Let me clarify that this is for people living in the US and above the age of 18. Not starving babies or people in malaysia.

I really don't understand why so many people go to bed at night crying and thinking about poor people. Or why they feel its so important to feel guilty that some people are dumb and irresponsible.

Personally, when i hear about the problems of poor people it really upsets me. It upsets me that I know some people out there are thinking "wow, we should really do more to help them".

I can't for the life of me figure out why people have such bleeding hearts. My only theory is that they don't really know poor people. They don't realize that poor people are poor because they use drugs, buy a lot of cell phones, and eat every meal out.

Poor people don't go hungry. They choose to give up food to spend more on drugs/alcohol, cell phones, etc. A simple look at food stamp statistics proves this.

These people make irresponsible purchases rather than buying car insurance or supporting their kids.

I don't think there is anything wrong with being nice to poor people, hanging out with poor people, or anything like that. I just think its wrong to throw away so many valuable resources that just reward people for being poor. I mean really, why encourage it?


I just really think its time for people to grow up. If someone wants to be poor then let them. If you'd like to give them money fine, but don't insist that others should too.

Do people just pretend to like poor people because it makes them look sensitive? Why not just pretend to like Matthew McCoughaney movies instead?

Is it just some pyscho-religious thing or what?

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 6:44 PM. Reason : a]

3/2/2007 6:41:41 PM

not to mention we are importing the poverty from third world latin countires as we speak

3/2/2007 7:08:53 PM

I know everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I found fallacies all over that opening post. If you feel a certain way about poor people, then thats your audacity. But to say that someone is poor because they are irresponsible is ridiculous. That's just like saying "people who are rich, are rich because they are crooks".

There are a ton of people who are mentally challenged and are poor. They don't have a family or a foundation to support them like your spoiled brat ass. There are some cities that are poor! does that mean, all the people in it are irresponsible? there are some countries that are poor...wait...lemme guess, all the people there are irresponsible individuals who choose to live that way.

If you think that government and economy have absolutely nothing (to the slightest) to do with social economic status then you are a lost soul.

Quote :

"Is it just some pyscho-religious thing or what? "

And what the hell does this mean?

Quote :

"Poor people don't go hungry. They choose to give up food to spend more on drugs/alcohol, cell phones, etc. A simple look at food stamp statistics proves this. "

Where is your intelligence? You just need to stick to sports talk.

Quote :

"Do people just pretend to like poor people because it makes them look sensitive?"

Out of that whole crap-ridden post, this is the only relevant question worth asking.


[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 7:22 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 7:13:06 PM

hahahahaha @ this thread. Originally the title caught my attention. After getting to the

third sentence break, I stopped reading. Sorry.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 7:30 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 7:30:24 PM

Quote :

" There are a ton of people who are mentally challenged and are poor"

I'll give them a small break. But there are plenty of support plans in place for them.

Quote :

"There are some cities that are poor"

Solution: Move. People have been moving since the beginning of the world.

Quote :

"there are some countries that are poor"

This is not one of them. Re-read my opening sentence. Not talking about other countries. Although, its pretty stupid to waste money by giving to poor countries. Theres no telling how much these idiots like Bono are screwing up the world economy by throwing away billions to corrupt governments.

Quote :

" If you think that government and economy have absolutely nothing (to the slightest) to do with social economic status"

Yes, thats why winners compensate losers with programs like job training. Theres no reason to just give the poor people new cell phones.

Quote :

"Where is your intelligence?"

Where is yours? Facts are facts. Giving people food stamps doesn't cause them to buy more food. It causes them to buy more cell phones. It's just a giant waste of resources because the program doesnt do shit. We'd waste a lot less money if we just gave them money instead of food stamps. Even alcoholics and heroin addicts spend $50/week on food. Why waste so much money on a social program that is pointless? Just give them the fucking money so they can buy an Xbox 360 with it.

Quote :

"third sentence break, I stopped reading."

You're probably a bleeding heart too. You make me sick but i chuckle at the thought of you tossing and turning in your bed at night wondering why everyone can't drive a Mercedes.

3/2/2007 7:39:26 PM

Quote :

"pyscho-religious "

hey, what does this mean?

Quote :

"Solution: Move. People have been moving since the beginning of the world."

I guess someone dirt poor can afford to rent a u-haul and relocate to L.A or some other indigenous city.


This thread is very unintelligent. To the point of no return. You hate poor people... I mean, what the hell is that?

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 7:54 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 7:43:55 PM

No, I dont hate poor people at all.

I hang out with plenty of poor people. A lot of them are cool.


The difference is that I don't feel sorry for them.


