Have three basic conditions for rebellion been reached.?

a reply to: Tarantula777

Who on earth would want the job of the top politicians, it is a thankless job where in the end you will please no one. I wouldn't want to mess around with the status quo much at all as it doesn't need to. They have a useful power structure, but sometimes they need a reminder that breaking rules have consequences that occur, in spite of all the talk and hand wringing. Any revolutionary replacement would be a doomed exercise. The only real wealth is knowledge, the dumber you are the more money you need it stands to reason. Can you imagine the likes of Borris knowing how to change a light bulb? he would have to find the ladder first. They are all like that it comes with the status that's why they have power., it compensates for the lack of the Grey stuff.

originally posted by: scraedtosleep
a reply to: The2Billies

I don't care enough to go help feed them. Do you?
How many other peoples kids do you feed on a regular bases?
And I don't give a damn about what joy has to say.

I think you asked the wrong person.

I keep a bag of food in my car at all times. When I see a homeless person (with or without kids) I have food ready to give them. My granddaughter started it. She made large zip lock bags with a water bottle and food in them and gave them to family members to give to the homeless. I now have a large paper bag in my car filled with large zip bags with water and food ready to give out when I see people in need.

Just last night I was with my Senior citizen friends to watch a movie at our church in one of the larger rooms. We all brought food to share during the movie because as old farts we started the movie at 5:00. It was Ben Hur a really long movie with an intermission. At intermission we stopped to eat some more. Turns out next door was a girl scout troop meeting for girls with special needs. We invited them to come join us for food as we had more than enough. At least one family there (at least one parent was with each child) was poor and you could tell, another was a foster mother with some special needs girls. They were not shy and filled their plates.

Sounds like you are a rare bird, an honest liberal/progressive Democrat, most at least pretend to be compassionate and caring while actually behaving like you. Good for your honesty.

a reply to: Tarantula777

The middle class arose from the need of the elites to place a buffer between themselves and the hordes of peasants. It was by offering the chance of the lower classes the opportunity to move in to the middle class that has acted as a relief valve. That valve has been broken off, the destitute know, the welfare-dependent fear it and the middle class keeps shrinking by leaps and bounds. Covid was used to excuse decimating small, family-owned businesses which are the basis for the middle class.
The #1 condition for revolution imo is hopelessness. No hope of bettering one's condition all the while seeing how the pampered wealthy live. It is those polar extremes that breed contempt, fear and hatred by both sides.

The church and religion played a major role in keeping things peaceful until the rise of Atheism and the French Revolution. The elites have long used the church as another tool to keep society in it's place. Conversely the decline of religion has allowed situational ethics and removed taboos that once worked to organize society and even put some restraints on the wealthy.

a reply to: The2Billies

Before I escaped city life, there were people "in need" at every intersection. Boston gives them free train tickets to get here, and my taxes give some of the best homeless services in the nation so they love to take that ride.

It's gotten so bad they work in shifts- I've heard someone get chewed out for begging at an intersection when it wasn't their turn, and I know the name of the beggars pimp who runs the intersections down town.

They'll still break into your car and turn up the floor mats looking for change though.
Charity is a lost cause. I've seen pallets of laptops donated to food shelters- it's a tax cut for big corp but the homeless can't eat laptops.
Of course those laptops never get handed out or anything- all of the staff get a few for them and their families, and the rest get sold on ebay so half those profits can be used to... Pay the tab for the offices taco outing.

I don't know how to help the homeless, but around here the street beggars are working for the local street beggars pimp.

originally posted by: lordcomac
a reply to: The2Billies


I don't know how to help the homeless, but around here the street beggars are working for the local street beggars pimp.

I don't live in a big city. Our homeless are a rare sight. Sometimes I'll go weeks without seeing one. Sometimes I may see 2 in a week. So far they have been very humble and thankful for the zip bag with water and some food. Not one has been rude or asked for money instead. We are NOT in a state/city where homeless hang out at every street light and make more than if they were working panhandling. I have seen that in Houston, Seattle, and other major cities.

I volunteered, before COVID, at the shelter for homeless families with children in our town. We have one to keep families together. Most of the people were trying to get back on their feet and situations beyond their control landed them in the shelter. Most in our shelter (very Red state and area) end up on their feet with a job and apartment. They are worth helping!!

A friend of mine is running a private shelter for men released from prison who are trying to get back on their feet. He has been very successful with most making the transition after they find jobs and save up some money. They are worth helping!!!

Since I live in what is considered a small city or very large town we don't have the big city issues. Our (red state, red city) police are allowed to be police. We have a designated area with port-a-potty's where the town allows the homeless to put up tents and live. Outside that area they are moved by the police and not allowed to put up tents or establish a place to live. These are human beings they deserve a place to be if they reject one of our 3 shelters in town (womens, mens, family) , but they don't deserve to violate private property or be allowed to steal up to $999 worth of stuff courtesy of the local justice system, like in CA. Our local police have the support of the community to move them when they aren't in the designated area.

Charity is worth it. Because you had a bad experience doesn't mean it is hopeless to give up on people or to reject those in need, or leave them to the government, who always screws things up and generally make them worse.

I suppose these days the only people who find charity worth it and who run the vast majority of charity organizations are Christians. Many these days are Christophobic and think Christians are evil and bad people because most Christians are politically conservative. So their charities and charity efforts are deemed evil, as many liberals deem Christians to be. Our town's shelters are run by Christians and they keep most off the street and fed and help them get jobs and back on their feet.

You can believe charity is worthless and helping those in need the sole province of the government and never worth it. But I disagree. I think government makes things worse like providing drug supplies instead of saying stay clean and we'll help you. The government in some places buys hotels that get trashed, while residents are allowed to lay around stoned or drunk, not do any work to keep the place in good shape and clean, not look for a job or work.

Shelters like the ones in our town teach living skills and how to keep where you live clean and safe. I taught some life skills there as part of their life skills required classes to live there (economic, interviewing, parenting, cooking, etc). They help people learn life skills and help people become productive members of society, which makes us all better off. But again, all ours are run by what many liberals consider evil Christians, who insist the residents get clean, sober and learn healthy life skills.

I'd rather give someone who you despise a bottle of water and some food for a meal, than think of them as worthless and the governments problem, not mine. But that is me. You can despise me for it if you want, think of me as most liberals do, one of those evil far right conservative Christians. But, that is what I will do, keep on trying to help those less fortunate. You are free to think of me as a fool and idiot for doing so.

If we neglect the poor and give up on them we are pushing the USA one step closer to total collapse and rebellion.
I believe we are on the precipice of empire collapse like the great nations of the past who always collapsed.
Neglecting the poor, considering them not worth helping, plants the seed for rebellion and national collapse.
Right now our government appears to be doing all it can to increase poverty in our nation through eliminating US energy independence and instituting high gas prices to encourage transition to EV (which most can't afford to buy), and directly increasing inflation caused by government overspending.

We are on the edge of civil war and collapse, with media and politicians encouraging fear of and hate for the other side.
Abandoning the poor as worthless, and charity not worth it, simply makes the collapse more painful and faster.
But that is my opinion as what liberals/progressives/Democrats would call an evil conservative Christian because they have been taught by the media and politicians to hate people like me with all their being. Thus making the collapse of our nation even more inevitable.