Azalin

our economy is not static - wages, prices, and job opportunities ebb & flow with the state of the economy.

the plan is to blow up a Syrian aspirin factory, but this time we use some shiney new drones instead of troops.

I'm honestly not trying to bust your balls here, but how is the person in your example not responsible for his situation? if this person is able-bodied, he may need to get a second job. that sucks....I know because I've had to do that three times in my life. but I did it because I had to. so does the person in your example. I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying that he needs to do something more, or something different, than what he's doing now. if this person gets supplemental income from the government to make up for his financial shortfall, where is his incentive for him to improve his situation? I don't see compassion in that kind of assistance......I see enabling of substandard achievement. how does anyone, other than a politician who is trying to buy votes, stand to gain?

okay, that's what I thought. per the bureau of labor statistics, we're not doing so bad on wages: http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2011.htm

I'm not making any such claim. so, 25% of the US population has an IQ equal to, or less than 80? to make your point, wouldn't 25% of the population have to be making minimum wage as well? it doesn't take much imagination to be able to name a whole slew of jobs that unskilled workers can manage, that either pay above minimum wage or can lead directly to a higher wage - all of the building/apartment/warehouse/business maintenance positions start low-skill and low-wage, but they all, through OJT lead to better positions and better pay. construction and landscaping crews, restaurants (per an earlier example, busboy to waiter to bartender to manager, or dishwasher to cook to sous chef to chef/manager), town & state jobs like road crews, park maintenance, food banks, etc. and what about all the available education? for low income people looking to better themselves, there's all kinds of assistance available. hell, I worked in food service from age 18 to age 36, at all kinds of places working every position from diswasher to manager. I spent two of those years cooking full time during the day and going to tech school at night. I had a pitiful income at the time, so I was able to receive GUARANTEED student loans to pay my tuition. it was hard work, but nothing that 98% of the rest of the people on earth couldn't do. I payed back my student loans (which was kind of a lot at the time...$12,000 total) with the money I earned as a newly hired telecom tech. the formula for success is there for anybody who is able-bodied and is smart enough to keep from drooling. we have now come to the point where some people actually turn down pay raises and promotions because they will get less money in government asssistance: 'For this story, CBS 21 researched what government programs are available to a single mother of two making $19,000 a year. What we found was incredible. Our family would be eligible for $14,976 in free day care, another $13,400 for Head Start and Early Head Start, $7,148 in housing vouchers, $6,500 for weatherization projects, $400 to pay heating bills, $480 a year for a cell phone, with an extra $230 for a land line, and $182 in free legal advice. The family would get more than $6,028 in food assistance and another $6,045 in medical assistance. The mother is eligible for $5,500 in Pell Grants for school with an additional $12,000 for the Education Opportunity Grant; SMART Grant; and TEACH Grant. Our family would also get $6,800 in tax credits, and $1,900 in withholding would be returned. Add it up and this family can get $81,589 in free assistance.' http://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/a-real-life-example-of-how-government-handouts-create-life-sapping-dependency/

because people have a philosophical difference with the president's policies doesn't mean that they believe the president is holding them back. it is true however that whenever a new law is passed, people have lost the ability to legally do something that they could legally do yesterday. while that may not be directly interpreted as holding someone back, it certainly can seen as having had an impediment placed in your path. most people want the president to succeed, if by 'succeed' you mean increase the opportunity for prosperity for us all. some people believe, however, that ceratin policies are guaranteed to fail, so they oppose them. it's really that simple. sadly, there are many who will automatically dismiss anything a president tries to do simply because there is an 'R' or a 'D' behind their name.

if by 'raw materials weren't there' you refer to a mental or physical handicap, then I would wager that everyone here would support some kind of government assistance for them. I certainly would. I have to ask, why are we talking about them starving? we have the wealthiest poor people on the planet. a significant number of the lowest income earners are fat....they're certainly not starving. I would think that supporters of welfare would want to police the system more effectively, to prevent legitimately needed welfare funds from being taken from thos that truly need it.

why? because if welfare pays more than minimum wage, there is no incentive for able-bodied people to opt out of welfare. why would anyone want to work for minimum wage when they can earn more by not working? I'm not trying to be a smart@ss....it just seems so plainly obvious that it's hard for me to understand why this is such a mystery to so many.

the problem with your example it that it seems to presume that someone should expect a 'livable' wage for a low-skilled and/or entry-level position. people need to get it through their heads that low-skill and entry-level jobs will NEVER pay enough to support anyone, let alone a family, and they never should. if you take a job at a McDonald's, you will need to work your way up into management before you can begin to earn a decent wage. if you're a checkout clerk at a grocery store, you will never earn a living comfortable enough to provide for a family. the same goes for Wal-Mart employees.....work your way into management if you want to keep working for them and still earn something decent. welfare payments should never pay more than minimum wage, period.

well, I'm embarrassed......I thought that was a portrait of Al Gore.

it was hardly what I would call an arduous task.....certainly better than going without.

I remember that....or at least, I remember reading about that. if I recall correctly, there was a guy driving his car about a half mile or so away from the beach, completely unaware of the whale or the plans to blow it up. supposedly a large chunk of putrified whale meat came rocketing down from the sky and spattered across the guy's windshield as he was diving along, causing him to nearly crash his car. I'll have to try to find that account again, because I remember that it was screamingly funny, at least at the time.

one cool thing about the internet is that you can actually see an unanswered question literally hanging in the air........

I would have thought 'debaticles' referred to the physical aspect of having the balls to keep from fleeing a difficult debate.

with your pecker?

from the article: 'Yolanda Williams, a Pleasant Grove resident, told council members that she and her friends look forward to the horse park and consider it a valuable addition to a lower-income community without many recreational options.' because as we all know, people in lower-income communities have nowhere to ride their horses. Mr Solano is a lot more patient and amicable than I would be in the same situation. I'd tell them to go f themselves.

didn't he manage to set a precedent in the senate by voting 'present' to more legislation than anyone else ever did over such a short period of service?

he just needs to use his head for once.

sorry....I don't know what came over ,me.

you'd think he'd use his head for a change instead of spouting off like that..................

or maybe the kid should have been wearing a sign that said 'like mother like son'.

yes, that's my point exactly, only said more succinctly.