I just dont get why others do. They might sit around in their apartments smoking, gambling, drinking, watching digital cable etc, but they dont ask you to feel sorry for them.

They just aren't the type of people who care if they have luxury cars, expensive bottles of chardonnay, family vacations, or dentist appointments. Let them be.

3/2/2007 8:06:41 PM

Okay. Now that you've voiced your opinion about poor people, you can go to bed now. Everythings gonna be okay. I promise.

Dumbass thread = the end.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 8:10 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 8:10:35 PM

Actually it's not an opinion about poor people.

Its an opinion about liberals.


Poor people arent the problem, the enablers are.

3/2/2007 8:12:53 PM

Quote :

"They just aren't the type of people who care if they have luxury cars, expensive bottles of chardonnay, family vacations, or dentist appointments. Let them be. "

I'm far from poor and I don't even care about this level of materialism. You have [NO] point. And having these items don't make you any more of a person than they are. It does not make you any better. But I won't waste thought in this wack thread bickering with you about your hatred or disgust for poor people. You sound like Paris Hilton. Seriously.

3/2/2007 8:16:56 PM

So now it's an opinion about "liberals"?!?! I'm begining to think that you are under the influence right now.

Do you even know what it means to be "liberal"? No---don't even answer that question. I gotta go man. I'm ashamed I even posted in this thread.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 8:22 PM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 8:21:02 PM

Um i dont have any of that shit either. (besides the dentist appointments)

Read between the lines.

i just want people to understand that by "helping" poor people you are responsible for hurting everyone instead.


I hear about these nutjob social programs like whats going on in CA right now and it makes my stomach turn.


The thread is NOT about poor people and the thread is not about my personal wealth or lackthereof.

i know its a college message board and i know its a technical college at that, but it seems people would be less shortsighted in TSB.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 8:28 PM. Reason : a]

3/2/2007 8:23:21 PM

Just to demonstrate how completely ass backwards the people in our country are I'll propose a viable alternative to many of our flawed (by flawed i mean expensive & ineffective) social programs and watch as you cry about them.


1) Subsidize abortions, vasectomys, and tube tying. Make the last two options completely free.


Yes, the initial investment into healthcare cost would be expensive. But the results would be absolutely stunning. Imagine a country where in 10-15 years the violent crime rates dropped even more sharply than they did after abortion was legalized. Imagine the amount of money we'd save policing the city and staffing prisons. Imagine the subsequent medicaid savings.


This simple solution would please everyone involved. The "fathers" who don't want to be dad's. The mothers who cant work and raise kids at the same time. The kids who grow up in unstable homes. The middle class who is tired of seeing their shrinking real growth in income. THe rich who simply retire rather than invest in new ideas, innovate, and grow the economy because they are tired of their paychecks being raped by flawed government programs...

The only people who would complain are the religious zealots who would scream murder and the uninformed Americans.

I just dont understand people's position. If we were to send poor people a $50 best buy gift certificate every week in the mail people would be outraged. Yet we give them $50 in "food stamps" which conveniently becomes Best Buy money (or weed money) because they were going to spend at least $50 on food anyway.

People just don't get it and its frustrating to watch people die senselessly when we probably could have aborted a fetus for a few hundred dollars to eliminate the murder before it happened. It would save us hundreds of thousands in legal fees, prisoner costs, etc not to mention saved the victim's life.

And thats just for one fucking fetus. Seriously, run the numbers. We'd be eating steaks for breakfast if we just let people fuck for pleasure instead of for babies.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 8:49 PM. Reason : a]

3/2/2007 8:46:39 PM

Quote :

"not to mention we are importing the poverty from third world latin countires as we speak"

That's... one way to look at it.

3/2/2007 9:04:12 PM

I'd have to agree with Rallydurham that there is a lot of misplaced empathy out there. I don't hate poor people, but I don't really feel sorry for the majority of them either. And I definitely don't like my hard-earned tax money going towards worthless social programs.

There needs to be a safety net out there, and programs like job training are valuable. But lets face it, there are thousands of programs out there to help the poor. And unemployment is pretty fucking low right now. If you are an able-bodied poor person in America, odds are that you are lazy and/or retarded. Or maybe you're just a junkie. Either way, I'm not gonna subsidize your waste of a life unless you are seriously disabled or working your ass off to turn your life around.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 11:00 PM. Reason : 2]

3/2/2007 10:59:10 PM

Bullshit. There are a lot of poor people out there who aren't lazy sandbags. You can't let a group of people represent the whole population. And if what you two are saying is true, then how would you tell the difference (lazy poor, working poor, handicap poor) from the two three or multi?

