Five Societal Trends That Signal Our Nation’s Decline
America has a 51st state and it is called Anxiety.
This state is evident when you read these findings from an August NBC/Wall Street Journal poll:
- 66% of adults do not feel confident that life for their children’s generation will be better than it has been for them.
- 65% think America is in a state of decline.
OK, so you get the picture that America’s forecast is cloudy with a chance of collapse.
Here are five societal trends that will further exacerbate the pessimism of two-thirds of American adults who believe our nation’s future is bleak:
- National poverty is higher now than in all 51 years of record keeping.
- There is an increasing number of high school drop-outs.
- The American workforce is steadily becoming less educated.
- Four of out of every ten births in America are to unmarried women.
- Only 53% of Americans pay federal income taxes.
Each of these five trends taken separately could be viewed as a serious problem but not necessarily a signal of national decline.
However, when these problems are considered collectively with their cause and effect and interrelationships, it becomes apparent why we are facing a society-transforming tsunami that our nation as a free market democracy is nearly powerless to stop — no matter how many millions of dollars our government throws at these problems.
These trends are listed in no particular order, for they are all equally distressing.
1. America is getting poorer. One in five children and one in seven residents of America are living in poverty.
Here are the cold hard facts according to a September 2010 Census Bureau report:
- 43.6 million people in America are living in poverty.
- That translates into 14.3% of the total population (up from 13.2 % in 2008).
- Of that 43.6 million living in poverty, 20.7% are children (up from 19% in 2008).
In the 51 years since poverty records have been kept we now have the largest number of residents living in poverty. Even worse, since poverty begets poverty, expect these numbers to increase over the coming decades.
With government resources and private organizations stretched to the max, their combined ability to deal with persistent and growing poverty will pale in comparison to the needs of 14.3% of the population living below the poverty line, which is defined as $21,954 for a family of four.
When you consider the negative long-term effects of one out of every five children in America being raised in poverty, it is almost incomprehensible.
Sociologists will tell you growing up in a culture of poverty usually translates into a lifetime of increased health problems, inferior education, fewer employment opportunities, more exposure to violent crime with higher rates of incarceration, and, worst of all, the perpetuation of the poverty cycle to the next generation.
An increasing number of high school drop-outs.
California is known as a bellwether state, where trends begin, take root, and then move east. If that holds true our nation’s decline will be further accelerated, for California has the highest percentage of high school drop-outs in its labor force at 16%.
According to this same 2008 data the percentage of high school drop-outs working in the national labor force is 10.2%.
That 10.2% sounds almost acceptable when you consider a 2009 New York Times article stating the graduation rate in the nation’s 50 largest cities was 53% compared with 71% in the suburbs. This means almost half of all urban students are dropping out of high school. Other reports say fewer than 8 out of 10 students graduate from high school and there is one drop-out every 26 seconds.
All these numbers are indicative of a huge national crisis — for dropping out of high school has detrimental effects on society, usually leading to a lifetime of poverty with all the unfortunate consequences mentioned earlier.
The American workforce is steadily becoming less educated.
The United States used to lead the world in the number of 25-35 year olds with college degrees.
But according to the College Board we have now slipped to 11th among 38 developed nations:
Recent international comparisons contain alarming news for Americans: The United States, which led the world in high school completion rates throughout the 20th century, ranked just 21st out of 27 advanced economies by 2005. And our college completion rates have dropped dramatically — from number two in the world for younger workers (age 25-34) to number 11. The United States is on the verge of losing the great global educational competitive edge it has long enjoyed.
An educated labor force is imperative if our nation is to maintain its super-power status. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround it looks as if the seeds of our educational and economic decline have already been planted.
We’re in the process of creating third world conditions here in this country…and its incredibly sad. Total implosion. I hope the GOP takes 100 seats in the House next month.
Name one thing the GOP is planning to do that would change any of this. Name one thing and then prove it. Don’t talk to me about trickle-down economics. I don’t want to hear all the nonsense about Republicans providing jobs – they won’t. The GOP won’t do a thing about illegal immigration, they won’t do anything about our trade deficits or the off-shoring the U.S is now famous for. Won’t do anything about education to the populous. The GOP won’t do a thing about changing the rules to allow more women to get married and stay home, (too worried about abortion and gay marriage.)
