Grover Norquist is literally retarded.

[Dinner]

Let us repeat what HC thinks is a "truism"... That Somalia has too much government.

[Dinner]

BTW I've seen tons of people in the US which are literally poor as can be, who have nothing other than the clothes on their back, and who can't afford even food. They're on the street corners in most large cities.

[kentonio]

You're the one who posted the moronic OP criticizing what is essentially a truism and also a statement in response to one of the most retarded one-liners liberals have ever devised--one which peddles the idea that if you don't like big government, you must approve of no goverment.

I can't believe you actually made it through school. The idea that Somalia suffers from too much government is so far beyond retarded that it actually makes peoples IQs drop just by reading it. The fact you think this is a 'truism' means you are stupid. Really, really stupid. I can't actually use the word 'really' enough to describe quite how stupid you are, because I would reach the character count long before.

Seriously, you are extremely stupid if you believe that nonsensical ****.

[Hauldren Collider]

So therefore you are arguing that people who cannot support their families, will not turn to crime when support is removed? Are you really that dense?

I'm stating facts. They don't seem to support your hypothesis. They aren't proof, either, but all you've made is a mildly plausible explanation for your predictions, which are a dime a dozen.

Wow. Just wow..

Just so you are aware, you relativist moron, a poor person in the US would practically be a king in many countries of the world. I'm not denying that they are poor, but they aren't exactly being crushed, either.

[a.kitman]

WTF is food security? What a concept. "At risk of hunger?"

it means they dont know if they are going to get food for the day or not you ****ing *******. you throwing a lol smily in there might be the worst thing i have seen on this site. well it isnt but its up there.

[Hauldren Collider]

I can't believe you actually made it through school. The idea that Somalia suffers from too much government is so far beyond retarded that it actually makes peoples IQs drop just by reading it. The fact you think this is a 'truism' means you are stupid. Really, really stupid. I can't actually use the word 'really' enough to describe quite how stupid you are, because I would reach the character count long before.

Seriously, you are extremely stupid if you believe that nonsensical ****.

What a fine rebuttal. You simply don't understand the critical element of what a "government" is, do you? You're as bad as Imran.

[loinburger]

I doubt virtually anyone in the US knows what it means to be truly poor.

How many poor people (or so-called poor people) have you ever spoken to for longer than, say, half an hour?

[Mojotronica]

Mojo and Loin in one thread? What, are you guys posting links over there or something or are you two just on holiday here? I mean, good to see you and all but what exactly brought you to this neck of the woods?

Coincidence. I'm trying to get my Poly post-count into triple digits, since I've been a member here for over eight years. /threadjack

[Hauldren Collider]

it means they dont know if they are going to get food for the day or not you ****ing *******. you throwing a lol smily in there might be the worst thing i have seen on this site. well it isnt but its up there.

Having to worry about something is extremely different from actually lacking it.

[kentonio]

What a fine rebuttal. You simply don't understand the critical element of what a "government" is, do you? You're as bad as Imran.

You have passed so far across the stupid event horizon, that attempting to pull you back is now simply pointless.

[a.kitman]

Having to worry about something is extremely different from actually lacking it.

no dip****. it means that some days they dont eat.

[Al B. Sure!]

HC's not completely wrong and I wonder if my posts on the matter may have influenced him... poverty is a complicated matter in the US. Now, I can not speak of backwoods rural areas and Indian reservations and what not. From my understanding, there are many areas of this country where people do not have access to electricity, indoor plumbing, etc., and live in a circumstance marginally better than a Third Worlder. This may not be true, since I have not witnessed it, but I suspect it is, considering infrastructure is difficult to develop in such out-of-the-way, forgotten areas and jobs can be non-existent.

What I can speak on, however, is urban poverty and, on that regard, HC is sort of right. There are homeless who are, by any definition, impoverished. A high percentage of them suffer from alcohol/drug abuse or psychological problems, however. Some do not have such issues, but are especially unlucky to not have friends and family who will take them in. I'd say, taken as a whole, such cases are rare but they do exist. I have personally known people who spent some part of their childhood homeless. Homeless children is a problem that is unacceptable in this country.

With that said, the average denizen of the ghetto is, by my standards, doing alright. Public housing, SSI, WIC, food stamps, etc. ensure what should be a respectable enough lifestyle for people who receive such benefits. In fact, considering how often people sell food stamps 60 cents on the dollar, the benefits are probably more than sufficient to survive. However, due to human faults (drug/alcohol abuse, crime, general malaise, or a simple lack of priorities) this lifestyle is usually rougher than would be indicated by a mere analysis of the dollar costs of living.

So yes. Everyone my age (who is not living in a half-way house) in the hood has a smartphone with internet access, can get nice designer clothes, etc. but their mother may be a cokehead, their brother is in prison, their sister has 3 kids at 19, receives SSI for a BS disability and food stamps but is selling them for cash to buy clothes, and they live in a dilapidated row-home with no gas.

So in general, I'd say the problem is mental, not economical.

[Al B. Sure!]

With that said, I have the feeling that I don't have a proper conception of relative for America. I really am not sure how HC's family lives. For all I know, my lifestyle which I think is just fine, would break the average American or the average poster here. I really don't know.

I can only speak from my vantage point and with what I consider is 'getting by' or 'living', a position entirely based on my experience around me. So my standards may be too low.

For example, when I worked a full-time job making $13/hr, I was living like a king with more money than I knew what to do with.

I can not fathom making $40+K without any dependents. What would I even do with that money?

So consider that a disclaimer when assessing my opinions regarding urban poverty.

[loinburger]

I really am not sure how HC's family lives.

Seriously? They're the people with fifty bathrooms.

[kentonio]

I'm stating facts. They don't seem to support your hypothesis. They aren't proof, either, but all you've made is a mildly plausible explanation for your predictions, which are a dime a dozen.

I missed this gem before. There are huge amounts of statistics proving beyond doubt that poverty and crime go hand in hand ****wit.

Just so you are aware, you relativist moron, a poor person in the US would practically be a king in many countries of the world. I'm not denying that they are poor, but they aren't exactly being crushed, either.

No a homeless street person who cannot feed themselves regularly and has no access to healthcare would not be 'practically a king' in any country. Your problem is that you don't actually know any poor people.