One out of every four **American** children in poverty. Is this acceptable to ANYONE?

I'm sure many of us watched tonight's 60 Minutes - or we will.

If you haven't, do. It will break your heart.

This ought to be required viewing for anyone who sees merit in dismantling our social safety net. That goes to even those who wish to "negotiate" with the right wing zealots. That means a SHITLOAD of Democrats.

Quite simply, This Is **Not** Okay.

That vast concentrated wealth is just freely trickling down to those in need....NOT.

:banghead:

never see it. This country is an absolute la la land. La la land America.

but 25% of the population growing up hungry is worth it to keep our corporate overlords happy

:mad:

I really don't understand how these Republicans can get away with cutting jobs, without first creating them.

this will be the backlash coming for him.............


http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/

I like to believe that lefties don't need guns. Just numbers.

Welcome to DU.

Who represents THIS overwhelming Majority of Americans?

We simply do NOT have a Political Party willing to represent us.
The current "New Democrat Centrist Party" is depending on undeserved Brand Loyalty.




"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone


"By their works you will know them."

Do you think all those wallstreet guys care? For that matter, do you think Boehner cares? They worship Mammon. It is their God. There is a reason the golden calf sits outside their trading center. Their god does not give a shit about their comarades in hummanity. I wish our President would open his eyes and realize the Republicans flat do not give a fuck about anything other than their profit margins and bank accounts. He would do well to realize this.

http://www.forbes.com/wealth/forbes-400/gallery

Watch the "60 Minutes" segment about these heartbroken children & think of the obscene wealth of these people. Then ask yourself, why are these children having to live this way in America?

Some are actively trying to use their money to help others.

But I'm sure it is true that the large majority of them are selfish pigs that don't care about us commoners at all.

system that ensures these results. Capitalism has to go.

Capitalism with enough protections and regulations can work.
The fact that the regulations have been discarded is the problem.
They essentially eliminated laws that made the system work which
allowed the criminals to grow in strength and take over.

Whether it can recover or not is beginning to be a question.

You might put band-aids on it for awhile, as we did here in the 1950's with the higher tax rates, but it always comes roaring back because the objective is profit. As for regulations, paying off fines is just the cost of doing business. Doesn't work, never did.

and it has a constant tendency to try and break away from the controls and go 'rogue'.

But what system, in your opinion, would work better and do you have any examples of a society that has used it effectively?

But whatever.

n/t

government. :patriot:

n/t

This will stay the same.

You keep doing what your doing, you keep getting what your getting. Any hope we have will have to come from the street up.

for the gorefests ...

You know, the ones who love to watch the desperate fight over crumbs, just to survive ...

Me thinks there are many making more than that who would qualify as poverty stricken under most of our standards! Too sad!

and is totally inadequate for today.

WHY isn't the "progressive" media talking about this?

why isn't this common knowledge among "progressives"??? :wtf:

I am on a mission now, and wish all DUers (hope you are) do the same.

I'm marching, I'm writing, I'm very careful about where I spend my money, I'm boycotting, I'm doing WHATEVER I can...

This is un-ac-cep-ta-ble.

Period.

theres a man with a gun over there telling me to beware, nah, thats just an old song, I'm with you, we will push back!

I have dinner in the crockpot, now I don't feel like eating. I wish I knew somone who had no food near me. They can have mine.

acceptable.

Every apologist for dismantling the safety net should be crumpling with shame right now.

Nope. Not okay.

why, if they weren't lazy, those children would be working in factories and pulling themselves up by their....ooops...they don't have shoes or boots...well, by their toenails! And if they were really, really smart, why, they'd be discovered working at a soda fountain by some big conservative wealthy person who immediately gives them a magnificent job and mentors their talents!

Why, this happens to every poor person in America - they just must not be smart enough to get discovered!

go out and eat at a 3-4 star restaurant, buy a big boat, or stay at a 4 star hotel etc, etc, etc before donating to the homeless...has no compassion or moral compass. How do those multi-millionaires who complain about taxes...sleep at night knowing of all the needy children in this country? Bastards!

I hope some of our representatives saw 60 Min tonight and will reconsider voting for all those cuts to the safety nets for our poor.

I wish they'd do a story on the poor trying to pay for gas and oil to keep from freezing.
Next winter is going to be a bitch. We need to increase heating assistance...not cut it in half. What is Obama thinking?

What about people who build boats?

