Years back, when I lived out west, we had an Indian friend who had come from the Shoshone reservation near Pocatello, Idaho. What he said was that the Indians on the reservation didn’t do anything beside lay around and get drunk. He said they had to stay on the reservation to get the monthly stipend each month. He wanted to better himself, so he left the reservation and the guaranteed income, moved to Spokane, found a job, rented an apartment, and lived on his own, and he was proud of himself. People can do this, if they want to be different. Look at Dr. Ben Carson, who grew up in poverty, yet managed to become not just a doctor, but a well-respected brain surgeon. Very low income people are already receiving government paychecks, food vouchers, medical care, and many other benefits. They actually have as many benefits as some working people have, who earn enough money to not be below the poverty level. I think that we need to educate these low income people more on how to spend the money that they already get before we start giving them even more money, if it is wasted on things like drugs, alcohol, and junk food. For people who are seniors, I do think that it would be beneficial to raise the base amount of SS pension, and most of these people are already used to making their income go as far as possible.
Wow, now you’re telling me that I’m not a “thinking” person? Using the plight of the Native Americans didn’t have anything to do with casinos as much as it stands as a control grouping by which one can extrapolate evidence as to how a society reacts to being “taken care of” by a government. If indeed we do go back to the casino issue it would only be for the intention of providing further evidence that even when jobs and careers are provided for those same natives, the poverty level is still rampant because those jobs aren’t being filled. Moreover, upon further examination we have a 9.2% alcohol abuse rating among the American Indians from the ages of 12 and up which is higher than any other ethnic grouping. Now, as to capitalism, your initial post included the positive assumption that getting a check plus saving one’s nickels and dimes goes forward toward one seeking a greater education and career ergo a cog in the very wheel of capitalism.
Well said! Yes, for those that HAVE PAID IN their amounts should be increased, but instead, I see now my drug plan just DOUBLED in the monthly price.
No personal offense intended! The actual purpose of my note was to strike outside the 'conservative' bubble here and offer a less 'comfy' viewpoint for consideration.
Hoot --- Maslow's good! But 'many people' is not the same as 'all people', or even 'most people' when calculating how many would rather loaf around than pursue meaningful goals. If people are simply fed and lodged, while further goals remain out of reach, then what you have is our current welfare system. What I'm talking about is an entirely different thing altogether.
Nothing is free in life it always comes with strings attached, if the government gets involved or wants to give you something, put some armour on your back because sooner or later it is going to get stabbed.
I think the American Indian plight and their running casinos as a means of overcoming poverty and building self-reliance has proven to be successful. I have lived next to reservations for most of my 70 years. The reason reservations failed is that no Indian could continue their former lifestyle on the land that they were granted. They had to live as non-Indian citizens or live with no hope. When a way of living, a lifestyle, has been taken, many will revert to substance abuse. Just look around at what is happening now. Look at how most welfare folks spent their COVID bonus money. It wasn't to become self-supporting or better themselves, just for pleasure. They sunk further into dependency and begging for more handouts. A better example would be the downfall of the Black Americans that were for the most part living as they wanted until LBJ put many under government control with the housing projects that were based on communist country-style housing. We all know the massive failure of the "projects" and the return of freed dark-skinned American citizens back into a form of slavery. They found themselves living in more poverty than ever and alcoholism and drugs took over. Escaping this "plantation" still proves difficult for most.
When everyone got their checks, Yvonne and I noted how many big screen TV boxes and such were deposited next to the street for garbage pickup. I do digress from the subject at hand. The one thing about the Native American debacle is that with the casinos, it isn’t the taxpayer who is handing out checks nor is it the government employing those who work in those casinos which brings up the other elephant in the room, namely; Who is going to foot the bill for those guaranteed salaries and college tuitions should such a bill be passed? How can 300 million people receive a tax free salary ( and college) and call it sustainable? In short, it can’t. The government is already printing more money and throwing us into a much larger chasm of debt than we can possibly pay back in a hundred or more years so how is all that going to work? Our money is already akin to a Continental Dollar. Should the government further Tax the 1% or rather, afix a fine on the people [who employ thousands of individuals] because they’re rich? Ya can’t hit the rich for much more because they’ll fold and move their widget factory to Mexico and then where will the money come from to pay those guaranteed salaries? No, I’m afraid that someone hasn’t thought these things through. The thought of a guaranteed salary for a populous has been around for centuries and to some extent even tried but as of yet there is none who can say where the money would come from unless that government is a full blown pure Communistic government in every facet and construct that the word entails.
Sorry, but "many people" is a close as I can get for an estimate for those who are happy with basic physical needs being met, and in fact have no "further goals". And my personal observation is that the number is growing and is probably "most" at this point. If you have a definitive statistic you can share with us, please do.
At my age, I'll take whatever they want to give me but I don't think giving money away for free is good for the country. Still, I'd rather they spend it on Americans than on governments overseas and all the other nonsense they spend money on.
Pertinent?> last week I found a book online about Native American Medicine-Herbs-Roots-Diet-Leaves-Branches=Natural that were used for several hundred years or more, harmless, inexpensive and effective. When the government and pharmakeia got monetary, financial, 'legal', control of the sickness industry in the usa, they outlawed those harmless, inexpensive and effective natural healthy ways. People can still find the cure for almost anything if they seek for it, but not legally from any government/pharmakeia controlled person, agency or entity.
Whether or not there is any obligation at all , it appears clearly there is not, for a century now. The elected government, or appointed, does not care for the citizens, poor or rich. It is not at all being responsible for anyone's health and wellbeing. The corporations run things, for at least a century now. Follow the money.
The government has never done anything except enrich themselves and tax us to death. Not one program has ever been successful. Our SS was taken and used without our permission, in the very near future there will be no SS for workers. Imagine how well that is going to be with the cost of a house a million dollars and a car a minimum 100,000. At this time in life I doubt seriously anyone on our planet will have to worry about anything, the end is close as it has ever been thanks to all these yo yo s elected. Not one war time leader in our entire government, just a bunch of stupid people most so ignorant they can't manage their own checkbook. One thing about the final one, it will be fast and swift like turning a light switch on or off . I don't think we'll make it for three more years with that half wit sleeping in the basement of the white house. When I need cheering up I watch a video of the fool walking like a penguin, a mild wind will really ruin his day ;0)
All-encompassing statements, such as these, are not credible. You can't even make that statement about Hitler or Stalin and be accurate. I was not around in 1935, but I strongly suspect that Social Security was popular among a large segment of the population. It is a socialist program that I would not have been in favor of, but it has solved some problems, namely the problem of people who were too old to work, yet who were without pensions or retirement income. Social Security was basically a way of forcing people to pay into a retirement program. Since first enacted, it has been extended to large populations of people who have not paid into it, and the government has dipped into the Social Security fund, but it would be inaccurate to suggest that it didn't provide at least a partial solution to a major problem. As for there being no Social Security for workers at some point in the future, that has come up pretty much every election year since I've been paying attention, and it hasn't happened yet. If I had no income, other than Social Security, I could survive. It wouldn't be an easy living but I wouldn't starve, I'd have a roof over my head, and I'd be able to clothe myself, all without having to make the rounds of the churches looking for a handout.