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The American War On Poverty Summarized (In One Cartoon)
When work is punished and the only policy tools left for a nation of must-sustain-the-credit-is-growth-Keynesian-state-wreck-status-quo believers, there can be only one outcome in the war on poverty in America... "promise zone" or no "promise zone"...
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War on everything makes losers of us all, funny cartoon notwithstanding.
ori
http://aadivaahan.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/january-14th-15th-look-very-tense-astrologically/
http://www.planbeconomics.com/2013/06/niall-ferguson-weve-developed-gree...
It's not a war on poverty, it's a war on people.
THE WAR ON POVERTY IS OVER!!!
[poverty won...]
The war on poverty was designed to destroy families. If you notice around you today the big supporters of fascism come from families with no father. Of course there are exception, like myself.
Children with no biological father feed our prisons, courts, drug wars, and make spending billions on the police state seem logical. This was the intention of the war on poverty, create a police state.
A true man, a real father is a obstacle to the fascist Fatherland.
(Duty and EBT refreshment compels me to report you.
Do well in your reeducation and we will welcome you back , albeit at a menial job and under firm leadership.)
I don't know how many true men there are anymore. Last night I got in around midnight and the neighbors were just partying away and blasting music. I asked them to turn it down and that was met with them turning up the music. So I called the police and in 10 minutes the party was over. So today I ask my other neighbors why they did not call the police. Their response? We were waiting for you.
People who will not stand up for their rights will always be victims.
Victims/slaves.
FIFY
“I'll have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years. [Touting his underlying intentions for the "Great Society" programs, LBJ confided with two like-minded governors on Air Force One]”.
Lyndon B. Johnson
FORWARD SOVIET!
There IS no escape..........for any of us.
The 'government' uses the words 'ON' and 'WITH' intercheangebly.
WAR ON POVERTY---WAR WITH POVERTY
WAR ON DRUGS---WAR WITH DRUGS
WAR ON TERROR---WAR WITH TERROR
Of course, the word 'with' is used in the connotation 'to use', here (I fixed the car WITH a screwdriver).
I would go further than that:
PROFIT FROM DRUGS
PROFIT FROM TERROR
PROFIT FROM POVERTY (?)
Of course. The more control they have over you, the more they profit. Once you are on the government teat, you are their slave.
PROFIT FROM POVERTY (?)
..See Walmart
The war AGAINST drugs, terror and poverty sounds more reassuring to me.
'Lie zones' maybe?
Government Party vote farms...
Signs of these are clearly marked with a symbol of crossed-fingers.
And what, exactly, is the difference between a promise and a lie when it comes through Obama's lips?
So, what's the matter with poverty anyway?!
Good question. The answer depends on whether you mean voluntary poverty, or the usual, involuntary kind found across the third world.
I've chosen voluntary poverty (See the book "Less is More" by G. Vandenbroeck), meaning I live well below the standard of living I could afford. I'm not really poor, and not suffering at all; the poverty I enjoy is the escape from owning, and being owned by, too much stuff. It's liberating to tell Madison Avenue to shove it.
On the other hand, involuntary poverty is bad because it denies people the opportunity to choose voluntary poverty. There's no benefit or blessing in being poor if you have no other choice. I hope that's meaningful.
There are always choices, but not necessarily good ones.
What difference does it make?
When does the war on war begin?
the war is almost over, everyone is in poverty, they won.
I think the puppeteers see poverty as a great equalizer.
Saw two interesting poverty tidbits - one was LBJ's state of the union speech in January 1964 calling the US the richest nation on the planet and announcing the beginning of the war on poverty. He mentioned spending $1000 today on a youth would return $40,000 in taxes over their lifetime. (maybe government estimates were not any better back then either). Second was a grand total of 20 trillion spent on poverty with no effect over the past 50 years - which compares well with our $17 trillion national debt. While not a 1-to-1 comparison, the war on poverty certainly has helped turn 'the richest nation on earth' into the 'the nation with the largest debt in history'.
Interesting observation and thank you for sharing!
My wife is reseaching for her paper so she can obtain her MBA (More Better than Anyone) degree, and she asked me how to find out what the global GDP will be in ten years...you know 'forecasted". I simply stated that what matters is the global debt and if that blows past whatever GDP metric they forcast it won't be relevant. Simply stated, even if forecasts predict a GDP of "X" if your debt "Y" soaks up 500% of debt/gdp your maintenance is all of your tax receipts or more. Forecasting is a joke and always has been. I have no degree :)
I will be sure her professor hates me before her class is over.