3/2/2007 11:07:05 PM

^You can tell the difference with programs that require the poor person to get off his ass and work in order to recieve benefits.

Habitat for Humanity is a pretty good program because it requires future homeowners to put in "sweat equity". Anybody who spends 500+ volunteer hours working on his house and other houses can't be too lazy.

3/2/2007 11:10:40 PM

in america we have fat poor people with playstations


[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 11:14 PM. Reason : ]

3/2/2007 11:13:27 PM

what's the definition of "poor" we are using?

3/2/2007 11:21:31 PM

Quote :

"Poor people don't go hungry. They choose to give up food to spend more on drugs/alcohol, cell phones, etc. A simple look at food stamp statistics proves this. "

You're either blatantly lying here, or you don't know what you're talking about (or both).

I can't find anywhere that breaks down food stamp statistics to what people are actually purchasing.

You basically have NO support for your claims in this thread, other than your own asinine assumptions and reasoning.

I would gladly eat my words though if you can find some proof backing up your claim.

3/2/2007 11:22:44 PM

rallydurham, how come your family couldn't break out of the lower-middle class trash cycle? Why aren't you rich?

(And, by the way, putting down poor people doesn't make you better. You're still trash.)

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 11:32 PM. Reason : ]

3/2/2007 11:30:09 PM

so compassion is psycho-religious?

3/2/2007 11:37:57 PM

It's not even about fucking compassion.

The system is set up so that some people can work two jobs a week and still not have enough money to feed and house their kids.

The rest of us benefit from this system, and if we want to continue benefitting, we need to at least pretend to give a shit about the welfare of the people busting their asses and still not making ends meet.

Did y'all know that certain parts of the government are now changing the stats on hungry people to "food insecure" people? That's right...food fucking insecure.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 11:42 PM. Reason : sss]

3/2/2007 11:42:12 PM

And the dark side of conservatism rears its ugly head once again...

I thought you guys were Christians

3/2/2007 11:45:54 PM

Quote :

"Let me clarify that this is for people living in the US and above the age of 18."

Yes, it is about them.

I teach at a school where 65% of the kids get free or reduced lunch. Don't act like you know poor people.

I see aid enabling kids to rise out of poverty more than I see it encouraging kids to remain in poverty.

Quote :

"Habitat for Humanity is a pretty good program because it requires future homeowners to put in "sweat equity""

I bet you think welfare is free money at the end of the month.

3/2/2007 11:54:49 PM

A moderate libertarian view:

First, to say that there is hardship in the country due only to laziness would be wrong. Life is a tough game, and not everyone is cracked up to win at it. We are our brother's keeper and the poor and luckless members of society deserve our help.

Now how do we deliver that help? That is the key question.

It is a moral imperative that we provide this help and still maintain freedom and liberty.

Prior to the 1930s, our gov't was rarely involved with charity. I think we swung a bit too far and are now saddled with an ever-increasing welfare state.

The big problem with a welfare state is that it doesn't succeed in the goal of reduccing poverty. We have created generations of helpless wards of the state who pass on the culture of poverty to their children. They are forced to live in crime-ridden areas, stripped of dignity, and encouraged not to marry and raise children in stable homes. With its high taxes, over-regulation, min. wage, and corrupt politicians, Gov't involvement in social insurance and intervention has backfired and created much more human suffering than it has soothed.

What to do? We need a system that would give us a guaranteed minimum income to everyone regardless of the reason, while protecting their independence and motivation to improve their lives. The system should use gov't to only a minimum and reduce the opportunity for corruption.

I like the idea of the negative income tax as a replacement for the mish-mash of welfare programs.
Secondly, we should wind down the social security program and move towards independent retirement planning. We would need to protect the people already on it, as well as paying off the people who have invested into it but not yet eligible for benefits. But a cutoff date for younger workers would eliminate any further payroll deductions and later benefits. They would have to take responsibility for their own retirement plans.

There are probably other alternatives as well, but the general idea is to protect the truly helpless and luckless while reducing the massive gov't welfare state. Put the money back into peoples' pockets, encourage freedom and champion personal responsibility.

3/3/2007 1:19:23 AM

I agree with rally and earth ... interesting

Quote :

"I teach at a school where 65% of the kids get free or reduced lunch. Don't act like you know poor people. I see aid enabling kids to rise out of poverty more than I see it encouraging kids to remain in poverty. "

are you teaching over 18 year olds ?


this falls under the same heading of why you should give a poor guy a burger and not 5 dollars, etc

3/3/2007 1:41:12 AM

3/3/2007 2:02:42 AM

I see what this guy did here. He started this thread out sounding like a fool (by assuming what all poor people purchase eg; cigs, cell phones etc) then he "tried" to make this an argument about liberals and starts bashing them. You are really trying way too hard here buddy.

