related
agencies. Funding for OEO, which was never adequate, was further
reduced as spending for the Vietnam War increased. Thus, an extended
structure, poorly financed, frustrated the rising expectations of the
poor.
formatting link
USA > Society & Culture
from the January 09, 2004 edition
In war on poverty, early gains and a long stalemate
LBJ launched a major national battle 40 years ago this week.
By Peter Grier and Patrik Jonsson
WASHINGTON AND RALEIGH, N.C. ? Sam Nicholson is broke. Things could be
worse - he's got his own bed to sleep in, and food stamps help. But
the retired cabbie's teeth need to come out, he's got little hope of
seeing a dentist soon, and a cold wind is whistling outside Raleigh's
Morgan Street soup kitchen.
That's an actual cold wind, not a metaphorical one. Lately
temperatures in Raleigh have been unusually low.
"Matters are only getting worse in this country," says Mr. Nicholson.
"People are losing jobs and can't afford medical help or insurance."
Forty years ago this week, President Lyndon Baines Johnson declared an
unconditional war on poverty in America. Today that war is not over,
and there's a question as to whether the US or poverty has the upper
hand.
Big-screen TVs are blowing out the doors of retailers, but 34 million
Americans still live below the poverty line. The US GDP is roaring
ahead, but the nation still has the worst child-poverty rate in the
industrialized world. Still, some in the front ranks say they haven't
given up hope. This is one fight where there may be a certain kind of
victory in the struggle.
"If the question is, 'Are we winning this war?' I'd say yes," says
retired lawyer Bob Slaughter, who cooks and serves at Morgan Street.
""Every day that one of these folks doesn't have to go hungry, we're
winning."
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 1964, LBJ both proposed a
legislative program and challenged the country. The legislative war on
poverty was to be a multipoint program aimed at getting Washington,
the states, and local authorities to work together. It included a
massive expansion of the food-stamp program, job training, youth
employment, and special aid for Appalachia, among other things.
Hospital insurance for the elderly - today's Medicare - was part of
the effort.
The challenge was an appeal for cooperation at all levels of US
politics to help solve a truly national problem. "If we fail ... then
history will rightly judge us harshly," said Johnson.
Almost forgotten today is the fact that, at the same time he proposed
a war on poverty, LBJ also pledged to reduce overall federal spending
by $500 million, in an effort to win conservatives' votes.
Furthermore, he made his pitch at a time when poverty was actually
declining, from 22.4 percent in 1959 to about 19 percent at the time
of his address.
Still, the next few years saw the nation make its greatest gains since
the end of the Depression against an intractable human problem. The
poverty rate fell steadily for almost a decade, bottoming out at 11.1
percent in 1973.
And that was it. Since then, the poverty rate has seesawed up and
down, largely following the state of the economy. It hit highs of 15.2
percent in 1983 and 15.1 percent in 1993. It declined in the go-go
1990s, then began rising again: In 2002, the latest full year for
which the Census Bureau has figures, it was 12.1 percent. That's
almost 35 million people in poverty, 12.1 million of them children.
ADAM WEISKIND - STAFF
SOURCE: US CENSUS BUREAU
Some parts of the Great Society war on poverty, such as Medicare,
remain among modern US government's most popular and successful
efforts. Others have withered away.
In fact, recent years have seen a major attitudinal shift in how
Washington approaches the problem of driving down stubborn poverty
numbers. Where LBJ's approach focused on cash assistance along with
other benefits such as food stamps, today the main thrust of
government programs is to get poor people into private-sector jobs.
Welfare reform, passed in 1996, is the symbol of this change. Under
this bill, if aid recipients don't get a job within a certain time
frame, they generally lose most cash benefits. Ten years on, welfare
rolls have declined remarkably, though they've begun rising again in
some states.
"The effects of reform are moderately clear at this point. They are
overwhelmingly positive, if not entirely so," said Lawrence Mead, a
New York University professor of politics, at a recent Brookings
conference.
Yet the system presents tough new problems, such as how to raise the
incomes of ex-welfare mothers in entry-level jobs, and how to get
ex-welfare fathers more involved with their kids.