"... a grand total of 20 trillion spent on poverty with no effect over the past 50 years..."
Congratulations! You've just forged into contention for the most ignorant assertion made on ZH in 2014.
Why? What is wrong with his point?
Can you think of any improvements? Technically he may be right but, most of the changes have been for nought or worse.
First, to exaggerate wildly (i.e. "with no effect") badly degrades the message that he is attempting to convey.
Secondly, to suggest that the current $17 trillion debt is largely the result of spending programs aimed at the lower classes is laughable on its face. Take a look at the cost of wars, then get back to me with the remainder.
Right on, Tinky! Were $17 trillion spent aimed at lower classes - well, they wouldn't be that low anymore, would they?! So this money has obviously been spent elsewhere. Ain't that hard to get ...
You're right, $20 trillion is wrong. The real number is $20.7 trillion, and the source I mentioned is Rush Limbaugh, who quoted figures from Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation. Your own ignorance is showing.
Rush Limbaugh! Holy fuck!
How much has the US spent on its military during that time? Between wars that never needed to be fought and enemies that were never as strong as we were told, the US playing 'world policeman' has made more ENEMIES than friends and cost TRILLIONS of $$$$
And consider that since the fall of the Soviet Union there has been NO nation on Earth that can seriously imperil the US - and that includes the 'Global Terrorism' meme (terrorism is the tactic of the weak used to attack the powerful and is used only by the desperate - a this point people who want the US OUT of THEIR countries - places we should not be in the first place).
Ike nailed the problem when he left office - too bad we ignired his advice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWiIYW_fBfY
I'd disagree with your assertion that the $20T spent has had no effect. It's most definitely increased the number of persons living in poverty.
After all, you can't fight a perpetual war without an enemy.
Yes, because before the 1960s almost noone was poor in America. It's all the fault of those damn socialists.
If you don't mind indulging me Shep, what do you consider the definition of poverty? Be specific please.
Whatever your definition. There was plenty of it in America at any time.
poor yes, but not ever where they as lazy and indifferent as the poor are today.
The poor of today are brainwashed into total surrendering, they have been told that they don't have any chance and shouldn't even try to get out of poverty. "It's pointless" they are being told.
"It's not your fault, you poor fuck, you can't do anything about it, here are some foodstamps for you. Say thankyou to the government."
That's the truth behind this "business" of keeping the poor poor, because it keeps the rich in control and without competition.
Give this video a try, I find it very important.
The truth about most poor people is that they are not as intelligent as rich people. It's as simple as that. And capitalism will never solve that.
Bullshit. Go to today's front page and scroll down to the story on US congresspersons' net wealth; you'll find a large number of rich morons on that list.
To say that most politicians are not intelligent is totally moronic. Just because they don't produce our desired results, doesn't mean it does not require a high level of skill to do that job.
Is obama intelligent?
In what way? His lies are so open, it shows how stupid he thinks we are, and not how intelligent he thinks he is.
There are two ways of achieveing relative intelligence.
Have a high IQ and be ambitious and achieve wonderful things in life.
Or surround yourself with stupid sheeple so you appear intelligent in comparison.
That's why the political system we have can only be sustained by having the majority of the population in this moronic dumbed down state.
They deserve each other.
Good luck getting blacks out of poverty with capitalism. The notion is so ridiculous, that's why noone but conservatives even attempts to argue such nonsense.
It has nothing to do with "luck".
Governments and banks will do everything they can to keep a free market from existing.
If we really had a free market, problems like poverty would not exist. (yes, we would still have unfortunate and stupid people, but not one working poor)
Poverty is instead being perpetuated forever by governments because it is their agenda to control everything and kill everything that is "free".
So America apparently never had a free market then.
Yes.
they used to have a less regulated market... but never a completely free one.
But what we have today is the most pervasive and coercive government ever.
That such a monster developed from the deliberate agreement to create the smallest government ever more then 200 years ago, shows you the true nature of any government.
In the end they are all cancer cells. It doesn't matter how small the cancer cell is in the beginning. It can't hide its nature.
+100
Government is by definition anti-individual, anti-freedom.
