If Liberals had real life experience they would be Consertives  

Back in the late 1960's the Federal Government started a program call the War on Poverty" We are still fighting that war today. On estimate is that we are spending about, $14,500, for every man, woman and child who lives in poverty (the IRS allows you to deduct $3,500, for each dependent as your expences for that person). For a family of four that is over $55,000 per year and the average family income is $47,000, per year. I had a friend who was on welfare for a short time and when she went to take a full time job she took a $6,000 a year pay cut. She went into teaching. She and her daughter had: Insurance, food stamps($270per month), rent assistance or low interest morgage, heat assistance, earned income tax credit ($4,200 per year), Child care assistance, and free breakfast and lunch for her daughter at school.

Since you mentioned it What real life experience has Hillary Clinton had? Mitt Romney and George Bush both worked in busienss that produced jobs for people and contributed to the economic growth of this country. What has Hillary done?

You lost me as to where you came up with that $55,000 figure. Apparently you didn't read what I typed in my post above or perhaps these people who are struggling with their real-life experiences must somehow be to blame for not having been born with a silver spoon in their mouths a la Bush and Romney. I keep hearing about these people that live such a high life on welfare and while I know there is a great deal of abuse and fraud in the system - which I do NOT condone at all - I find it hard if not impossible to believe someone took a $6000 pay cut by getting off welfare. Did she claim to have a couple dozen kids and somehow get fake social security numbers for each of them? My daughter has a real severe disability and after a long battle she was approved for Social Security Disability. She gets a whopping $1087 per month. She is eligible for Medicare even though she's only 37 and her kids are covered by the Pa. children's health program but if her husband makes over $400 per month the kids will no longer be covered and my daughter risks losing her coverage. She pays over $200 per month for prescription medications on a regular basis with the coverage she has and still frequently has to get meds that are not covered that cost over $500 for 4 or 5 pills. Without them her liver will fail and I guess you don't need a medical degree to know that's not good. Even with just her meager income they are not eligible for foodstamps at all and they were only eligible for $300 total for heating assistance. I know it's probably my fault for having a daughter who has health problems that forced her to give up her job that she loved but, no, she is not on welfare and isn't eligible for any excessive social programs unless you think the little help her family does receive for the kids health insurance and to keep them from freezing to death for a week or two is excessive.
Bush and Romney were born with enough money to start any business they chose. If I'd been born a multi-millionaire I'd probably have some business experience too.
Annie

In researching this I one report that stated ther were 32 and 36 million people in poverty with the government spending $184 Billion and another report reported $515 billion and a third that reported $522 Billion. Part of the problem is how do you define poverty and what is a poverty program. For example is Head start a poverty program or an educational program? When figuring the income for the family in poverty what do you count? Do you count Food Stamps or medical insurance as income? This is what makes the poverty figures difficult to find out. One report states that the spending of people in poverty is $1.94 for every $1.00 of income. I did a google search on poverty in 2006 and got almost 1000 hits with many of the hits having sub links. I read parts of the 2006 census report and much of the information is put in such technical wording and statical scores that it is difficult to read.

So you know some of my background I was the school district representive on a County wide policy committee that was looking for ways to help people in need. We studied the problem for two years, pulling in all the agencies (including Churches and non profits) in the County that provided aid to the poor. I have been the School Officer that approves Free and Reduced Lunch Applications. I was also the person who had to sign for the school the determination of eligablity for SSI. I do know about the government programs and have some stories about people who did not need the help that were receiving thousands of dollars a year in aid while others who were working but made too much for the government porgrams. One of my favoriate stories is the farmer who's children received free lunches and free college because his income was so low. Within two years of the Regean tax cuts for the rich this man was now a millionair. The tax cuts also closed many tax loopholes that allowed people to hide income. This farmer had legal ways to hide income, yet was able to take advantage of the poverty programs. This as opposed to the family that had a yearly income of $18,000 a year which put them in poverty but because his work was seasonal and when school started his weekly checks, with overtime, put them over the limit, was not elegiable for free or reduced Lunch.

In 1996 when the welfare reform took effect the number of people on welfare dropped but spending on poverty did not and most of it went into keeping the government agencys funded and the people employed. My friend who was on welfare had to report to as many as 5 different social workers monthly to give them the same information on her status. One final thing with all the government regulation and requirements fot the different programs the following has happened since the war on poverty started. Crime, drug use, out of wedlock births, homelessness and government have all increased and this is draining resources from the economy. Are we fighting a losing battle or do we need to change the stratigy.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, Teach him to fish and he will eat for a life time.

related resource: background checks

While I'm sure there are some liberals who are just as you describe, I'm not one of them; maybe I'm not as "liberal" as I and others have thought I am or maybe "liberals" are misunderstood in general. I mean liberals in the real world, not the most extreme type that you see and hear about on TV and talk radio. I would love to have no homeless on the streets, especially when many of those homeless are men who recently returned from fighting for their country. I"d also like to see everyone having health care, not necessarily FREE but affordable and accessible for all and it would be much more practical to come up with a solution for this to be possible than to continue on the way we are. As for terrorists, there's something in between turning the rest of the world completely against us and just saying "Sorry" and hope they go away.

I've never had a thing given to me nor do I want to. I've worked my entire life just as hard as any conservative has, as have most of my liberal friends. I really wish I were in "la la land" but I think it's pretty crowded there with folks like Rush Limbaugh and all his rich friends.
Annie

I was not referring to you Annie. You may want all those things, but you still look at the realistic and praticial side of things. I am taking about SOME of the candiates that are promising a lot but not really explaining HOW they are going to give us all these things or SOME liberals that want all those things but do not think about what they will cost people (and I do not just mean in money either).

In this case a liberal is one who wants to take care of you and protect you because you aren't smart enought to do it right. For example requiring air bags in a car because people do not use seat belts. This add $3,000 to $5,000, per car. Or requiring that all health insurance cover Chiropractic services even though I never use them. Currently Minnesota requires 72 different services be covered by all insurance, while Iowa requires far fewer and their insurance is several thousand dollars a year less. Someone who thinks they know what is best for me, that is what I think of as a liberal.

Muppetsnap, I agree with you on what a liberal is and what our government today is there for. As for insurance regulations, in Pennsylvania they don't have to pay for chiropractic services and mine doesn't so although I need it desperately I haven't been able to afford it for over a year and neither has my husband. And premiums aren't low here, either, I can guarantee you that. I'm a liberal and I don't want to tell anyone what to do, especially if they must continue with a pregnancy or that they can't marry the person of their choice, but I do think we should all be willing to help those who are less fortunate and need a helping hand. My "real life" experience has shown me that we can all literally be an illness, accident or downsizing away from poverty so I think before I criticize someone who needs a little help.
Annie

I have found that not everyone knows some of the more famous people and the anti war is what McGovern was most noted for. The lables were to hlep identify the man.