And as even Professor Mead noted, not all experts are satisfied with
the perceived morality of the new system. At the same conference,
Harvard public policy professor Mary Jo Bane - who resigned from the
Clinton administration in protest over the '96 bill - said she did not
object to pressuring the poor to work. She did object, she said, to
how the safety net of other kinds of benefits, such as housing
supports, was damaged in the process.
When it comes to helping the poor, said Professor Bane, morality
demands that the government "err on the side of generosity."
Back at the Morgan Street soup kitchen, there's a festive air in the
cafeteria, as groups huddle together and eat. It's not Paris, but
there are magnolias on every table and music from an out-of-tune
upright piano. Willard Duncan admits that many poor people are bitter
about their plight. But not this Vietnam vet. "There's always more
that people can do to help other people," he says. "I just thank God I
was born in America."
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8, 2004 -- Forty years ago today in his first State of the Union
speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "War On Poverty."
Johnson's declaration came just weeks after succeeding to the White
House upon the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Making poverty a national concern set in motion a series of bills and
acts, creating programs such as Head Start, food stamps, work study,
Medicare and Medicaid, which still exist today. The programs initiated
under Johnson brought about real results, reducing rates of poverty
and improved living standards for America's poor.
But the poverty rate has remained steady since the 1970s and today,
Americans have allowed poverty to fall off the national agenda, says
Sheldon Danziger, a professor of public policy at the University of
Michigan.
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Percentage of US populaton on Welfare since 1960
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1995: Welfare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How Much Does the Welfare State Really Cost?
by Robert Rector & James Hirni
As the national debate on welfare reform continues to dominate the
104th Congressional agenda, policymakers should recognize one
overriding fact: the War on Poverty has failed. It has been thirty
years since President Lyndon Johnson launched his "unconditional war."
But in most respects, the problems of the poor, the underclass, and
the inner city actually have gotten worse, not better, in the
subsequent years.
That failure is not due to a lack of government spending. In 1993
alone, federal, state, and local governments spent $324 billion on
means-tested welfare programs for low-income Americans. Current
welfare spending is so large it is difficult to comprehend. One way to
make it more tangible is to recognize that, on average, the cost of
the welfare system amounted to $3,357 in taxes from each household
that paid federal income tax in 1993.
The U.S. welfare system is defined as the sum total of government
programs explicitly designed to assist poor and low-income Americans.
The federal government currently runs over 75 interrelated and
overlapping welfare programs. These include: cash aid programs,
medical aid programs, housing aid programs, energy aid programs, jobs
and training programs, targeted and means-tested education programs,
social service programs, and urban and community development programs.
Of all of those welfare programs, 48 percent of the total welfare
spending was devoted to medical programs. Cash programs took 22.1
percent. Food, housing, and energy programs comprised 18.8 percent of
the total, while education aid, job training, social services, and
urban and community aid accounted for 11.1 percent. Along with those
federally subsidized programs, many states operate independent
state-run programs.
The combination of federal and state welfare spending has made welfare
the third largest category of total government spending, ranking below
the top category of combined Social Security and Medicare costs, and
the second category of government education spending, but above
spending on national defense. In 1993, government spending on Social
Security (including Old Age and Survivor's Insurance and Disability
Insurance) was $304.5 billion. Medicare costs added another $115
billion, bringing total combined Social Security costs to $419.5
billion. While Social Security and Medicare combined remain the number
one government spending item in the U.S., welfare spending now amounts
to 75 cents for every $1 spent on Social Security and Medicare.
In fiscal year 1992, total government welfare spending exceeded
spending on national defense for the first time since the Great
Depression of the 1930s. By FY 1993, welfare spending by all levels of
government had reached $324 billion compared with $291 billion spent
for defense (see chart).
Moreover, there is not even the faintest glimmer of light at the end
of the tunnel for spending on the War on Poverty. According to
Congressional Budget Office figures, under existing law total annual
federal welfare spending will rise from $272.1 billion in 1995 to
$387.3 billion in the year 2000. The federal government will spend
$1.69 trillion on welfare aid during the five-year period from
1996-2000.
Under current law, combined federal and state welfare spending will
rise from $378.7 billion in 1995 to $551.7 billion in the year 2000.