While I don't love the rich any more than anyone else, all of these jobs are solid middle class jobs that need SOMEONE to purchase their products and services.

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a marvelous lovely and loving person with wisdom and wit and courage.

We are truly lost.

The result of 30 years of reganomics. Yeah... Clinton AND Obama are reganomics lite...

With so many homeless children in school, the schools are taking on even more of society's problems than ever.

And all the anti-public education crowd cares about is their friggin' test scores. And punishing teachers (who are likely helping to feed and clothe these children) for not drilling them with more rote learning to score higher.

(None of the above was mentioned on 60 Minutes -- JMO.)

although i doubt it will melt any repub hearts. surely there are some reasonable repubs who will finally say 'enough'!?

ellen fl

so sadly about their situations. Every one who spoke had tears in their eyes, but were obviously holding back full sobs in order to speak. Children aren't supposed to hurt like that; their young lives shouldn't know that level of sorrow. Their hearts were broken & their innocence has been removed by worries.

A brother had to drop out of high school in his senior year to get a job just to help his family scrape by, which meant a place to sleep in one room at a modest hotel. The younger sister -- & I was so impressed by her maturity & ability to express herself -- spoke of her family having had to park in a Wal-Mart lot so that she & her brother could use its bathroom to wash themselves & to brush their teeth, bringing their own toothbrushes & toothpaste, each day before going to school. She said those standing around would stare, but what else could they do, as she shrugged her small shoulders.

This happens in America. :(

to an ESL class in the poorest neighborhood in New Haven where I was helping tutor. The lady was obviously too old to be this child's mother and I asked if she was the grandmother. The girl answered "They gave me to her."

A child, given away. She was the age of my granddaughter and I had to fight the tears welling up in my eyes...

I remember her to this day and I wonder what happened to her...

America. Oh yeah, you know there is a coincidence between the two. America stands for the land of the big corporation and special interest groups for as long as the money train is running!!

CHOO CHOO!!!

Add your voice here:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x575072


K&R

but glad to see that there was something on msm!

I missed it. I would like to see it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/06/60minutes/main20038927_page2.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

I don't know if it's the entire segment but it's a start.

Hey let's throw some MORE cuts at the poor and needy.

There are not enough zeros to address my agreement with your statement!

How can the leader of the "Democratic Party" say those words with a smile? :shrug:

US elites are completely decoupled from the reality that the average folk have to endure, and he's joined them in that promised land. Who wouldn't smile knowing he doesn't have to share in the shared punishment?

I agree with MMoore when he stated that America is STILL a wealthy nation. We just have to tighten the purse strings in some areas and open the wallet in others.

Let's start with no wars and use the money to feed kids? And there will be LOTS of money left over. Some of that can go to UEI extension or aid for upside down mortgages?

Jobs alone are not going to do it. Significant tax reforms and increased funding to end poverty is the only way:

• Address hunger
  
  
• Address homelessness
  
  
• Reform the tax code (this teaser about Wyden's proposal isn't that appealing)

Revenues from taxing the rich and ending the wars can significantly fund these programs and provide tax relief for low- to middle income Americans.

In terms of low-income tax relief, Kerry's EITC proposal is a good one.

Poverty jumped during the Bush years:



EPI report from September, A lost decade: Poverty and income trends paint a bleak picture for working families

even if it has gotten a bit worse and crossed some arbitrary threshold of significance.

America PRODUCES poverty. And we are also importing more of it every day, along with all the poverty we generate on out of our own negligence.

If this wasn't "OK" and if it wasn't part of the American Way Of Life, then large numbers of people would be banded together into a political party demanding the right to make deliberate changes to the underlying society and flawed economic model that had lead us to this sorry state of affairs.

Let me know when you hear of such a party, will you?

And that's all that matters. Why should it bother them? They don't feel the pain and I would be willing to bet if they saw that program it wouldn't mean dick to them.

for the show I have to wonder why some people are allowed to still breathe the same air as we all breathe. What a bunch of sick assholes, bitching about their tax money being spent on children!

I'm a public school teacher. I see more local children on a regular basis than do most.

You are right, of course. It's **NOT** okay. It rests upon all those who have participated in dismantling our social safety net: politicians from both parties, media talking heads who spew propaganda, and voters who listen and/or vote for politicians who are willing to erode that net.

They are going to change the child labor laws so the little bastards can pull themselves up by their bootstraps....



I wish I was kidding about this...