Nope, don’t tell me about any of that stuff. What on God’s Green Earth would the Republicans do about any of the listed problems?
Nate, there is plenty that CONSERVATIVES are trying to do to get America back on track. Google Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, Goldwater Institute and Judicial Watch for details. Your perception that REPUBLICANS aren’t going to do squat is somewhat accurate. Over the years, and peaking during the Bush administration, the Republican Party became infested with liberal career politicians making them indistinguishable from the Democrats. Tea Party conservatives will dominate and reform the Republican Party and eventually the bad taste the Republicans left in everyones’ mouths should go away.
Miker5–I devoutly hope you are right. Many of us quit calling ourselves “Republicans” after 2008–and the power elite in the party remain sadly out of touch.
For example; the photos accompanying the touted “Pledge” depicted a bunch of prosperous Caucasians in various settings–mostly in meetings with microphones. I didn’t even bother to read it–and I’ll bet many other erstwhile Republicans who are of other ethnic backgrounds didn’t either. (I’m Caucasian, btw.) The conservative movement includes all Americans.
If the GOP had had any sense in 2008, we would have had a true conservative running against Obama–and wouldn’t it have been fun to watch Mike Huckabee demolish the opposition in a debate where he was actually allowed to participate!! Let’s hope we get that opportunity in 2012.
There’s nothing “conservative” about Huckabee–he’s Michelle Obama with a Bible and cheaper shoes.
Huckabee a conservative? Didn’t he raise taxes in Arkansas? I know for a fact that he and his wife allowed supporters to gift them several $k when he left office. He really hasn’t seen a government program he couldn’t support. The only worst choice for America would have been McCain. Damn we dodged a bullet on that one. Can you imagine any one thing that Pelosi or Reid pushed that McCain would have opposed as President? In the name of Bi-partisianship he would have been strong-arming Republicans to get on board. And why aren’t the coming tax increases called the McCain tax increase? Didn’t his gang of 14 keep them from being permanent back in the day?
Heather and Lorenzo–you appear to be parroting remarks from Huckabee’s opponents. Have you read his books and followed his blogs? I’d like to invite you to become really acquainted with the man; his conservative credentials are solid.
Heather and Lorenzo, I wonder if you have taken time to become really acquainted with Huckabee. Have you read his books? Do you follow his blogs? Your posts parrot his opponents–but Huckabee’s conservative credentials are solid. May I invite you to take a closer look before you dismiss the man who could be our next Reagan???
Hmmm, would his opponents be ‘every thinking person’ in the US?
Are you from Arkansas? Do you know what policies he implemented as opposed to those he espouses in some book?
No haven’t read his books, his blog, don’t watch his show. Don’t know who his critics are other than those who know him best.
“Our next Reagan”? Seriously? Well I for one rarely go to movies but when MH appears on screen with a monkey I may have to go.
Remember that the slick haired man from MA (can’t remember his name) got more delegates after dropping out of the race than MH got staying in.
I don’t know what Huckabee is saying these days, but I do remember his 2008 campaign. I pegged him then as combining the worst of the religious right and the socialist left. He came across as a statist through and through. He was certainly no advocate for limited government, freedom, or capitalism.
Earl,
Have YOU done anything other than hook-line-and-sinker whatever lies the “I’m so Christian so vote for me” politician has babbled?
You know how you can tell Huckabee is lying? His lips are moving. He is not REMOTELY a conservative. Don’t tell me about his speechifying — look at his record. Liberal lefty all the way.
I’m no Massachusetts-Health-Care-Romney fan but even he GOVERNED a lot more conservatively than Huckabee. (I have no use for either of them.)
“Over the years, and peaking during the Bush administration, the Republican Party became infested with liberal career politicians making them indistinguishable from the Democrats.”
Yeah, because the party has done a fantastic job of purging the leaders of the facade to fiscal conservatism that the 2002-2006 Congress was. It has done a great job of getting rid of McConnell, Paul Ryan, and Boehner.. the same people that handed us such gems as No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D (Go check their voting records), and an extra 4 Trillion in Federal debt during the Bush years. The same leadership who is going to grab the reigns once the Republicans win back control.