Together federal and state governments will spend $2.38 trillion on
welfare during the next five years.
If advocates of welfare reform are to accomplish their goals--reducing
illegitimacy rates, establishing reciprocity and work demands, and
promoting a sense of moral renewal among welfare recipients--the
debate itself must be based on capping the growth of welfare spending
and ending welfare as an entitlement. It's time to put the welfare
system on a diet.
*********************************
Naw...lets just toss some more money at the problem..Im sure if we
spend enough..we can solve the problem real soon.
Gunner
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
Which reminds me..lets toss some more money on education and maybe we
can have graduates who can read their diplomas. NEA..hummm isnt that
packed chock full of Democrats and Liberals?
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16, 2003 (U.S. Tops School Spending, Not Scores)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
story.news.yahoo.com/news...n_compared
U.S. Tops in School Spending, Not Scores
By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer
WASHINGTON - Given its investment in education, the United States
isn't getting the return it expects when compared with the performance
of other nations, a report shows.
Among more than 25 industrialized nations, no country spends more
public and private money to educate each student than the United
States, according to an annual review by the Paris-based Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development.
But American 15-year-olds scored in the middle of the pack in math,
reading and science in 2000, and the nation's high-school graduation
rate was below the world average in 2001.
"The countries that spend more tend to be the countries that do
better. But ... it's not a perfect relationship," said Barry McGaw,
the organization's education director. "There are countries which
don't get the bang for the bucks. And the U.S. is one of them."
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Children Left Behind
Oct. 29, 2003
A gaudy sign reading No Child Left Behind, the education slogan of the
Bush Administration, guards the entrance to the U.S. Department of
Education in Washington, D.C. The more-than-a-thousand-page NCLB
education law, enacted at the beginning of last year with bipartisan
flourish, combined a big increase in spending to please the Democrats
with conservative buzzwords to please Republicans such as "standards,"
"tests," and "accountability."
If no child is to be left behind, why are so many students flunking
and being left behind in failing schools? Why are schools in an uproar
all over the country, with complaints coming from parents, teachers
and students?
The answer is plain for anyone to see. The mandated tests reveal the
painful truth that the nation's schools are not providing a quality
education, even though the taxpayers are paying a per-child rate that
rivals expensive private schools.
Since the penalties for not complying with NCLB requirements are
severe, states and school districts have devised ingenious methods to
avoid the sanctions. The Texas State Board of Education reduced the
number of questions students must answer correctly to pass the third-
grade reading test from 24 to 20 out of 36.
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A Chance for Freedom?s Advance
Let's put freedom to work in public education.
Liberals love the idea of the federal government spending lots of
money on public education. The more money the better, and for the most
part liberals have succeeded in getting more federal money for
education. Since 1980, federal funding for education has grown an
astounding 228 percent ? a good track record if your goal is to
maximize federal spending. The problem is, liberals don?t care if the
spending actually goes towards better educating children. More
education spending has not resulted in higher test scores.
Nowhere is this truer than in the public school system in the District
of Columbia, arguably the worst public schools in the country. The
Washington, DC public school system is failing real children, whose
shot at the American Dream are threatened by the incompetence of the
schools. At Anacostia Senior High School, 69 percent of the students
read at a ?below basic? level. 91 percent of the students? math skills
are below basic. At Cardozo Senior High, 64 percent read at a below
basic level and 90 percent are below basic in Math. At Dunbar the
numbers are 61 percent below basic for reading and 92 percent for
math. These sad numbers repeat themselves at almost every public high
school in the District of Columbia. In fact, at only one public high
school in the District can the majority of the students read at above
the ?below basic? level. If this is not a school system that is
failing, than what is the meaning of failure?
Take a guess what the liberals? solution is to this human tragedy?
That?s right, they want more money for the District public schools. Of
course, Washington, D.C. already spends $9,650 per pupil a year, which
is more than $3,000 above the national average. If spending were the
issue, DC would have a top-notch education system.
Michigan officials lowered from 75 to 46 the percentage of students
who must pass statewide high school English tests in order to certify
a school as making adequate progress. Colorado restructured its
grading system, lumping "partially proficient" with "proficient"
students.