Hmm, so you're NOT gonna vote for Comacho in 2016?
If you believe the numbers in that list, only a small percentage would be considered rich. Most will have an IQ 1 standard deviation or more above the mean. We may disagree with them and think they are selfish, criminal, etc. But they ain't stupid and many aren't rich. Now if you figure the net present value of the pension and other lifetime perks they will receive, then they are all well off.
Quote from the video. 18:38
Sorry but your plumber pay comparison is poorly thought out. Plumbers need to go thru training (school) and as an apprentice they need to complete some minimum number of hours before they can get their license.
all those licenses and regulations are designed to keep the poor from competing with "the established"...
Make it hard to enter the market.
" how long does it take to become a reasonably competent plumber? 6 months of on the job training or so?"
I've plumbed a fair number of new houses, but am not a licensed plumber. I know enough to be sure you haven't attempted the state plumbing license test in your state.
Are plumbers overpaid? Not sure. I don't want their job. I've watched them standing in rubber waders, knee-deep in raw sewage, repairing a sewer distribution box while the used tampons and turds splashed in around them. No thanks.
You say "was". Are you then saying that poverty has been eradicated in the USA? The UN says that the "international standard of extreme poverty is set to the possession of less than 1$ a day". That income can be easily achieved in the USA. Maybe you suggest we look at a broader definition of poverty and include say Maslow's hierarchy of needs? In a nation where even the poor are obese we can now worry about their esteem and strive to make sure they can become self-actualized. The Washington DC schools spend $30,000 per pupil. Head Start... now that is a great program. Gets the little ones out of the Section 8 housing so mommy and baby daddy can get some quiet time. Probably not near enough effort on our part. Let's send everyone that wants to "give it a shot" to college on the public dime.
Although I am sure I am not mentioning many of the fine government programs here and giving them their due, there is much to be done. How else may we serve the poor sir?
You rather miss the point.
The way it was spent made sure they stayed the way they were - poor. This was the start of the FSA.
Give me a break. There will always be those in poverty no matter what you or any government does.
I coiuld quit my job tomorrow and go live under a bridge or wherever and what are you going to do about it? NOTHING except offer me freebies and welfare at YOUR expense. Thanks sucker.
It made sure a lot of politicians never have to worry about living in poverty.
Theoretically, if we have $20t (and increasing) in debt we are all poor. We all owe that debt. I would add that I reject most of the per capita debt projections. The proper division is the number of taxpayers who pay net income taxes (not SSec) and the amount is staggering.
If you are not yet depressed enough consider the unfunded obligations and the numbers goes up several times more.
As others have said, "We are all debt serfs."
I use the war on poverty as an example for my favorite government axiom:
Whatever you feed, grows!
It is a simple thought but strong and true
Very true, any other "government axioms" you know about?
Very interesting to look at government this way, although axioms are mostly used in mathematics, where logic and rationality rule, and government is the antithesis of that.
Also, your axiom kinda reminds me of this old cherokee legend about the two wolves everyone has inside him (the evil and the good one). What wolf will win? The one that you feed most.
Government may be the antithesis of logic, but they always tend to follow a logical path. It just happens to be in the opposite direction of stated intentions. Expanding on what I wrote above, the government's job is to feed itself. If we don't keep it in check, we become the food
How about this other one:
Sooner or later, everyone becomes a fiscal conservative ;)
Yes, the logical path of a cancer cell.
Not very longlasting if you ask me. All governments tend to selfdestruct because there is no logic behind the greed of those control freaks.
Where does it end?
How much more laws will they write? The number of laws keeps increasing, NEVER decreasing.
What other liberties will they take away from us in the years to come?
Now they forbid drugs, soon they will forbid certain diets or dangerous thoughts/books...etc we've seen it happen before.
They never know when to stop, like a cancer cell.
And there is not much logic in that behaviour.
Yes, it may look as though it runs like a machine, that's why they call it "the machine". But it's a broken machine, like a cancer cell.
It's out of control.
It has no underlying goal, it does not serve the host, although it started out as a normal cell, and was suppossed to do its job, NOT destroying the host AND itself.
That's government.
Google/wiki James M Buchanan.
Nobel economist.
Public Choice Theory.
In a nut shell, it is against a bureaucracies own self interest to solve the problem they were created for. It is in their interest to increase the problem.
