Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Grainne who wrote (105465)	5/30/2005 8:49:05 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 108807

Children at an early age are one of the biggest reasons women end up in poverty, and dependent on government programs. There are many, many places on the internet where one can explore the link between early pregnancy and poverty.

To: Grainne who wrote (105465)	5/30/2005 10:10:00 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

it is liberals who believe in expansive governmental safety nets for all people, Basically true (except for those people not yet born, who get no safety net at all, but we'll let that one slip by). But whether expansive safety nets is a good thing or not is debatable. It didn't work in the Soviet Union. It isn't working very well in Germany and France, and even Sweden is having trouble with it. Sadly, human nature tends to be such that if you give someone 75% of their pay, housing, medical care, food, etc. for just sitting around watching TV, a number of people will choose to just sit around and watch TV, and soon or later those who are paying all the bills will say they're tired of this. Socialism didn't work in Christianity (which if you follow the words of Christ is the most socialistic program ever proposed anywhere), and it isn't working for the long term in any country. But I do agree, providing free Viagra to convicted sex offenders on Medicaid is, indeed, a classic example of the ultimate liberal agenda. (Okay, maybe that was a bit of an unfair poke. But not that much of one! The fact that Viagra is covered at all for anybody on Medicaid is indeed a result of the liberal agenda.)

To: Grainne who wrote (105465)	5/30/2005 10:15:42 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

When Ionesco and I both suggested that a wonderful way to help child slaves and children living in poverty would be to eat organic sugar, coffee and chocolate, I didn't see all the conservatives jumping in, but perhaps everyone was so busy going to to natural foods store to buy these items they didn't have a chance to post. This is a way to help millions of children. I was one of the very early customers of Walnut Acres, which as far as the East coast is concerned was probably the most successful of the early organic food producers. But the reality is, that the way to help child slaves and children living in poverty would probably be not to eat coffee, chocolate, and sugar at all. If we all tried to eat only organic foods, first a lot of people would starve because we just can't produce organic foods in sufficient quantity to feed the planet, and second, either there would need to be a lot more child slaves or the price of food would go up so much that a number of people would be unable to buy enough food to live on, because generally organic foods are more labor intensive and expensive to produce. It's that damn law of unintended consequences.

To: Grainne who wrote (105465)	5/30/2005 10:25:14 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Your own philosophy on how to help society's poor and needy would be very interesting to me, of course. It's very simple. First, support a robust economy that can provide as many private sector jobs as possible. Second, for those who truly can't find work, bring back the WPA. Roosevelt had the right idea. Don't pay people not to work; pay them TO work. There are thousands of public sector needs in this country that a new WPA could address. Parks to be built or maintained. Trees to be planted. Trails to be built and maintained. Roads and bridges to be built or repaired. Flood levies to be constructed and maintained. Housing to be improved. I bet evereyone reading this could look around their community and find plenty of needs that a WPA program could address. Unfortunately, though, the liberal unions are dead set against this idea. They fear that it would hurt their high wage labor jobs. They would rather have people collect welfare than work on government projects that they think union workers should be doing, even when it means that the project won't be done at all and NOBODY gets the work. And, of course, as we all know. Roosevelt was a part of the vast right wing conspiracy, so we certainly don't want to adopt any of his ideas, no matter how successful they may have been.