Poverty In America

[Marnie]

You can't solve the problem of poverty, if the impoverished do not take control of their own lives.

[1Cor6:11Man]

I don't know a whole lot about the economy, but there are a few things that ring true for me.

#1. I agree with Justin about the pregnancy being a moral issue, not an education issue. To say that its education is to fly in the face of where our country has gone morally and spiritually. You cannot separate the two. The only reason we have such issues such as these, is because our country has lost its moral point of reference. Everything is relative, and I don't think that education is really going to help a whole lot.

On a side note, how long do you think it would take before we put an end to teen pregnancy? Like every moral issue, it depends on moral training. Keyword: Moral, not ethical. Which means it's wrong, not just unhealthy or unwise.

#2. I personally view illegal immigration as the downfall for our country. I say that in 2 parts.

First, it is not their culture that I am opposed to. Primarily, it is their illegal status. From the financial view-point, illegal immigration is a drain, and I believe will be a breaking point for our country. Unless we get illegal immigration under control, we will find it to be one of the things that bankrupts this country. But its not only the money in regards to illegal immigration, it is also the attitude of those who come to this country illegally. Illegal immigrants are so because from the get go they don't want to assimilate into US Culture. Just take the picture of those kids in California who flew a Mexican flag above an UPSIDE-DOWN american flag at their school. The problem is far more reaching than people are willing to admit.

I encourage you to read this article: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/index.php?id=1172085

#3. My mother worked 3 jobs to keep my sister and I with a roof over our heads, and food on the table. My mother took personal responsibility far beyond what we expect of people today. The problem with handouts is that no one is satisfied. We just want more and more public assistance (which, by the way, my mother grew up with public assistance in the 50's, but vowed never to have to go there unless she had to....which as far as I can remember, we never did.)

#4. Forrestkc, you have a lot of good points though. However, I think when the question was asked about how much goes overseas, I don't think it was in reference to the war...although that is still legitimate. I would encourage you to look at how much we spend on foreign aid, which is what I think the question was more pointed to...although I could be wrong...I didn't write it!

#5. I hate statistical information such as teen pregnancy rates. The reason? #1. People only look at one, maybe two sources. #2. The reason for the pregnancy is never truly addressed, it is just assumed (ie, abstinance only programs) - Not that I'm saying it couldn't be a factor in some way. #3. Stats are always qualified. Ie., "we only surveyed 1000 people, we surveyed only girls from ages 10 -15, etc.)

#6. Even if the pregnancy rates did go up as a result of abstinance only programs, that, in my opinion mind you, is a clear indicator of what happens when you have a generation of kids that are raised in families where those strong moral/religious values are not taught, emphasized, and valued. If the book of Romans tells us anything, it's that the Natural Man will become more likely to break the law, when the law is revealed to him. Romans 7:7-14.

So then, IF teen pregnancy is on the rise in the midst of abstinence education, that would be it. But you will still see an increase in it, even if "safe sex" were practiced. How do I know? Let's look at the last 50 years and see it for ourselves.

Edited December 7, 2007 by 1Cor6:11Man

[Shortstop]

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime.

You got it right! Self suffiency....

The lean process is not working..."Lean on the government to take care of me." NOT!

[JustinM]

I don't know a whole lot about the economy, but there are a few things that ring true for me.

#1. I agree with Justin about the pregnancy being a moral issue, not an education issue. To say that its education is to fly in the face of where our country has gone morally and spiritually. You cannot separate the two. The only reason we have such issues such as these, is because our country has lost its moral point of reference. Everything is relative, and I don't think that education is really going to help a whole lot.

On a side note, how long do you think it would take before we put an end to teen pregnancy? Like every moral issue, it depends on moral training. Keyword: Moral, not ethical. Which means it's wrong, not just unhealthy or unwise.

#2. I personally view illegal immigration as the downfall for our country. I say that in 2 parts.

