Here's a lovely screed on poverty

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/6792/

You know one of my favorite quotes on poverty comes from Benjamin Franklin. I love this quote: We should make the poor uncomfortable and kick them out of poverty." I love that! There's compassion for ya. He knew if you made poverty more comfortable, there's a lot of people that would be like, you know what, I'm just going to kick back here. I'm just going to -- you know what I -- I'm going to sit back and, you know, let the state give me a candle, you know. Kick them out of poverty! Give them something to strive for. Instead what happens is we enslave people in poverty because we give people everything, we make it easy for them to live in poverty and at the same time -- it's the combination of the two -- at the same time the leaders will say, "You can't make it, you can't make it." Barack Obama and Michelle Obama of all people are saying, "You can't make it." Look at the disadvantages that Barack Obama started with. Look at the disadvantage. Father was a Muslim, mother is a Christian, dad's gone, raised by a woman -- raised by his grandmother or his mother? He's African-American. He spent some of his time in a foreign country. He comes here and he makes it, he goes to Harvard, she goes to Princeton. They make it. He could be our first black President and they actually are saying in some stump speeches that, "The disadvantages, you can't overcome the..." what! You're kidding me. How is this even possible?

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Idiot!

I am so sick of hearing multi-millionaires tell us how comfortable poverty is, how the hell people take this asshole seriously is beyond me. I would like to see Glenn Beck try to move from his mansion into the inner city for just one week and be forced to live on poverty level wages, maybe then he could tell us how comfortable it is.

Lets send Glenn Beck on an inner-city Plunge!

As a matter of fact, lets send ALL politicians on said Plunge!

Many years ago, I did just that with a group of clergy.... paired them with homeless "guides" and sent them out on the street. It was just for one night and one day, but they ALL said how much they learned from it.

knowing they could go back to their "regular" life afterwards, what would the impact have been had this return not been possible for some reason in the near future? Would they all have dared take the plunge? How does one adjust to descending into poverty and despair? Where do the street smarts to find food and shelter, as meager as it might be, come from quickly enough to survive? This happens to too many people on a daily basis, while the rest of us blithely go about our business. So much misery and so much despair so close to us. But it is as if these poor folks have become invisible - here today, gone tomorrow. Expendable?

BTW, I would like to send Mr. Beck and the likes of him not on a day trip to the inner city, but on a one-way-ticket-plunge straight into the lower depths of hell. What a sorry sack of shit and waste of oxygen he is.

plunges NOW??? WHY isn't that an educational goal at this very point?

I went to two of the sermons given that Sunday on the experiences of two of these pastors. They were, indeed, quite affected, and they were already quite sympathetic to begin with!

The one stunning one was the head of the state Council Of Churches. He insisted that he wanted to go under the bridges that night, so I finally arranged a "guide" for him that I trusted. Now THAT is the kind of faith that we should be able to expect of these clergy!

It seems that there is a wing of the Republican Party that now prides itself on its lack of compassion for others. What's scary, is that a good number of people in this faction consider themselves pious Christians. Kind of ironic, then that out of their mouths comes some very, very un-Christlike things.

K&R

all their money. They are too used to getting top notch treatment in every aspect of life, and this will continue as long as the little people depend on the rich for tips and jobs, and as long as the rich aren't taxed the same percentage of gross income as lower income people

The dwindling of the middle class in this country is a direct result of the destruction of unions in this country. Also adding to the destruction of the good ole USA is gender discrimination, which is hidden in great part by the incessant harping on minority discrimination. With everyone in a pseudo outrage over minority discrimination, they can hide the real problem, which is the raping, pillaging and robbing of women brought about by paying them lower wages than men, giving them fewer promotions than men and keeping them subjugated by men (sometimes women) at home and on the job. Sex is a major problem, as women are influenced by their need to keep their jobs and make that promotion. Men have us right where they want us; underneath them in every respect.

If you think it is horrible for a man to be homeless, consider a female with children and I'll bet the first thing you say is "Well, why did she have so many children if she couldn't support them?" Little or usually none of the blame ever lands on the male of the species.

Yes, I believe most men are misogynists. I have seen that scenario played out so many times it is nauseating. Even men who believe they aren't are kidding themselves. A lot of men won't even go out with a successful woman for fear they will be emasculated if she makes more money, and ditto for a difference in brain power. Good jobs and big money are reserved for the male of the species, except for a few token females to make the big guys look better; and believe me, the males expect payment for those promotions, with, of course, some exceptions.

Please don't answer this post by citing the exceptions. I will admit there are exceptions. I married an exception, though he still tried to control me in every way he could and, admittedly, I permitted this on some occasions.

