US poverty level highest since the mid 1960s

[dontworrybehappy]

[eynon81]

heh...this is totally like congress IRL. have you 2 ever though of running for office?

[Indy]

Call me crazy, but one would think that our leaders would sort of make poverty/unemployment/the future job #1 on their agenda, realizing our education system and jobs skills need an overhaul, since we're clearly not going to compete with place like China or Mexico when it comes to unskilled labor.

I don't know why we can't have a "war" on that since we are in the habit of declaring war on... things. Like drugs or terrorism.

In this war everybody wins and instead of all the money going to places in the sand or in no-man's land, it would go to Americans.

[eynon81]

[spacemonkey]

They have no plan, its almost like their scared to make one in fear of offending someone. One thing for sure is what they are doing, ain't working.

[exploited]

Seize all monetary wealth (not assets) of people making over $5,000,000 a year, distribute it equally to all citizens, and then lower taxes and repeal a good chunk of business regulations (basic fraud, environmental and consumer protections exempted). Doing this even once would fix so many problems.

[eynon81]

[Indy]

Wow I never realized that LBJ did declare a war on poverty.

OK so my question is: who wouldn't support such a thing? It only helps, well--everybody, and with a bigger middle class I'm assuming this means rich people can get even richer.

Or let me put it this way: those who are against it--why do you think these people want such a gap in this country?

[dontworrybehappy]

What people don't realize is poverty isnt the problem, its the result of a failed society. If you are poor, somewhere, you failed. You either invested with bad investments, you lost your job, you never got a job, you never went to school, you acquired too much debt somewhere. Whatever the reason, poverty is the result of a problem. It's like saying we need to make cars more safe because the brakes can fail. Nobody is trying to fix the brakes, just trying to make the car safer from the impact.

Ok, not the best analogy but you get my point. We need to look at educating our populace, getting them real jobs that keep them out of poverty, we need to legalize drugs to empty the jails and prisons of nonviolent people who have no chance of getting a job when they get out because nobody wants to hire a convicted felon, etc. Not just giving them free money and handouts which ultimately are paid for by those who are successful. You are punishing success. That is not the answer.

[spacemonkey]

Is there a point when having wealth in such excess that it becomes absured?