You people are fools if you think these Republicans have the will or the means to balance the budget.
Lorenzo sai dwe dodges a bullet by not having McCain as POTUS. He’s right. We dodged a bullet and got hit by a nuclear bomb.
Nate, I think you’re missing the point. You are correct that neither the Republicans or the Democrats or the Independents or the Socialists or the Communists or any other political party can get us out of this mess but what the Republicans are more about than any other political entity on the scene is reducing the size of government and getting the government out of the way of the private sector which is the only entity that can begin the process of getting America out of the economic swamp excessive government intervention and spending by both parties has America mired in.
It is true that the entrenched, old guard Republicans are as guilty as their political counterparts but we should all get our butts out this Nov. 2nd and vote for those that represent the new wave. Call them the Tea Party candidates if you like because, contrary to what many on the Left would have you believe, this is what they’re about; a small government footprint, a fair tax policy, minimal, meaningful and solidly established regulations understood by and applicable to all, personal responsibility, the free market, equal opportunity, a strong defense, American exceptionalism, accountability and adherence to Constitutional principles, in no particular order and incomplete but what will be expected once the infestation in Washington D.C. is under control (doubtful it will ever be eliminated).
We cannot flush the system in one election but have to start somewhere and the time to start is now and from here on out, never take America’s freedom, independence and greatness for granted again and never allow ourselves to become complacent, apathetic, ignorant of our history and heritage and disengaged from what our elected representatives are doing at every level of government. And never ever succumb to that excuse for apathy that one vote, specifically yours, can’t make a difference.
America was created as a representative republic, a government of for and by the people. We the people need to respect and revere that principle, exercise our right to vote and pay strict attention to ensure that those who we’ve elected to represent us remain committed to that principle and committed to strict adherence to our founding documents that few would argue are perhaps the most significant social contracts ever created by man. Changes and adjustments have been made and more may be necessary but there is a built in process for doing that, thus Amendments 1 through Amendment 27, and no need or requirement for intellectual intervention. Do we need big brother to tell us what to think and do? That is not how America achieved greatness.
Do not look for any political party to take responsibility for the livelihood of Americans. The government’s role is to promote the general welfare, provide for national defense and enforce the rule of law. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States are reserved to the States respectively or to the people” (the tenth amendment); “The people;” Us, not the Government.
Putting food in our mouths, clothing on our backs, a roof over our heads and the acquisition of all those other little goodies that are the product of a free society, ours, is our responsibility.
While major government (taxpayer) sponsored projects over the years have provided a temporary livelihood for many Americans and garnered much publicity in the process it is nonetheless true that the vast majority of success in that endeavor, creating useful, long term, full employment and opportunity, has been Capitalism and the entrepreneurial spirit evoked by the inherent self interest of the more ambitious and creative risk takers from the private sector. Some, Bill Gates immediately comes to mind, have reached the pinnacle of wealth and success and many that he employed rode his coattails but the vast majority are small companies that hire 100 people or less and, along with Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Exxon Mobil, BP, et al, are the real job creation engines, not the Government.
Of equal importance is the fact that increasing taxes is not the way to resolve the Government debt issue. Reducing spending and creating an environment for growth in the private sector will reduce unemployment, increase productivity, create more wealth and the resulting economic growth will generate the increase in tax revenue needed to reduce and eventually eliminate the debt.
At this juncture, any newly elected, reconstituted government cannot undo all the damage that’s already been inflicted but they can begin this process. It has to begin somewhere and soon or the most powerful, successful nation to ever exist on this planet, the one built by the people that risked everything to get here and the one that continues to be the place that citizens from all parts of the world continue to come to will become but a memory, a footnote in the history of an otherwise turbulent, conflicted world; a grand experiment; a brief beacon representing what men can achieve when free to exercise their natural rights at birth; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
There is much to lose unless all freedom loving, patriotic Americans get involved.
What have the dumbokrauts done except cause alot of this along with the repubicans you idiot?
This former Republican agrees with you, which is exactly why we should be voting for individuals rather than party. When presented with two equally-distasteful candidates, I will NOT vote for the “lesser of two evils” because that is still a vote for evil. When it was Obama vs. McCain, I simply didn’t vote for either one. Had there been a GOOD third-party candidate I would have voted for them, but there wasn’t.