First, it is not their culture that I am opposed to. Primarily, it is their illegal status. From the financial view-point, illegal immigration is a drain, and I believe will be a breaking point for our country. Unless we get illegal immigration under control, we will find it to be one of the things that bankrupts this country. But its not only the money in regards to illegal immigration, it is also the attitude of those who come to this country illegally. Illegal immigrants are so because from the get go they don't want to assimilate into US Culture. Just take the picture of those kids in California who flew a Mexican flag above an UPSIDE-DOWN american flag at their school. The problem is far more reaching than people are willing to admit.

I encourage you to read this article: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/index.php?id=1172085

#3. My mother worked 3 jobs to keep my sister and I with a roof over our heads, and food on the table. My mother took personal responsibility far beyond what we expect of people today. The problem with handouts is that no one is satisfied. We just want more and more public assistance (which, by the way, my mother grew up with public assistance in the 50's, but vowed never to have to go there unless she had to....which as far as I can remember, we never did.)

#4. Forrestkc, you have a lot of good points though. However, I think when the question was asked about how much goes overseas, I don't think it was in reference to the war...although that is still legitimate. I would encourage you to look at how much we spend on foreign aid, which is what I think the question was more pointed to...although I could be wrong...I didn't write it!

#5. I hate statistical information such as teen pregnancy rates. The reason? #1. People only look at one, maybe two sources. #2. The reason for the pregnancy is never truly addressed, it is just assumed (ie, abstinance only programs) - Not that I'm saying it couldn't be a factor in some way. #3. Stats are always qualified. Ie., "we only surveyed 1000 people, we surveyed only girls from ages 10 -15, etc.)

#6. Even if the pregnancy rates did go up as a result of abstinance only programs, that, in my opinion mind you, is a clear indicator of what happens when you have a generation of kids that are raised in families where those strong moral/religious values are not taught, emphasized, and valued. If the book of Romans tells us anything, it's that the Natural Man will become more likely to break the law, when the law is revealed to him. Romans 7:7-14.

So then, IF teen pregnancy is on the rise in the midst of abstinence education, that would be it. But you will still see an increase in it, even if "safe sex" were practiced. How do I know? Let's look at the last 50 years and see it for ourselves.

Thank you for your comments. Welcome to Worthy!!! Teenage pregnancy rates have been decreasing for the last 10 years, it is only this year that we have seen a rise, most of the experts have no idea what is causing this and they believe it could be a mistake in analysis or a fluke, but most of them agree that it's too soon to make any judgements.

Forrestkc hates the war in Iraq and wants us to leave, so he likes to throw the costs of those wars into pretty much every discussion we have regardless of relevance to the discussion.

But, yeah most of us knew that the poster was referring to foreign aid and not war. War isn't a permanent policy of the US, so whenever it ends, the costs associated with those wars will also go away.

[forrestkc]

#4. Forrestkc, you have a lot of good points though. However, I think when the question was asked about how much goes overseas, I don't think it was in reference to the war...although that is still legitimate. I would encourage you to look at how much we spend on foreign aid, which is what I think the question was more pointed to...although I could be wrong...I didn't write it!

My mom worked 2 and 3 jobs to raise us so I know where you are coming from there. I know what you mean about foreign aid, but there is another point of view with that too. Think about it this way, say we give some foreign aid to Pakistan for them build schools with, yeah, we need that money here, but if we did not provide them with that aid, radical islamists would be doing it, and we know what kind of schools they build. So we can and do benefit from foreign aid. The same is true with Israel. Its by far our biggest foreign aid recipient, but it probably would not even be there if it were not for our providing it with foreign aid.

[Theopolitan]

Mat 26:11 For ye have the poor always with you . . .

Poverty will never be eliminated. Besides, that's not the role of civil government. Its role is to bear the sword, to punish the evildoer and commend those who do well.