Margaris and Offthebeach,
Those two ideas were among many that helped shape that thought :)
The Real War on Poverty is not what some might think. In fact that war was a revolution and it came for above. The financial elites with the aid of the military industrial elites revolted against the 99% and went to war against them. For over thirty years now they have won victory after victory. The neo-liberal economy from the Chicago school of economics became government policy over thirty years ago, the neo-con military industrial imperial forces took full control of what remains of the industrial economy. Just to make a long story short, the loss of industrial jobs, the expanding wars and empire and the Banker Financial Engineering fraud are the revolution's real accomplishments. What we see in our economic world. What was supposed to be a war on poverty, was in fact a war to expand poverty, and it is a victorious war and revolution. When the TTP is signed, a real ultimate corporate world dictatorship will be enshrined into law. The revolution will be complete. Americans will slip deepr into unemployment, part time employment, benefit free employment, low wage employment, dabt slavery via student loans, credit cards and overpriced home loans. If you are lucky enough to work, it will be for poverty ages, if you are unemployed, you are fucked for life. The 1% will expand it's share of wealth and income growth, the 10% below them will service and enable the syste, to keep working. As for the rest, poverty is coming closer and closer to more and more people. Banker elites in New York, London, Tel Aviv , and elsewhere, along with the governments they bribe will keep pushing this agenda of poverty. Wealth creation is slipping across the globe, fake financial economies strip wealth, they do not create it.
The War On Poverty we were sold was a bad attempt by foolish leaders to expand welfare at the same time they destoryed the industrial economy. The place where many Americans worked, earned and produced surplus wealth. I will agree there are certain hopeless groups inside the USA, who we seem to bribe to not take to the streets, this is a cost of doing business to the elites, a small price to pay while they strip mine 95% of all new wealth created.
great post, jack
Very nicely put. But I disagree with this
If we free people want to stay free, we must understand that unjust laws can be nullified.
If all sheeple would understand that, we would have no war on poverty, no war on drugs, no warwar.
If you set a man free, he will quickly turn around and start fashioning a new chain for his ankle.
It is human nature :)
The man you describe is still a slave in his head and hasn't grasped the concept of freedom yet.
Reminds me of a quote by Frederick Douglass
It's not human nature, it's slave nature.
Up you.
I agree with your sentiment, but answer this for me:
How do you propose going about nullifying the TSA goon squad gauntlets that have to be run before one gets on a plane? How you gonna nullify the Patriot Act?
Just wondering.
Yeah, all that. But. Which. Side. Are. You. On?
That which you describe sounds much like the model of the Holy Roman Empire. If what you predict is true, we'd be speaking Italian, no?
There should be a time limit on wars, this one is almost as old as I am and it's not working.
Me too! I was a little child when war was declared. Like Vietnam, lots of claims of progress at great cost, but in the end a total failure.
I have a sugestion for the time limit....
10 seconds.
Or, let those who stand to benefit fight it themselves. We (maybe not you and me) create our own prison.
Nothing that another 5 trillion to the1% and the Bankers will not fix.
It should be labeled as a war on those in poverty.
The rich get richer and poor get poorer.
The military-industrial complex keeps pushing for more wares and military spending, rather than productive investment and research.
Unlike Germany, the US has given away it's technology outsourced overseas.
Outsourcing will continue until there is no labor cost arbitrage possibilities remaining.
Then the real cost (including taking into account of quality, transportation, etc) of all laborers across the world will be the same.
I don't think that bodes well for US based labor.
I thought about that 40 years ago and am in many ways became resigned to it. On the other hand about 35 tears ago it occurred to me that wars and other acts some of violence and some not will probably keep it from leveling out in my lifetime.
Nothing like politicians conducting a "War on Poverty" (and lost) while becoming millionaires in the process.
The war on poverty cost more than the shooting wars and has more casulaties.
Only 150 years to go, right LBJ?
50 years of the war on poverty, poverty increases in the end.
40 plus years of the war on drugs, drug use increases.
10 plus years of the war on terror, Al Qaeda's taking over the middle east.
The US doesn't seem to be very good at this "war" thing these days.
...jokers to the right-
Like the Fed, these wars on (insert emotion-inducing term here) have worked nearly flawlessly, depending on your perspective.
Hey Clowns,
Maybe we would be good at
War on War!!!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to (re)introduce. Slewie-the-pi-rat! *thunderous applause ensues*.