Although I like certain Tea Party candidates, I will still not vote for them automatically. ANYONE who gets my vote now will have to earn it.
“America is getting poorer. One in five children and one in seven residents of America are living in poverty.”
Forgive me for asking, but which definition of poverty are you using? Absolute poverty or relative poverty?
Usually people use a definition like ‘people earning less than 50% of the average wage’. This definition has a few interesting side effects. A few hundred CEOs get a bonus and poof! Another 50,000 people are suddenly ‘poor’.
From my experience, any discussion of poverty which does not contain a clear definition is usually just an attempt to create a dramatic headline.
This is not to say that there is no problem of poverty in the USA, merely that this article is not a serious attempt to discuss it.
I would think that the relative change in those considered “in poverty” defined by some bureaucracy or demographer would be enough of a statistic. Granted, we don’t have the kind of poverty that Haiti or Africa has; but do you want to wait until we get there to then claim that we are poorer?
The government’s defination of poverty is used which as stated in the article is
$21,954 for a family of four.
That is not the point, the point is: is the same definition of poverty used for all the years that are being compared? how is that even possible?
Because $21,954 does not buy much, granted, but 51 years ago no amount of money could buy permanent mobile communication or instant access to basically infinite information, which are taken for granted today.
Poorer than 51 years ago? Be serious.
We see that, but where does that number come from?
Why not $15,954 or 26,954?
Why $21,954???
Usually government transfers and benefits are not included in the poverty rate calculation. That would certainly make comparisons over 50 years difficult.
If a family of 4 had $20,000 in income, but had their housing, medical care, food, transportation, and everything else fully paid for by the govt, they would be considered poor.
As others have noted, all benefits received by the less fortunate are NOT counted toward their income. By the current DEFINITION, no matter how much money/benefits are transferred to the poor, they will remain classified poor if they don’t have specifically defined income over a certain level.
Based on quite a few living measurements (housing size, calorie intake, home ownership, etc.), those folks defined as poor in the US live better than the middle class in most European countries.
I think you would be better off looking at overall statistics of decline in wealth across the board. America has little, if any, of the kind of “poverty” we had in the 1960s, with emaciated children living in dirt floor shacks in Mississippi. Most of today’s “poor” have cell phones, color tvs and cars. Although hunger occurs here and there, obesity is a wider (no pun intended) affliction among the poor than starvation today.
I agreew with your statements about the perilsof growing up in a “culture of poverty,” but it has a lot less to do with poverty than with culture. Most of today’s “poor” are poor because of their culture. Their culture is not a result of their being poor. And much of the blame for that should be placed on more affluent people who have cheered the deterioration of the cultural traits that once gave hope to the poor. The excusing, and even celebration, of drugs, out-of-wedlock child bearing, violence and misogyny in the so-called “hip hop culture,” the ensconsing of the identity-politics-industry-fueled permanent “victim” mentality, the decline of the education system, as it caters to the lowest common denominator, educationally, culturally and behaviorally, the destruction of so many cultural institutions that encouraged aspiration and individual effort, the demonizing of “The Man,” an so on, have created a true cultural poverty that imprisons millions in economic poverty.
Correct.
That’s from the Obama admin’s census of September 2010. Having dragged the census out of the Commerce Department into the direct control of the White House, it’s no stretch to ascribe some political motives for those numbers, as they will greatly goose Federal ‘poverty’ spending and the patronage and vote-buying that will attach.
Another thought: living in ‘poverty’ in the US is not far different than the living standard of pretty well-off people in other countries today – and is far better than living standards of average US citizens just a few decades ago.
That’s a really good question because we do not have a valid definition of poverty and when someone says X% are in poverty they may not know it but they’re just blowing smoke.
Our governmental definition of poverty was developed in teh early- and mid-1960s and was based on what it cost to adequately feeda household, and some minimal research that posited that food should be a certain percentage of household’s total budget. Cost to feed divided by that percentage produced a dollar figure which became the poverty line. It has since been adjusted for CPI inflation, but the basic methodology has never been revisited.
The ratio between food and total living cost has probably changed hugely over 45 year, and that’s assuming they got it right in the first place. Inflation adjustments are very crude and the methodology to calculate CPI has changed several times, so the connection between today’s poverty line and the original is extremely tenuous and has no sound basis.