It's not only students who are judged by test scores; it's the
schools, too. The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to score
higher on standardized tests each year, and also requires every racial
and demographic group to show improvement.
If any group fails to report higher scores for two consecutive years,
a school is labeled "needing improvement." A school that does not
improve its scores after being so labeled can have its principal and
teachers replaced or even be closed by the state.
Parents, teachers and taxpayers are shocked to learn that the first
year's results are showing an extraordinarily high percentage of
schools to be so labeled. At least 60 percent of North Carolina
schools and 75 percent of Louisiana schools are expected to be so
labeled.
One of the sanctions imposed on failing schools is to give students
the option of transferring to another school. Los Angeles and Chicago
officials are meeting this challenge by approving very few transfers,
citing overcrowding concerns. New York City went ahead and approved
8,000 transfer requests, but a third of the students have been moved
from one "failing" school to another.
Under the NCLB law, schools with low graduation rates risk being
designated as "failing." Schools can manipulate the figures with
"pushouts," students who are pressured to leave school long before
graduation in order to improve its statistics.
During the 2000-2001 year, New York City schools graduated 34,000
students, while discharging 55,000 high school students. The
discharges included students who moved away or transferred to private
schools, but it is easy to hide thousands of "pushouts" in the
"transfer" category.
The NCLB law allows transfers from schools designated as "persistently
dangerous." The states can set the threshold for this label, but 44
states plus the District of Columbia have set the threshold so high
that none of their schools fits the definition.
The six other states (New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Oregon,
Pennsylvania and Texas) have identified 52 schools as dangerous.
That's just 52 out of the 90,000 U.S. public schools where 700,000
violent crimes took place in 2000 (the last year for which government
statistics are available).
The vision of No Child Left Behind is to close the gap between
higher-achieving students and minorities. It's a noble goal, in
President Bush's words, to end the "soft bigotry" of low expectations.
Yet it appears that no strategies introduced so far have done much to
close that gap. The liberals' solution is always to throw more money
at the problem, and billions of dollars have been spent through the
Title I program.
A new study by the American Enterprise Institute called "Closing the
Education Gap: Is Title I Working?" compared the scores of individual
Title I students with the scores of similar students who did not
receive Title I benefits. The researchers found no evidence that Title
I programs had improved the recipients' academic performance.
Of course, despite a 20-year record of failure, Title I funding was
reauthorized in the NCLB Act. Federal spending on education has grown
by $11 billion since President Bush took office.
The tests mandated by NCLB have ripped back the curtain and exposed a
major national problem. How about trying some innovative solutions to
introduce competition into the monopoly system, such as giving parents
choice over which courses and which teachers they want for their
children?
The N.E.A.'s Political Agenda The National Education Association is
becoming increasingly strident and incorrect in its statements,
critics charge. Moreover, the teachers' union is doing little to hide
its controversial political agenda -- which some 40 percent of its
members oppose.
Here are a few examples:
To attack the voucher school movement, the N.E.A. recently published a
book which claimed to be "the most comprehensive report to date of an
ultraconservative network that is pursuing an aggressive political
agenda nationwide, including a 'state-by-state assault on public
education.'"
The publication links the aims of school choice supporters with
legislation and ballot initiatives that would require unions to get
the permission of a member before the member's dues could be spent on
politics -- so-called paycheck protection proposals.
In California, the N.E.A. and its state affiliate spent $9 million on
a successful effort to beat Proposition 226 -- which would have
required them to get members' permission for those expenditures in the
future.
N.E.A. President Bob Chase claimed in a "Firing Line" debate that
tuition for private schools average something like $12,000 a year --
but a 1996 Cato Institute study put the figure at $3,116, with 67
percent of all private schools charging $2,500 or less.
The N.E.A. continues to claim private schools would skim off the best
students and leave public schools with disabled and at-risk students.
But more than 100,000 special education students already attend
private schools at public expense, according to U.S. Education
Department figures. And at least seven states contract with private
schools to handle at-risk students.
Source: Pete du Pont (National Center for Policy Analysis), "Grand
Conspiracy to Educate Children?" Washington Times, November 3, 1998.
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"Yet, recent evidence reveals the NEA for what it is: a powerful labor
union surreptitiously committed to increasing its political power.