Good. I would be interested in hearing what "Slewienomics" have to say about 2014 ...
War is good business. Being good at it (war) is moot as is winning or losing. War has some serious startup costs.
War on poverty is a war on supply and demand. Which is a war on liberty.
There is no war on poverty, there is only a war on the poor.
At the center of the maze you will find a Minotaur (half man, half bull). That would represent Wall Street.
Here is short cartoon on Obamacare I just found that you can send to your non-ZH friends and relatives assuming that you are still talking to any of them.;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TELH3PE9REo&sns=tw
It all becomes clearer when you understand that you cannot be trusted to do the right things for your own good and a nanny government is required to take decisions on your behalf and take care of you whether you like it or not. At your exhorbitant expense of course.
It gets really bad when it isn't only govenment trying to dictate to you but also non-governmental orgs who suck on the teet of govt and have their own nanny agendas.
Welcome to nanny state socialism. you'll learn to love it...
You're trapped forever, now bend over and spread those ass cheeks!
Fine. What if I just disregard these gubmint assholes? What are they gonna do, eat me? More likely they'll send some paid goons to visit (IRS). That's fine too. Lock me up and feed me. Even if they kill me, they'll never have the satisfaction of my acquiescence.
That's a laudable sentiment, but The Man has about as much sentiment with regard to your 'processing' as an HFT algo would.
Is there a fortune to be made on poverty? You betcha...how much does JPMorgan make administiring EBT? How much does the government spend equipping the myriad of agencies involved in passing out the cheese? Lots of money...lots of votes.
If the us government was to manage a farm, they could plant squash and harvest weeds, while stealing other peoples money, and declairing it to be a great farm. Also they would blame their problems on the previous farmer.
same socialism deal in Europe
the message to the bagholders is "do this" while the insiders "do that"
The elites who wish to set up their world dictatorship recognize their main enemy to be the great middle class of the USA (the petty bourgeoisie) made up of individuals who have acquired a little education, property, and independence, and who will fight strenuously to keep them. The strategy of the elites is to squeeze the middle class to death by creating or exacerbating the major problems facing the society, including class warfare, crime, education, moral decay, etc and then creating in response spurious government programs to cure the problems that they had just created.
You have hit the nail on the head
I would only add "armed American middle class"
Don't forget TV PROGRAMMING of you.
New show on Fox:
"Almost a Cop"
Regular Joe's engaged in crime fightin' demonstrating the virtue of workin' together to get all the perps and defendin' the vics and, above all, being in awsome awe of our tough but fair law and the dudes and ladies. A show every Umerican can be super-duper proud of, yeah! Oh, and I"M WATCHING YOU!!!
All a big joke, ha ha ha.
It's all the fault of Keynesianism and those who think people receiving healthcare should be universal.
All bow down and suck the cock of capitalism because it is the only way forward soldier, it is life itself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv2qLOiioPc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUOEoPucJ8
Always nice to see some guys get it, shame he's not around anymore. Would love to have seen what he'd make of the world today.
Maybe he was underselling it a bit!
The War on poverty was fought with the empowerment of mothers with "Aid to Dependent Children." I heard from RFK's own mouth that women would so love their children that the children could only succeed. Three generations later, poverty and poor outcomes for children have won. Einstein paraphrased: "Insanity is repeating the same mistake for three generations and expecting a different result in the fourth generation. Government has failed. Compassion has failed. Loving "empowered with cash" mothers have failed.
Very very Bullish....
More likely to laugh at this if you're *not poor*
All the War on Poverty has accomplished is the dismantling of the family. The poor do not marry as they will lose benefits or their rent in public housing or Section 8 will increase. I hear this all the time in the hood. I do feel sorry for the children who grow up in this environment.
Couple this with the covert War on Men and we have the government's real agenda. People forever dependent on the government. As poverty grows so will the divorce rates and people that will never do anything about it. Insidious in nature but TPTB know a captured population will not rise up against their masters for fear of being cut off. Take a look at the last election results and you will find the majority of single women voted Democrat and married women voted Republican. Even then they really have no choice as the elite's present us with just two choices. We are exceptional alright, exceptionally stupid to think our vote counts anymore.
Da black messiah is gon' lead us to de promise lan'! er, promise zone.
Why not make THE WHOLE COUNTRY A PROMISE ZONE???