Non-cash benefits are generally not included in estimating incomes that are then compared to ten poverty line. When the original calculation was done there was no Medicaid and AFDC was much smaller than it (and its successor, TANF) later became, and of course Food Stams benefits have changed greatly, as well.
In short, citing poeple living above or below the poverty line really means very little as a description of POVERTY. This can be illustrated by the statistics that over 3/4 of households in poverty have cars, color TV, cell phones, and cable.
there is ample evidence that incomes have ebcome more unequal, for a variety of reasons, and maybe people would be better to focus on the dollar income at say the 20th percentile… if it’s down, taht means people near the bottom are suffering. But calling any of this “Poverty” is just totally misleading.
Our dental practice recently held a “Dentistry From The Heart” day, where we provided dental work for anyone who walked in the door. Although it was not advertised as such, it was offered for those with no dental plans, no money for dentistry, in other words, “poorer” people. We treated 138 persons.
I did notice that MANY of these people had cell phones that were much more expensive than those of the employees here, most of them smoked, and probably 97% of them drove here in their own vehicle.
It was recently disclosed that millions of dollars in welfare checks are cashed in Las Vegas casinos, and aboard cruise ships. I did almost 25 years in the U.S. Navy, and I saw REAL poverty first hand. Poverty in the United States is, as has been said above, relative. If children are living in poverty, it is the fault of their parents…not ME…not YOU…not the government…it is the fault of those who brought them into this world.
Just one man’s opinion.
Dems control the schools. That covers the uneducated work force.
Woman power! Feminism! This is what it looks like. Single motherhood. Poverty for women and children. And the feminists are… Dems!
Unequal taxes. Who advocates for an even more unequal distribution of the tax burden? Dems!
I could go on, but you get my point. These things are ALL the results of (il)liberal policies and agendas.
These are certainly signs that we need some serious reform, but I believe they can be reversed with some positive free-market reforms. For example, I don’t believe a high school drop out should ever be allowed to receive monetary assistance from the government. High school in the US is free, and increasingly, post high school education is needed to secure a lower middle-class lifestyle. Many drop out because they know someone else will pick up the tab. There is no excuse for dropping out. You drop out, you forfeit access to the “safety net.” We cannot and should not reward poor decisions with government money. No diploma, no access to government services. Period.
Secondly, we need to reorientate our immigration policy towards the economic needs of the country, and not solely the economic wishes of migrants. It is currently extremely difficult for educated migrants to move to the US and settle permanently, but relatively easy for the uneducated. It becomes even easier when the migrant decides to ignore the laws of the land and enter/work illegally. Frankly, the US is facing a serious shortage in some professions, like engineers. France and Germany has a surplus of engineers, but stifling bureaucracy has stagnated the labour market and suppressed wages in these two countries. This is not rocket science. A fast track immigration programme for educated foreigners could help boost our competitive abilities and help counter a couple of decades of backwards immigration policies that favour law breakers and the poorly skilled at the expense of both the highly skilled, law abiding migrants and the rest of the US population.
And of course, we should turn away from the national conversation of “income inequality” and talk instead about “skills deficits” and “labour inequality.” Why does inequality have to be measured by equality of outcome while disregarding that some people are highly skilled and some work far more than average. The current system penalizes this two groups by forcing us to pay federal taxes for the other half. This needs to end. The other half need to start paying as well, but as long as the conversation is dominated by talk of “income inequality”, we will never get there. Let’s change the conversation and talk about the inequality of work ethic instead.
“•There is an increasing number of high school drop-outs.
•The American workforce is steadily becoming less educated.”
This is what really, really, irritates me. Ever since the creation of the “Great Society” in the 1960s, how much money has the Federal Government, not to mention liberals and Democrats, thrown into public education? In fact, wasn’t the Department of Education created under the Carter Administration to help stop this trend? Yet, after spending literally trillions of dollars on public education, what do we have to show for it?
