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We need to make the case that poverty is a bigger threat to Americans than terrorism.

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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:20 PM
Original message
We need to make the case that poverty is a bigger threat to Americans than terrorism.
This talk of budget cuts is cause for concern, seeing as the first thing that tends to get cut is social programs and aid for the poor.

This would, however, be a good opportunity to address our bloated Defense budget - if our congress had a the political courage to even mention the elephant.

Odds aside, we have to stop sweeping poverty under the rug and make the case that helping the poor will do more for our security than military might. Not sure how to approach this, but I figured this post could get the ball rolling...
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Taitertots Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
1. Has preventable disease killed more people than terrorism this year yet?
Lets mark the day each year when lack of public health services causes the deaths of more people than terrorism. Then each time is does after that.
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anonymous171 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:30 PM
Response to Original message
2. Let's declare another war on poverty and draft young unemployed Americans to fight it
Increase funding to Americorps and give everyone who serves their term there free college tuition, just like they do with the veterans of our foreign wars.
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CountAllVotes Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:32 PM
Response to Original message
3. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction
therefore, it is a form of terrorism. The sad part about this is that the "Administration" knows this and they are using this to further denude, humiliate, and neuter the American people! :mad: :grr: :argh:
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:33 PM
Response to Original message
4. I agree with you on decreasing the bloated defense budget, and I don't think it'd be a hard sell...
...if done properly.

Just call it the Dick Cheney side of the Defense budget: Handouts to corrupt contractors and scam artists building crap we don't need, who give corrupt politicians a little tax money in return.

It wouldn't take much to frame the argument-- if a president wanted to.
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liberal N proud Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:41 PM
Response to Original message
5. As long as people have the Television in their living rooms...
They will sit and watch NASCAR, The NFL and NBA separated by interludes of talking heads filling their heads with the thought they are expected to have.

When something is about to happen there will always be a diversion, a boy in a runaway balloon, a dead actress or a golf star being beaten by his wife for cheating.

Take away the boob tube and you might wake people up, but it may already be too late.
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anonymous171 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:43 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. The goal is not to make people care. The goal is to get people excited
Americans love war. Seriously. We love crusades and all that idealistic shit. We need to channel that "crusading spirit" into a new War on Poverty. That's the only way we can fight it.
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vincna Donating Member (282 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:42 PM
Response to Original message
6. If you don't think terrorism is a major threat,...
you're delusional. Besides that, freezing spending on combating terror to maintain social programs would be political suicide. The RW would rip Obama to shreds if he validated their claim that he is making the country less secure.
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undeterred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:45 PM
Response to Reply #6
10. The right wing is wrong.
Fuck the right wing. Millions more lives are threatened by poverty and lack of health care than by terrorism.
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anonymous171 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:46 PM
Response to Reply #6
11. You know how he could make the country more secure AND cut military spending?
Withdraw all US military forces from every war and END THE EMPIRE.
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Ozymanithrax Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:43 PM
Response to Original message
7. Lyndon B. Johnson is dead....
The War on Poverty ended long before they planted him.

Good luck with the attempt.

Anything short of Watts style riots in every large city in the U.S.A. isn't likely to work. I can't see antying else that will get peoples attention.
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anonymous171 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:50 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. No one "planted" LBJ. He was found crying in his plane's bathroom right after JFK was shot
JFK was not killed by the military. If anybody wanted him dead, it would be the bankers.
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undeterred Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 10:44 PM
Response to Original message
9. You notice Obama talks about the middle class but never about poverty.
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EFerrari Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 01:45 PM
Response to Reply #9
21. Yep. Most of them do, maybe to maintain the fiction that we are all middle class
and that there is no underclass living in poverty.
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woo me with science Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 11:11 PM
Response to Original message
13. Not necessary to pit them against each other.
That will reinforce the ubiquitous Republican charges that Dems do not take terrorism seriously. It is possible to highlight poverty without downplaying the need to defend the country.
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anonymous171 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 11:13 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. You cannot have both guns AND butter. You must choose nt
Edited on Mon Jan-25-10 11:14 PM by anonymous171
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woo me with science Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 10:01 AM
Response to Reply #14
17. Never argue that terrorism is of low importance.
That is an electorally suicidal response, pardon the pun.

You argue about what is actually effective in fighting terrorism and point out that a lot of what we are doing is reactive and ineffective. You talk about what can be done better, with savings in the process.

It's all in the framing.
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raccoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 01:58 PM
Response to Reply #14
23. Guess who gets to be the choosers? Hint: not us. nt
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 09:02 AM
Response to Reply #13
16. We'll have to entertain a spending freeze.
Opposing the spending freeze would equally be political suicide, without the proper framing.

We'll have to defend social programs - because that's where they're going to suggest cuts.

We'll have to attack the defense budget - because they won't touch it.

See Marr's post #4 re: Cheney & corrupt defense contracts for the right way to frame.
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woo me with science Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 10:04 AM
Response to Reply #16
19. Yes, the proper framing is critical.
The framing proposed in the OP would be political suicide, but you are right that choices need to be made.
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Karmadillo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-25-10 11:16 PM
Response to Original message
15. Maybe we should elect a Community Organizer to the Presidency to lead the fight on poverty.
nt
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 01:41 PM
Response to Reply #15
20. heh
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Odin2005 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 10:02 AM
Response to Original message
18. K&R!
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Doctor_J Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-26-10 01:47 PM
Response to Original message
22. We have no microphone to make that case, or any other
As long as Cabal News and Hate Radio hold sway, no democratic ideas or ideals will make any progress.
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