3/3/2007 2:15:06 AM

I don't know, I mean poor people in America are in pretty good shape compared to the rest of the world. Anyone in this thread ever wasted food? That could have saved a life somewhere in Africa. Point is, we could all do something to help people. Do you think not saving a life when you could have is the same as killing someone? With that perspective, we're all murderers.

Maybe it goes back to the old philosophy question: if you could have 10,000 dollars as a result of someone in China dropping dead, but it couldn't be traced back to you in any way, would you do it? The question gets varying responses, but I'd have to say 90+ percent of people in America would take the money.

Also, I'm the first to admit that I'm a terrible person. I can't bring myself to care about masses of people dying in foreign countries; this is a personality flaw, and if there is a hell, I'm sure I will end up there. As much as I want to care, I cannot bring myself to care about anyone that I don't know or feel like I know on some level.

[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 2:33 AM. Reason : ]

3/3/2007 2:30:59 AM

this thread increases general retardation.

3/3/2007 2:42:34 AM

^lol, seriously.

3/3/2007 2:49:46 AM

Quote :

"Maybe it goes back to the old philosophy question: if you could have 10,000 dollars as a result of someone in China dropping dead, but it couldn't be traced back to you in any way, would you do it?"

Virtue is doing what is right, regardless if anyone is looking.

3/3/2007 3:54:25 AM

Quote :

"continuing to post in this thread increases general retardation."

3/3/2007 5:35:34 AM

Quote :

"1) Subsidize abortions, vasectomys, and tube tying. Make the last two options completely free."

Quote :

"I definitely don't like my hard-earned tax money going towards worthless social programs."

3/3/2007 11:57:54 AM

Quote :

"The system is set up so that some people can work two jobs a week and still not have enough money to feed and house their kids."

I read a great thread last week about minimum wage. It is great that high schools can get paid $5.15/hr or higher to get some extra cash, but obviously someone with 6 children and a mcmansion won't be able to support him or herself on minimum wage. If the person in your scenario is not making minimum wage and is actually working 60+ hours a week (not 2 shitty 20/hr a week jobs) then they should seriously reevaluate their spending habits. Also, you can refer back to my previous quote about having abortions etc. Don't have kids if you can't afford them.

3/3/2007 12:03:57 PM

Oh my God I'm going to have fun with this thread

I wish I had more time to deal with it now

Stay tuned, kids.

3/3/2007 12:06:44 PM

Quote :

"are you teaching over 18 year olds ?"

You can't separate children from adults.

Most of the time the adults are receiving aid because of and for their kids. That's why the scope rally set for the debate is retarded.

3/3/2007 12:58:16 PM

I wholeheartedly disagree. I think it is very reasonable to say that a child who we have decided, as a society, deserves support and protection, becomes a worthless, lazy piece of shit the very instant he or she turns eighteen (a prime age, I might add, to buy a cell phone!).

3/3/2007 2:25:46 PM

Quote :

"I read a great thread last week about minimum wage. It is great that high schools can get paid $5.15/hr or higher to get some extra cash, but obviously someone with 6 children and a mcmansion won't be able to support him or herself on minimum wage. If the person in your scenario is not making minimum wage and is actually working 60+ hours a week (not 2 shitty 20/hr a week jobs) then they should seriously reevaluate their spending habits. Also, you can refer back to my previous quote about having abortions etc. Don't have kids if you can't afford them."

In a sociology class I took over at Wake Tech, I had to make a monthly operating budget for a full-time secretary/admin at the college who waited tables on the weekends and was also a single mother of two children (ages 2 & 6)...I personally had the total budget at $2300/month. The lowest in the class was $1900/month. What she actually took home each month? $1523. And she doesn't even qualify as living in poverty.

You should try making a budget for a single mother of two young children. Add it up, and see for yourself. It's really easy for you to sit back and talk shit about their spending habits, but you're still wrong.

3/3/2007 4:51:04 PM

I realize you guys don't want to hear about my bullshit classes and whatnot, but seriously...try to make a monthly operating budget for a single parent of two children. Multiply it by 12...and then go look at stats on after-tax income in NC. See how you add up.

3/3/2007 4:56:51 PM

Quote :

"What she actually took home each month? $1523"

1. She should be getting child support. If she isn't then she needs to get on that deadbeat's ass to pay up.

2. What was her gross pay? She needs to increase her earning power.

[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 5:11 PM. Reason : ]

3/3/2007 5:09:18 PM

^^ another great reason to subsidize abortion.


