What a sad state of affairs this country is in

Now I am in favor of teaching the birds and the bees, but I draw the line at safe sex when it includes information on how to have sex. It's not the school's business to teach children how to get it on, only about the mechanics and the consequences.

Hmmmmm, lets teach em about the mechanics, but not tell them how to prevent the consequences. Now that sounds like a complete solution to teen pregnancy.

Well, there you are. It is easier to get government assistance if you aren't married. The Great Society social programs encourage the break up of the family and dependence on government. We replace dad with government and people become dependent. Obamacare only punishes marriage, too.

There are parts of Obamacare that are great, unfortunately, at our income level, my wife and I fall into a hole. The point was put there to show a problem. A single mom makes 23999 a year, her child care is payed for, she gets a raise to 25K a year, and now has to pay 150 a week out of pocket. She has gone backwards. Things need to be fixed, not deleted.

See? Here is one area where you and I will not compromise. I live in a Common Core state. Common Core is awful and encourages practices that kill intellectual curiosity in children. Being the mother of a bright child and someone who has had a brush with teaching public education myself, I did my research and my two options were to find a private school or to homeschool.

In the end, we found a classical curriculum religious school. It fits our budget and it's one of the more rigorous schools in the city. It was never my aim in life to send my child to a private school having been public educated myself, but from my own experiences in the trenches, I couldn't put my own kid in those places. I love him too much. He needs a place where he can learn and actually be taught.

Religion has less to do with it than you think and corruption in the system much more along with the aforementioned break down of the family. No one values education because no one has parents who do.

Common core sucks, I think we should go to objective based education. You move to the next level when you have accomplished all of the objectives at this level. I have been an instructor and student under this system, and it works well. I have public school educators in my family and they all blow goats as far as being educators. I have dealt with home schooled asshats, and both they and their "teachers" had IQ's of about 60.

As far as religion, I am a former Christian, currently in the agnostic camp. I am about one evangelical asshat asking me "if I have found Jesus" from being a violent atheist. The last guy about choked when I told him, "Yeah, he is picking lettuce over there"

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: BubbaJoe

I don't think I said that, but please put words in to my mouth. After all, the word "bastard" came from somewhere.

Some that don't study history forget it exists, my 10 G grandfather was William the Bastard, you might recognize the name William the Conqueror, then again, you might not.

originally posted by: Jonjonj
a reply to: pl3bscheese

Good luck with your...whatever it is you have to do. See? That is what decent humans do, wish other people well. I can't take the exam for you, and I am sure I would fail anyway, but hey, I would try...

Man, you've got some serious issues if you're going to take your assumptions that far. Pretty bizarre, but I fear even attempting to point them out would spring only more.

I guess that's what you require to think of someone who would make my beginning statement?

All good.

a reply to: BubbaJoe

Yes, please malign my knowledge of history. It so happens one of my earliest ancestors on my mother's side was a Baron who was one of the early casualties at the Battle of Hastings.

I love it how people who see that I tend to lean conservative assume I have no education on things.

As to not teaching birth control, I thought that was part of mechanics and consequences, including the failure rate of said birth control methods. The one thing I took away from my abstinence class was that no matter how "safe" you make sex, birth control can always fail because the body's reproductive systems are designed to get you pregnant. The only sure method is to either be completely sterilized or abstain. So if you absolutely cannot deal with the consequences, walk away.

And, funny, but I had a thorough course in all the birth control methods available at the time - pro and con.

But, you know, the popular idea of abstinence only is that it doesn't do that ... which it apparently does or else I'd have been pig ignorant of all that stuff. And no, I was not afraid of sex, only mindful that when I chose to do it, it better be with someone I could stand to handle a pregnancy with.

a reply to: onequestion

I hear ya. I do. I can't look at pictures of kids starving in Africa either.

But here's the deal: Part of our job in life is to protect ourselves----from the future, from poverty, from disaster. It takes a lot to do this--- a lot of know-how, a lot of education, a lot of work, a lot of strife and a lot of planning.

But it's our job.

And we achieve this by believing in ourselves, by going to school, by bettering ourselves when and where we can.

There is such a thing as personal responsibility.

Now, recently some research came out on the cheapest places to live in the United States.

In Oklahoma City, for example, which is a perfectly nice town with great people and interesting things to do, you can get a nice apartment for $600 a month or less. The weather is nice most of the year, the cost of living is extremely low, and no, it's not California, but it's safe. It's cheap, and it's nice.

He can take that $800 a month and get a very decent apartment, walk to Walmart and supplement his income there, and make his life work somehow.

We have to make tough decisions sometimes---maybe live in a place that's unfamiliar ---but that can cradle us with comfort and safety. He doesn't have to be homeless. I promise you that.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: earthling42

Actually I think I'm going to create a homemade documentary on the homeless in California.

Good idea I think it'll be easy for me.

Step 1, get a new laptop and camera, step 2 document and edit and send to Vice News.

Maybe I can find a sponsor.

You see? This post is a microcosm of what's wrong with your thinking. Instead of using the computer you have now and maybe your phone, you instead put the responsibility to make YOUR documentary on to someone else that's supposed to give you their money for some reason. Why do people like you see other people's hard work as somehow yours to take? If the whole country was like you, who would give you or the bottom 10% money?

Hypocrites..... complaining about a situation you created in blindly chasing the almighty dollar. He sits there without an affordable place to live because all of you abused the system to get a few more dollars in your pocket. Happy you woke up, but it's too f!cking late. This train is already going off the rails and all of us are along for the ride till impact. You all know the future.... it sits in a dark corner of your mind, you choose to ignore it because your mind can't accept it. I'm ready to put on that cowboy hat and ride that # to the explosion. Are you prepped?? Yuuuuuuuup.

