McCain to Obama: keep your word on public funds

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by Bandit

Some people just like to live in denial. They deny that Iraq has turned into a mess. They deny that there are poor people in the US. They deny that this country is on the verge of financial turmoil.

No one that I know of is denying that Iraq is messy...it's war, that happens. WWII, Korea and especially Vietnam was VERY messy. There are A LOT of poor people in the U.S., no one is denying that. There could be a lot less if people would seize the opportunity but the truth is some people are ok with their status because they are not competitive or are used to the lifestyle. There are those that need help and we should help them. The country is NOT on the verge of financial turmoil but actually in the middle of financial turmoil but I have faith we will make it. Just like the tech bubble of a few years ago or the markets going way down after 9/11...we will recover.


John Edwards is using that as something to put his name in lights. There are some homeless soldiers but I don't know how that happens because when you get out of the military there are about 100 safety nets for you to keep you from being that way. It's a sad situation and should be addressed regardless of someone being a republican or a democrat.

[ksgrainman]

There are some homeless soldiers but I don't know how that happens because when you get out of the military there are about 100 safety nets for you to keep you from being that way. It's a sad situation and should be addressed regardless of someone being a republican or a democrat.[/quote]

I'll help

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by Bandit

....I also like how Bill O'Reilly keeps calling John Edwards names because he brought up the fact that so many of our brave soldiers are now homeless and poor...

O’Reilly has also challenged Edwards to come up with some of these homeless veterans as he has the contacts to get those veterans off the street and get them the help that they need. So far neither Edwards nor any of his supporters have come up with one. Edwards needs to put up or shut up.

[K C Muffin]

Originally Posted by ksgrainman

There are some homeless soldiers but I don't know how that happens because when you get out of the military there are about 100 safety nets for you to keep you from being that way. It's a sad situation and should be addressed regardless of someone being a republican or a democrat.

The way I see it....the homeless soldiers are generally not the same as when they went to war. They don't re-acclimate for some reason. It's not that the safety nets aren't there, it's that some of the guys have a hard time either finding them or using them. They have a lot to offer society when they come home, but the wars change different soldiers in different ways, some of them not so good. I think that's the challenge to us. Not to make even more safety nets available to them, but to make sure they don't come home mentally broken. That's a tall order and I don't know how to accomplish it. Maybe some kind of exit program?

[Army_of_One]

Originally Posted by K C Muffin

That's a tall order and I don't know how to accomplish it. Maybe some kind of exit program?

Actually there are some...no, a LOT of "exit programs' for soldiers. Could they be better? Definitely! Does war change people...absolutely. When you come back from the war you get screened several times. An example is that we have guys out here in recruiting now that have been deployed once if not multiple times. Even though they are in recruiting they still have to go and see people to get checked on from the physical aspect to the mental aspect.

When you ETS (leave) the Army there are TONS of programs available from free education to a GREAT service that helps you integrate into the civilian world helping you out with things such as resume writing, preparing you for interviews etc. Before you exit if you go to a job fair or an interview you can actually get TDY (temp duty) for these things where the Army pays for your trip. The thing is you can't FORCE a soldier to use these services. They are required to at least attend the briefings prior to separation but are not required to use the services to the fullest extent.

[aft_lizard01]

Originally Posted by Highwayman

Or maybe the increase of food stamps reflects a growing population of newcomers.

But it might be racist to suggest that.

More to it than just that, for the first time in history the US and state governments began advertising for foodstamps in spanish language markets and other areas and the guidelines of being eligible have expanded, not narrowed. So in other words the increase in food stamps was not caused by the economy per se but a redefinition of the rules and an aggressive marketing campaign.

[aft_lizard01]

Originally Posted by 88-31-10

You just proved my point. Thanks.

What do you know about being poor? I grew up in a family of 8 brothers and sisters who did have to depend on foodstamps growing up.

[aft_lizard01]

ANother thing here back to the big oil and their profits.

Oil prices are not set by the oil companies, they are set on the commodity market. Mom and pops sitting all over the world who speculate on supply and invest on its outcome. Oil companies like Exxon have made their money by investing years ago on oil finds and extraction. In fact Exxon and the big oil companies were losing money for the better part of a decade because rather than sitting on their laurels they invested themselves into debt(something on the tune of appx. 1 trillion dollars) finding and exploring making sure that today you even have fuel to fill up your vehicle. You take away their profits, that they have earned after years of investments and losses, you take away money that will be used in the future on newer fuel sources so you can continue to drive around. I wont even touch on the added cost of fuel taxes, alternative fuels and additives which raise the price of fuel even higher than what it would naturally be.

[88-31-10]

Originally Posted by aft_lizard01

What do you know about being poor? I grew up in a family of 8 brothers and sisters who did have to depend on foodstamps growing up.

Did I say I was poor? I re-read the thread and after further review saw that I had merely asked AoO, "What do you know about poor people?" No where did I say I was poor. Sorry to upset you Lizzy.

[aft_lizard01]

Originally Posted by 88-31-10

Did I say I was poor? I re-read the thread and after further review saw that I had merely asked AoO, "What do you know about poor people?" No where did I say I was poor. Sorry to upset you Lizzy.

Sorry but if you are going to hold somebody to a standard, you should be held to the same one.