Did anyone cry in their sleep last night?




^^ P.S. When you were making her budget did you suggest the following?

--- Switch to a less expensive cell phone plan

--- Start packing your lunch instead of eating at Ruby Tuesdays with co-workers

--- You don't have to buy every new children's DVD or shop at the Baby Gap.

--- Quit smoking


Those 4 options would have put her under budget easily.

Quote :

" The big problem with a welfare state is that it doesn't succeed in the goal of reduccing poverty"

This is a really important point. You bleeding hearts just don't get it. You can't fix social problems by just throwing money at them. You are all just enablers. When an alcoholic is broke you don't hand him beer money. That doesn't solve anything... Didn't New Orleans teach you anything?

Honestly we should just build crackhouses that are legal and secure. We could hand out vouchers for people to go twice a week. Everyone gets their drugs in a controlled environment. That would make a lot more sense than just handing them crack money and turning them loose in the streets where drug dealers fight over their business. America is so concerned with image that they don't stop to think about results.



[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 5:24 PM. Reason : a]

3/3/2007 5:13:59 PM

You are the biggest troll, man seriously. Ask yourself how in the hell poor people can afford a cell phone plan (when they aren't cheap), to dine out at resturants (when they have to rely on public transportation).

Please stop responding to this troll. You know you A) don't have a point. B) don't have ANY facts to back this up. ANY. You don't like poor people. We understand already. Poor people have existed since the begining of time and will continue until the end.

It is obvious that you don't understand life because you so easily sit back and guage poor people and judge them based on your group of "loser" friends. You say "well, my loser friends are like this so all poor people are like this...let's not help them anymore". What does your sorry spoiled brat ass do to help poor people? I could see if you do volunteer work on the regular and felt this way.

But you're probably some lazy ass american who is no different from your sorry ass friends. You probably don't even work. Life is real. And I know a lot of people who don't ask to be poor and don't sit around and ask for handouts. And someone mentioned child support---that shit is a joke unless you're married to P-diddy or Donald trump. It's like what 2-300 $ a month at the MOST. Pampers alone would kill that, and some.

There are people out here who need help, plain and simple. And there are people out here taking advantage of that. But that's life, and you have that in every aspect. Nothing is perfect.

I wish people would quit complaining about their tax dollars. I much rather help the homeless (or people taking advantage of it) than building bombs and technological advances that will never get used. Ever. And a plethora of other things.

As long as our tax dollars are being used (or aimed to be used for a good cause) I have no problem with it.

Quote :

"Poor people don't go hungry. They choose to give up food to spend more on drugs/alcohol, cell phones, etc. A simple look at food stamp statistics proves this"

I really really really really didn't know that Ruby Tuesdays and Alltell took foodstamps. Guess you learn something new everyday.

[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 6:04 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2007 5:56:32 PM

Quote :

"Please stop responding to this troll. ( + 500 more words expounding on your point of view) "

man shut the fuck up. people like you continuing to post in this retarded thread just makes this forum even more retarded than it already is




[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 6:05 PM. Reason : ]

3/3/2007 6:04:25 PM

^ I know man. I can't help it. You know it's hard to ignore ignorance

[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 6:06 PM. Reason : I'm done foreal this time!!]

3/3/2007 6:05:06 PM

^ yeah, i know right.

3/3/2007 6:06:17 PM

Quote :

"As long as our tax dollars are being used (or aimed to be used for a good cause) I have no problem with it."

Ugh, that makes my stomach turn to hear someone say something so dreadful.

Why don't we just kill babies and starve children too while we're at it.


Do you not understand that EVERY resource is limited? When you waste $1 by giving it to a poor person to buy crack that is $1 that can no longer be used to fund cancer research.

You have no idea how ignorant you come off. My suggestion is to take advantage of your educational opportunities and learn about the world rather than getting caught up in this imaginary lala land where everyone can have a Nextel with unlimited minutes.





[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 6:16 PM. Reason : a]

3/3/2007 6:12:59 PM

Quote :

"EVERY resource is limited"

So what does re-newable resource mean, then?

Quote :

"pyscho-religious ""

And you still never explained this to me. What does it mean? You typed this and I want to know what you meant. Talk about ignorance.




[Edited on March 3, 2007 at 6:33 PM. Reason : .]

3/3/2007 6:24:19 PM

^^ omg. what a fucking retard. this thread has hit a new depth of retardation.

people like this guy make college degrees worth less.

3/3/2007 6:27:53 PM