One cannot sustain the purchasing power lifestyle into retirement. Financial intelligence can help one live close to their former earning potential. One string of bad luck life events, coupled with poor choices, and its all gone.

a reply to: onequestion

People are selfish A holes.

a reply to: werin40

What does that mean, what are you trying to say?

a reply to: TheBulk

What are you talking about?

The way I see homelessness, it's actually a product of government. They aren't going to solve it, because even though they wont admit it, it's something they probably want. Not only keeping certain systems in place, but things like buying votes with half-hearted "solutions".

It comes down to property law and the current economic model built around it. A livable dwelling affording privacy and shelter from the elements (more substantial than a tent) can actually be built quite inexpensively. But as the law is implemented, it's not allowed because certain luxuries have been required as a standard. (Or perhaps from the perspective of safety, yet completely disregarding what exposure to the elements and lack of security does.) Under those conditions, an artificial scarcity is effectively put into place by mandate, thus the stupid price inflation. Not only that, but most regional taxation is built around property tax. If dwellings were as cheap as they really should be, local governments wouldn't get their cut.

Keep in mind that this is from a perspective that poverty and homelessness are two different issues. If you're poor, it really doesn't mean you should be homeless. This is something that was purposely created in modern society and kept in place by how government enforces the rules.

If you look at more primitive societies, homelessness as we know it doesn't exist. There may be beggars or outcasts, but they're still allowed to scrounge together and build their own shelter. May not be the best conditions, but they'd have what could be considered a home.

originally posted by: pl3bscheese
a reply to: Tarzan the apeman.

Well it's just so easy to demonize and make assumptions of someone calling it like it is.

I've been homeless as well. I just don't understand why anyone would assume the bottom 10% are worthy of our compassion and care automatically. I will choose where my affection and resources go wisely.

I agree with you. Some homeless people are full of #.
I've known this one kid for years now, so do most people in our little town, he's had a LOT of hand outs and opportunities given to him, but as he grew up he allowed himself to be sucked into crime, house breakings and the like. We had built a friendship, until he started lying to me. Before the # hit the fan he had a job and someone had given him a place to stay. He screwed that up, no one else.

There are these other three men who live on the streets around here, each of them suffering a mental handicap. People help them with food and clothes, etc, they bother no one (except people who despise the homeless). They don't seem to have anywhere to go. I know the one guy was given a place to stay, but I think they would die inside of a mental home. The one guy walks, everyday, to the next town and back. It's about a 30kilometre route. I only worry about their health, especially as they age.

Sorry, I'm on full waffle mode.

I've yet to meet one success story, there are a lot of unemployed people around here, you'd think there'd at least be one! A lot of them don't have to be unemployed, but when they are given opportunities they often squander it, squander any money they do earn, and return to the streets because it's easier (to be lazy), or, it's more profitable.

That said, I do like helping others, if I see an inkling of a glimmer of hope, I'm there. Some just need a little help, a friend. That's just human, isn't it? It's sad that some don't want to be helped, even to help themselves.

a reply to: pauljs75

It's insane. This consumer society would rather cast you into the streets than have you standing on your feet paying into the system? My word. How could they benefit from that? I smell a conspiracy. Maybe it's allowed to show consumers what can happen if you don't follow the rules.
Putting my tin-foil fedora down for the moment

Guy arrested in Florida for feeding the homeless, headline in my weekly update from 'off grid living' really glad I don't live in Florida.

a reply to: pauljs75

Mexico city springs to mind, the surrounding 'shanty' towns are huge, I often wonder where 'they' get the materials from...

I really don't much care for the bottom 10%. They got to their position and stayed down because they were unfit to rise above. I don't care for people's excuses, I care for their resourcefulness and strength of character + will to get out and make it no matter what it takes. Did you ever stop to think that the majority of the bottom 10% are the worst we've got?

This is something a genuinely horrible human being might say. i think we have negligent parenting to blame for attitude's like this. obviously the above commentor's mother could have done a better job on them because hes got no more compassion than if he were raised by a pack of wild dogs.

For the record, to my knowledge no amount of resourcefulness or strength of character or will can reverse a disability.

A very serious question to anyone holding the above hard right wing attitude about the disabled. if you dont want the disabled cared for would you rather get rid of us quickly with gas chambers and ovens or would you prefer we just go die under a bridge or in a ditch somewhere? the ovens would mean less unpleasant mess out in the open. seriously, if you guys think you're going to end these social programs youll need a plan to deal with the repercussions.

a reply to: onequestion

Bout the only way to do that is to buy a combination of high growth company stocks and high yielding dividend paying stocks and yes.....timing is everything. We may see a great buying opportunity develop in a market downturn this summer.

a reply to: onequestion


sounds like the befriended old-man is in need of an advocate or even a sponsor/or group home environment

the $800 he receives monthly, includes medicare ? or perhaps Medicaid coverage ?
that income level should open some social safety network to him
~or~ the gent could enroll as a student on an on-line university program--- then apply for student loans or pell grants and SNAP food-stamp relief

yeah, he needs an active Advocate to wangle some obscure bennies he is not accessing now...

ADD: disability provides training/resources to reenter the workforce, retrain for a different vocation

there are still lots of doors to knock on,

a reply to: onequestion

I hope I don't get burned for being off topic, but I've followed a lot of your threads and am aware of your problems finding affordable housing........so maybe this is a solution for you and others?

thebillfold.com...