It is obvious that women and children will suffer more from the downturn in the economy than men. Men can hang out almost any where and be comparatively safe. The beaches in Florida have numbers of men sleeping there with almost no consequences. The same can be said for parks. You certainly do have women who sleep in their cars with their children, because your time in a shelter is limited, according to the shelter, so you are constantly looking for a place to stay that is safe for your children. It is, quite simply, hell. Every consideration should be given these women for their protection and the protection of the children they are trying to care for.

for sure, but I would bet that these comments can only come from a person who has never wanted for anything in their entire life.

K&R

"I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it."


So, somewhat less harsh than Mr. Beck's. But when you are dealing with a subnormal audience I guess it's safer to use simple phrasing.

has been an effective MO for a few years now...it's not like anyone ever bothers to check (and I've seen some really out-there stuff attributed to Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, etc.)

Glenn, is that you??

When I read the paragraph you posted it was so nonsensical to me, then I realized it was Glenn Beck. Just had to consider conservative world view for the thoughts to even process. Not rec'ing or unrec'ing, just thought to mention it is confusing any time these morons have anything to say.

What the hell have we become?

If Glenn Beck posted here, would you recommend unrec'ing his spin?

I imagine you posted to shine a light on his mess, right? Just saying a quick read of Beck slant might produce an unrec. It wasn't clear at first it was from Beck. Reading the headline I ignored the negative connotation of screed and for some reason lovely stood out and I thought I was going to read some wonderful essay on poverty. Damn shocked I was to read the thoughts of Beck. Nastiness.

I feel so strongly people may have unrec'd in haste, here is a rec to help shine the light. #10

I'm surprised that you needed the :sarcasm: tag. Some things seem really obvious to me.

Thanks for the rec.... I thought the time was passed, but it is appreciated.

Not making that up.

You're welcome.

Doubleyoo-teee-ef? I mean seriously.:wtf:

If we "give people everything"?? What does this even mean??? Anyone ever consider that maybe it's because we don't provide the basic necessities or a reasonable living wage that so many are in poverty and homeless and struggling. Oh, and please don't reply with the shit statement that these people are just mentally ill or criminals or lazy. That is just bs to make yourself feel better.

I don't understand a nation that claims to be Christian who begrudge helping their own people...their neighbors...and then have the balls to look down on them for their struggle. Where is the logic in that? for that matter where is the compassion?

NO ONE IN THIS COUNTRY - OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR THAT MATTER... NO ONE SHOULD BE HOMELESS OR HUNGRY.NO ONE "DESERVES" TO BE STRUGGLING FOR FOOD OR SHELTER....NOT WHEN YOU HAVE BANKS GETTING TRILLIONS IN FREE MONEY AND TRILLIONS ARE FUNNELED INTO WAR MACHINES RUNNING OVER INNOCENT PEOPLE (or even if they're not that innocent).


I just don't understand how anyone can not have some compassion for our brothers and sisters sharing this planet. The ones who have more than they can ever use or eat or spend...are you taking it all with you when you leave this life? If you have that much, how hard can it be to share a bit with those who are hurting and homeless and hungry??

And that twisted shriveled excuse of a human, Glenn Beck, has nothing whatsoever to say that is worth my time.

It is so overwhelming to be surrounded all day, day after day, by the kind of ugliness exemplified in that quote.

The quote that Thom Hartmann gave from ole' Ben was much better..... it said something to the effect that poverty grinds peope down. That cannot be disputed.

I'm disappointed but not surprised that ole' Ben also said that shit about being "pushed or driven out of poverty." That was the mindset at the time, but the fact that it continues to this day, in the face of proof to the contrary, is what is CRAZY.

Again, thank you! :hug:

All you have to say to them is, "If being poor is so great, why don't YOU do it? Quit your job and get on the government dole. Get Section 8 housing, live on food stamps and welfare, the whole deal. It's such a comfortable life. Why don't YOU do it?"

Of course, every time I've used this line, the right-wing mouth-breather would quite predictably sputter out some garbage about how, "I have to much self respect to do that," or, "I refuse to let other people take care of me," which, as we all know, is just code for, "I don't actually believe the bullshit that comes out of my own mouth," or, "I just sing it; I don't bring it."

Besides, isn't this the same toolbox who claimed that the provision in the Constitution providing for an import tax on SLAVES was actually an indication that the Founding Fathers intended for American citizenship to have some value (that people should have to pay for the privilege of being Americans)? I don't care how stupid and/or ideological you are; at some point don't you HAVE to listen to this stuff and go, "Even I can't buy THAT load of bullshit"? But I guess right-wingers are right-wingers because they came from the factory with defective Bullshit Detectors.

Need to invent bolder words than toxic and radioactive for these parasites.

finally got to this Bobbie, great post...

... in "welfare queens"? It was a myth when Reagan talked about them, and, if anything, is an even less plausible myth today.