[QUOTE=xtisme]
I seriously doubt you are anything approaching poor…at least not by my own standards. Tell you what…we’ll have that beer in South Tucson someday and I’ll show you where I grew up. It might be…educational…
-XT
[/QUOTE]
Deal!
Well, I still have a lot of my stuff from before I was struggling, so I don’t really look poor, but I do not currently make enough to cover rent, utilities, car insurance, food and other necessities. And I now qualify for services. I don’t know what you think, but given the cost of living, the federal poverty guidelines seem pretty freakin’ lowball. That was a shocker.
I appreciate the perspective, though. And I am thankful for what I do have: my family, my health, a support system, and at least we do have jobs. And the Dope, of course.
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl]
Wow. Just wow. So, because I’m struggling financially due to a sagging economy, I don’t care about Africans? I feel for their plight believe me. But I am an American and last I heard out of my President’s mouth, we were the most prosperous country in the world. So, tell me again, why our own children are living in poverty while the guys in Washington cut funding for subsidized healthcare?
[/QUOTE]
My browser window literally just disappeared off the screen while I was typing the last sentence of a long reply, so this is going to be the short short version.
I wasn’t commenting on how you feel about Africans. I was saying that your situation doesn’t appear to be dire enough to be making a desperate plea for understanding and relief, especially not to our government.
Look, I feel your pain - I was laid off last year too. Now my wife and I are living in a house we bought during better times and can neither sell nor really afford anymore, and driving cars we can’t really afford anymore. We’re not pleading for help, though - we’re sucking it up. We’re budgeting ourselves and waiting for better times to come back around. It’s capitalism, what’re you gonna do?
And what do you say to Americans who don’t want government involved in health care? A lot of us don’t think it’s the federal government’s job to take care of us financially. The risk for the chance at that prosperity you mentioned is that you might just not make it.
Well, Cisco, for what it’s worth I hope things work out for you…and me, both. Personally, I don’t think think I’m a big risk taker and maybe that’s why I haven’t ever tasted the golden apple. But life is not all about risk vs. reward. Sometimes, it’s about well, the basics. People ought to at least have the basics, y’know?
If nothing else, I vented and strangely my mood was on the upswing yesterday. I touched on a lot of other issues that really have nothing to do with gas, so I won’t continue to belabor my point.
Suffice it to say, wrt gas prices: ouch! Here’s hoping we don’t have to depend on it for much longer.
[QUOTE=spoke-]
“Most belligerent?” How so? He didn’t suggest doing anything beyond what Bush has already done at least once. (Bombing a known al Qaeda position in Pakistan without obtaining prior consent from Pakistan’s government.)
[/quote]
So, he still took the most belligerent stance in that debate, and Bush isn’t running.
I already said that. But a country doesn’t have to support al Qaeda to take actions against the interests of the US.