Once upon a time, the NEA concerned itself primarily with representing
its members? interests, but the union?s political agenda has now
supplanted even that.
The recent evidence began last year with the Landmark Legal
Foundation?s complaint to the IRS. Landmark Legal charged the NEA used
tax-exempt funds for political purposes and extensively coordinated
campaign activities with the Democratic National Committee (DNC). If a
non-profit organization expends funds for political purposes, they
must report it to the IRS and pay taxes. Landmark Legal contends the
NEA did neither. Landmark Legal continued its whistle blowing this
year with a similar complaint filed with the Department of Labor.
The reason for the NEA?s alleged failure to report the political
expenditures transcends simple tax evasion. In fact, the real reason
strikes at the heart of the NEA?s source of political power?money. If
the NEA spent members? dues for political purposes, union members
would be entitled to a refund, just as the NEA?s Washington State
affiliate had to do earlier this year.
But there?s more. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
slapped down the NEA for its harassment of religious objectors. Under
the Civil Rights Act of 1974, people of faith may divert forced union
dues to a charity of their choice if their religious convictions
diverge with those of their union. Recognizing the implications of
losing those funds, the NEA put religious objectors through an
inquisition of sorts to prevent losses. With the EEOC?s decision, the
NEA could be hauled into court if it fails to stop its harassment.
On the heels of this announcement came news from Washington State that
a county judge unwisely gave the NEA?s state affiliate more leeway to
conduct political activities on public school property. The judge
ruled that restricting on-campus political activity violated the First
Amendment.
Snicker.. now know why I hold Liberals in such contempt?
Gunner
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
:-)
Great stuff, whether you copied it or not. And given Gunner's couple of
thousand lines of replies, you hit it right on the nose. He just couldn't leave
it alone, and smile. That guy is the easiest target in the world.
What a cut and paste job Gunner, must have kept you up all night.
Abrasha
:-)
Great stuff, whether you copied it or not. And given Gunner's couple of
thousand lines of replies, you hit it right on the nose. He just couldn't leave
it alone, and smile. That guy is the easiest target in the world.
What a cut and paste job Gunner, must have kept you up all night.
Abrasha
Actually it took me no more time to locate it on my disk arrays than
it does to remember what and where I stored it. I really need to put
in a menu system.
I noticed you didnt say the stuff I posted was "great stuff".
(probably hit a nerve or 5)
You are the one person I really expected to comment on it. LOL..you
too are indeed predictable.
Gunner
" ..The world has gone crazy. Guess I'm showing my age...
I think it dates from when we started looking at virtues
as funny. It's embarrassing to speak of honor, integrity,
bravery, patriotism, 'doing the right thing', charity,
fairness. You have Seinfeld making cowardice an acceptable
choice; our politicians changing positions of honor with
every poll; we laugh at servicemen and patriotic fervor; we
accept corruption in our police and bias in our judges; we
kill our children, and wonder why they have no respect for
Life. We deny children their childhood and innocence- and
then we denigrate being a Man, as opposed to a 'person'. We
*assume* that anyone with a weapon will use it against his
fellowman- if only he has the chance. Nah; in our agitation
to keep the State out of the church business, we've
destroyed our value system and replaced it with *nothing*.
Turns my stomach- " Chas , rec.knives
Are you implying that you have power? That reminds me of a Margaret Thatcher
quote: "Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are,
you aren't." She should be at least someone you like, being conservative and
all.
If you know so much, how come you're so powerless?
Other than the power you may have from all those guns of course, you have no
power.
Chairman Mao did say: "All political power comes out of the barrel of a gun."
Individuals do not have political power, only governments do.
Abrasha
Hamei, Is this true...??
Later,
Mike
"That religion, or the duty which we owe to
our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be
directed only by reason and conviction, not by force
or violence; and therefore all men are equally
entitled to the free exercise of religion,
according to the dictates of conscience; and that it
is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian
forbearance, love, and charity towards each other."
Virginia Constitution 1776
Every Communist must grasp the truth, "Political power grows out of the barrel
of a gun."
"Problems of War and Strategy" (November 6, 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p.
224.
Abrasha
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