[damo1]

damo1

well you can also take a look at what some countrys are doing and see if this model can be done in your country i have heard that it is more hard for the home less the single people the single mothers and the street kids living in America

hear in my country Australia at least my goverment has its head on and belives no one should be suffering or going with out

when kevin rud got ellected as our new Australian prime minister he said on tv and it was said also in the local papers that are sold that he had asked all his team members to at least viset a shelter and see what can be done to improve things

i work for a group called life with out barriers as a foster carer and our funding to pay the staff and house hold needs like food furniture and and taking the young kids out comes from department of community services and the goverment

when kevin rud anounced this on tv i thought to my self well i am on the ground floor and i know of ways to improve things not just for the shelters that are set up for our home less men and young people but improving things to wear people are housed instead of having them sleep in run down old buildings or out in the open as i use to when i was living on the streets these shelters wear a god sent and a blessing as at least you had a bed you wear fed you can have a shower and even wash your clothes and you wear safe

we have department of housing that sets young and old in units or homes department of housing also meets half the cost to the electricity and gas and phone and will pay bond for a private unit or home as the weighting list for a department of housing commission unit can be any wear up to 3yrs depending how far you are on the list and what city or country town you are living in when you sign up for a goverment housing commisson home or unit you can also swap your home or unit this has just come in say for example if you want to live in the coast you put an add up and then you weight to be contacted or if you want to move from the city to the country you weight to be contacted but the person has to be intrested in moving and swapping their home or unit with you and you need to let department of housing know that you are doing this you are given a case file number and that case file number or id is yours for life yoiu are also allowed to say buy your home or unit once you have been with department of housing a long time they wil work this out with you and you just say go by their payment plan it can be wear your rent is taken out to pay for the home you are in

the rent is reduced as most are on a center link payment and a lot of our older folk are on a pension so the department is making life a little bit simple for those that do get a home or unit but their are rules and you also sign a contrac as you are responsible for the lawns and for your home as goverment housing units or homes are set in neighbor hoods and near schools you are also screened as department of housing has a black list for bad tenenants

social sercurity is handed out as wel to young people single mothers and older folk which i said is the pension no one is knocked back but you have to have an adress to wear your fortnightly form can be sent to you and you need to keep all apointments and show that you are looking for work their is assistance for new mothers this assistance can be any wear up to $ 800 to $1000 to help meet the new borns needs like cot pram nappys and so on

we have job net work agencies also working close with social secuirty which is know called center link long time ago it use to be one goverment department called commenwealth employment services know its diffrent agencies that take on centerlink clients and work close to help train or find a job and if you fail any apointment you can lose your centerlink payment for over 8 weeks job network agencies staff or case manegers get payed if a long term unemployed person is placed into a job threw your job network memember they also pay for removal costs if you get a job out of state in Australia they give you assistance as well for job interview clothes and work clothes and boots they also help with job interview skills each agency has phones you can use computers on line and a fax machaine as well plus you can buy cheep job inter view clothes black slacks nice shirt with tie and dress shoes for $90 dollars you can pay it in one hit or pay this of on a payment plan

we also have work for the dole programs wear you work with other long term or short term people that are on a centerr link payment work for the dole works like this you can do 4 days a week or when ever the program finishes i did this twice as the idea is to get people out and about and of their back side as some unemployed people wil sleep in and not look for work most will only get out of bed to put their fortnightly form in so work for the dole was set up to get people trained and lift their self esteem up and help work on their communication skills

you can be cleaning a park like i did or doing shire council jobs like heritage buildings wear you paint a building fix the brokken fences plant new tress clean up creek beds get rid of trolies that end up in the creek beds it is labor work and some have gotten full time work threw the work for the dole programs set up with in australia

also you can go to tafe its like a learning collage wear you train for what ever job you want like hospitality industry or welding or being a mechanic also you can do courses say for example if you want to work with children in child care or the welfare system tafe does all the courses that wil prepare a person and its cheeper than uni and some one on a center link payment does these courses threw tafe for free their are also computer courses and those who want to work in radio stations or tv or acting you can also do night courses or day courses to get your high school certificate if you dropped out and want to get your high school certificate

this is what our goverment is doing to help those in poverty in our country

god bless from your brother in the lord damien stipic