No real cuts have been made

[Wiglaf]

You think those freeloaders have anything to do with our economic problem? They aren't even part of the active unemployment statistic. People are looking for work!

[joshh]

Debt is how the banks make money. More debt = more money. This whole thing is just a game of hardball, neither side is interested in reducing the debt in the least.

And you guys blaming it on social programs have shit backwards. We're in a consumer based economy. You know what happens when the consumers don't have money? This shit that we're in right now. Cutting all the aid sounds like a GREAT IDEA TO GET THINGS GOING!
I think they just like to poke and prod at the social programs to distract people from the fact that the "trickle down" strategy of all these low taxes for the 10 years has been a complete failure. They take the money and run.

I wish things were really that easy...."Low taxes=no jobs....high taxes=tons of jobs"...IGNORE EVER OTHER FACTOR.

When you pay people to be unproductive guess what...you get unproductive people.

[z31maniac]

So the cost of labor is completely irrelevant when it comes to producing goods?

[Wiglaf]

Debt is how the banks make money. More debt = more money. This whole thing is just a game of hardball, neither side is interested in reducing the debt in the least.

And you guys blaming it on social programs have shit backwards. We're in a consumer based economy. You know what happens when the consumers don't have money? This shit that we're in right now. Cutting all the aid sounds like a GREAT IDEA TO GET THINGS GOING!
I think they just like to poke and prod at the social programs to distract people from the fact that the "trickle down" strategy of all these low taxes for the 10 years has been a complete failure. They take the money and run.

[joshh]

[KenC]

A very small percentage of people abuse "the system."

Cutting Medicaid and Food Stamps, and housing assistance would immediately result in an increase in death and crime.

I'm not denying the fact that there are some that would get off their asses and work, but the majority of those who receive social assistance already have jobs.

[NKRoberts]

I'm an atheist so church is out. I don't think the red cross gives out student loans for college. If it wasn't for the student loans I wouldn't have gone to college. I guess we could revert back to 1700s lifestyle and all live like the Amish if you want to eliminate government. I don't think the majority would support this choice though.

i don't consider a student loan a handout, because you are paying it back with interest

[herbivor]

The government doesn't exist to give people handouts. You want charity go to a church or the red cross. I don't care if no one is abusing the system.

I'm an atheist so church is out. I don't think the red cross gives out student loans for college. If it wasn't for the student loans I wouldn't have gone to college. I guess we could revert back to 1700s lifestyle and all live like the Amish if you want to eliminate government. I don't think the majority would support this choice though.

[e30e]

Is anyone really shocked this happened, its the government for christ sakes.

[NKRoberts]

I would be curious if anyone new what the actual percentage is of people who abuse the system vs. people that could actually benefit them in bad times. If 98% abused the system then I'd say, yeah, fuck em make em work for it, but I think it's probably much much lower than you think and if that's the case, then it would be pretty shitty to cut the programs, especially now.

what % do you think it is then?

[Kruzen]

The government doesn't exist to give people handouts. You want charity go to a church or the red cross. I don't care if no one is abusing the system.

[herbivor]

The small percentage that you speak of is the category your sister would fall into. I'm glad that there are programs to help people like her, ones that are doing as much if not more than they can and need some help, but there are a lot of people that abuse the system.

I would be curious if anyone new what the actual percentage is of people who abuse the system vs. people that could actually benefit them in bad times. If 98% abused the system then I'd say, yeah, fuck em make em work for it, but I think it's probably much much lower than you think and if that's the case, then it would be pretty shitty to cut the programs, especially now.

[Kruzen]

Minimum wage is a horrible thing, it should be abolished so that the market can regulate cost of wages.

Minimum wage is racist anyway.

[NKRoberts]

My older sister raised two kids by herself, worked 2 jobs and had to rely on food stamps to help feed her kids. She was extremely frugal, no TV, lived in a crummy 1 bedroom apartment and had a piece of shit car on bald tires, etc. and only asked us for help when she went more than a day without any food. I was going through college at the time so it's not like I could've taken her in. She didn't do drugs or anything, just made the mistake of marrying a shitty guy that basically ditched her. And no she didn't live in the 1800's on her land where she could grow her own rice. If it wasn't for food stamps and medicaid she would have been homeless, which almost happen twice. She persevered and was able to dig herself out of the hole over time.

It was the government that helped her in dire times and she WORKED HER ASS OFF. So don't give me the "too many lazy Americans" bullshit. They make up a very small percentage of people that need help. If Republicans would be willing to raise the minimum wage to something a person could actually live on, then you can get rid of food stamps and some of these other programs. And don't give me the "well if you raise minimum wage the cost of everything goes up to where they can't afford things anyway". That's horse shit.

I'm glad that there are programs to help people like her, ones that are doing as much if not more than they can and need some help, but there are a lot of people that abuse the system. I would say the small percentage is the ones like your sister who work hard and do as much as they can, it seems there are more that use the system.

[Mlarsen]

My older sister raised two kids by herself, worked 2 jobs and had to rely on food stamps to help feed her kids. She was extremely frugal, no TV, lived in a crummy 1 bedroom apartment and had a piece of shit car on bald tires, etc. and only asked us for help when she went more than a day without any food. I was going through college at the time so it's not like I could've taken her in. She didn't do drugs or anything, just made the mistake of marrying a shitty guy that basically ditched her. And no she didn't live in the 1800's on her land where she could grow her own rice. If it wasn't for food stamps and medicaid she would have been homeless, which almost happen twice. She persevered and was able to dig herself out of the hole over time.

It was the government that helped her in dire times and she WORKED HER ASS OFF. So don't give me the "too many lazy Americans" bullshit. They make up a very small percentage of people that need help. If Republicans would be willing to raise the minimum wage to something a person could actually live on, then you can get rid of food stamps and some of these other programs. And don't give me the "well if you raise minimum wage the cost of everything goes up to where they can't afford things anyway". That's horse shit.

Im not saying to completely get rid of social services because there are people like your sister that need them. But, there are more people that abuse system than you think.