Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BBC's Panorama--Poor America

While people in the US are being distracted over silly arguments about gun rights, once again once has to go overseas to learn serious news about the United States.

BBC Panorama's latest episode is about Poor America where school pupils who go hungry in the richest country on Earth.

Why is a teacher so concerned about gun rights when his pupils may be starving and without homes or health care?

Let's just pull a culture war, wedge topic out and distract people so they are so blind from having over worked amygdala that they cannot see the real issues around them.

9 comments:

  1. Pooch said: "in the richest country on Earth."

    Are you kidding me? We are broke an in debt up past our amygdala.
    Nothing like starting off with a false premise/
    orlin sellers

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  2. Actually, Laci, I do know a lot about my students, and it does concern me that some of them have the difficulties in their lives that you named. You have chastised me in the past for having lax standards with my students--not that you know anything about my standards, by the way--but you should know that I work with them to help them be a success. Education is a good way out of poverty.

    But you ask why I can be concerned about gun rights in addition to these other matters. The answer is that I can focus on more than one thing. I'm more complex than being obsessed about one subject alone.

    Besides, Europe isn't exactly doing so well these days. Their unemployment rate consistently stays well above ours across the continent, and the current debt crisis is making them reevaluate their social services.

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  3. Wedge topic - yes that is exactly what always goes on because it works all the time. The 1%'s media empire assures that combined with the stupid it's been a success story pass all.

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  4. I was at a business reception last evening and got talking to a young fella and his wife (I already know them from other meetings). We got on the subject of the minimum wage (they're both against it) and the implementation of some sort of national healthcare system (they're both against that as well). His contention is that people who don't have enough smarts to make whatever wage is being offered don't deserve to have the "cushion" of a "minimum wage". He also feels that people who can't afford healthcare should simply do without. I didn't have to ask him what his politics are.

    Most people that I've talked to (they number, at least, several hundred) who are pro-allthemojammin'gunzIcanhaz! are also very big on "personal responsibility in things like healthcare and a living wage.

    Now, how the fuck anyone thinks that $7.25/hr is a "living wage" is beyond me. Working 40 hours @ $7.25/hr yields $290.00 in pre-tax earnings. Assuming that the wage earner is not paying ANY federal/state/municipal income taxes but only the FICA/Medicare portion of 7.65% would leave the wage earner with annual take home pay of $13,926.38. If the wage earner is single he/she is slightly above the poverty level. If the wage earner is living with someone else (more than a one person household) than it is below the poverty level. It is not possible for most people who work at a minimum wage job to save anything, so they and their families are always on the edge of the abyss.

    A recent study found that something like 40% of households earning in excess of $100K/annum were not able to raise $2,000 in cash in 30 days.

    Crime, much of it driven by a lack of economic opportunity, is NOT caused by gunz. It sure as hell IS facilitated by gunz.

    Those pro-allthemojammin'gunzIcanhaz! types that I mentioned earlier are death on welfare but they sure like well maintained roads and other public infrastructure (which items are NOT paid for by income taxes) and they LOVE having the DEC or whatever they call their wild animal stocking folks making sure that the deer, elk, bear and assorted animals they like to shoot are properly "conserved".

    Whoops! Where the heck does the time go? I'm late for my afternoon appointment!

    I gotta go bug the TWC folks about my homeintertoobz.

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    Replies
    1. Democommie, I support a national universal healthcare system, and the idea of a living wage is something that needs much more discussion, since it's plain to me that $7.25 an hour is not enough.

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  5. Dem- I do not like the idea of Universal healthcare. Only because, the government running anything, only means they will run it into the ground. Welfare? I don't like it at all, I downright loathe it. Minimum Wage. Make it $10, or $12. Let the Welfare recipients make enough money to get off of welfare. Give them some dignity.

    Your comment on the guns confuses me. So, people making minimum wage would take home less than $14,000 a year. But they could afford to spend $1500 on a gun? (Street price for a Glock 9MM in Chicago) That's more than 10% of their take home.

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  6. Let's note that the opinions expressed here by gun rights supporters are hardly monolithic on the topic of this article and that Laci is curiously silent about what we have to say.

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  7. "Dem- I do not like the idea of Universal healthcare. Only because, the government running anything, only means they will run it into the ground."

    Bullshit.

    You guys have NO problem with gummint providing roads for you to drive around on with your penis substitutes strapped to your hip or in an ankle holster. You have no problem with them inspecting beef, drugs or water to insure its purity and wholesomeness. You don't like universal healthcare for ONE reason; that reason is that you perceive that you would be paying for the lazy bums who get a free ride on the healthcare system. Here's a newsflash--that's precisely what occurs NOW. The folks who don't have money and go to the hospital--particularly with sick kids--get treated and the cost of their care is passed along to those who pay cash or have insurance. Your argument is fallacious.

    "Welfare? I don't like it at all, I downright loathe it. Minimum Wage. Make it $10, or $12. Let the Welfare recipients make enough money to get off of welfare. Give them some dignity."

    You really want to pay people $10-12/hr as a minimum wage? Is that what you pay the kid who shovels your walk or babysits for you?

    "Your comment on the guns confuses me. So, people making minimum wage would take home less than $14,000 a year. But they could afford to spend $1500 on a gun? (Street price for a Glock 9MM in Chicago) That's more than 10% of their take home.".

    Your confusion is noted; it has nothing to do with my comment.

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  8. demo - are you suggesting that you hire people for less than a living wage? That is not very Democratic of you.

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