This is what you get when you have massive government intrusion into the education system. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Catholic schools in America who do just fine educating students, get better results, and in many cases do it for less money than what many state governments spend on students. For example, in my home state of New Jersey, we spend over $20,000 PER STUDENT in the Newark school system, well over twice the national average, and yet we get some of the worst results in the nation. Governor Chris Christie is trying to address this problem and a lot of it has to do with teacher’s salaries and their health and retirement benefits. But the bottom line is a lot of money in public schools certainly does NOT guarantee a good education, let alone more graduates.
We need to get back to basics. See how some of the private schools, such as the Catholic schools, operate and get results. Also, if students in a public school are dangerous and extremely disruptive, they should be thrown out. We should be creating a safe environment for our kids and a good atmosphere for those who actually want to learn. If that means getting rid of the thugs and criminals in these schools, then so be it. Public schools should not be a holding facility for criminals. They’re not learning anything anyway, so why should they prevent others from learning?
We must realize that money does not solve everything. The public school system is proof of that. Time to see how others do it and learn from them.
“If that means getting rid of the thugs and criminals in these schools, then so be it. Public schools should not be a holding facility for criminals.”
What do you do withn these thugs? Put them on the street to make trouble? I suggest maybe some type of special learning facility with strict behavior controls that will try to teach these thugs. They would be confined to that faqcility until they graduated. If they still remain a problem, put them in a special military divsion for thugs only. They can become the first line of defense in a ground war.
We used to have something called “reform schools.” No doubt you aren’t old enough to remember that. Those kids may not have learned much but they left the kids who wanted to learn alone and maybe a few kids who could have gone the gangbanger, disruptive route decided to stay in real school.
I agree. Bring back reform schools. Isolate the troublemakers and miscreants who diminish the learning environment for others – political correctness be damned.
Yes, you put them on the streets. Digging ditches, pushing brooms, and scrubbing public toilets. Do DO NOT hand them a welfare check. I know the SEIU’s public sector unions would squawk, but that’s just too bad.
Or, put them in the private sector cleaning grease traps and sorting scrap metal.
As for them turning to crime: Make self-defense legal again, and that problem will pretty much take care of itself.
Cloward-Piven strategy proceeding according to plan… development of a permanent underclass of Democrat Socialist Workers’ Party voters ahead of schedule.
Hmmm….I see that you didn’t mention when most of these negative trends started: right about when a certain, now-ex-president started running things, as clearly shown in your census link at least. And check out this education report from those good ol’ days,
But some things have been improving since that certain ex-president became an ex.
Now in case you no doubt diligent citizens want to vote for people who will try to make things better, you might want to remember who it was that made things worse when they were running things.
BC:
These trends started a long time ago. Many of them even pre-date Presdident Clinton. The failure of the educational system has deep roots dating to the 1970s. In general, outside of our major urban centers the school systems are performing well. It is in the areas that have been under long term Democratic Party control that educational system has collapsed.
Yaaawwwwnnn…
And BC, if you look at the urban centers where ther is most of the decline, you will find these bastions in democrat control. And in general, where communities and education are doing well it is the conservative value that thrives. So (smack down!) get that weak stuff outta here.
The Education trend started a loong time before the ’70s. Way back in the ’30s Dewey started this mess. There was a reason that my parents, and many others, moved out of NYC in the ’50s. That reason was that the schools were being turned into Socialist hells with no discipline and no learning.
Damn BitChie, that Goldstein sure has a hold on you.
Two Minutes up yet?
Poor BC. All BDS, all the time. Muttering and bleating ever since Bush and Cheney snuck onto his Mom’s porch and let the air out of his bike tires.
How old are you? 12? If you actually think all of this started because of a “certain ex-President”, then you are proof positive that the american educational system is broken beyond repair.
These trends will continue so long as liberals and libertarians continue to win the cultural wars.
Thank you for including libertarians!
I’m sick of those creeps trying to pass themselves off as conservatives. And I just about lose my mind when they try to pass themselves off as “the REAL conservatives.”
I honestly don’t know any libertarians that want to pass themselves off as conservatives. If we wanted to be conservatives, we wouldn’t call ourselves libertarian. Sorry, but its the damned conservatives who’ve screwed everything up that keep trying to pass themselves off as small-government libertarians.
Thank you for including libertarians!
I’m sick of those creeps trying to pass themselves off as conservatives.
Funny, that, as it’s the conservatives, who are siblings (not enemies) of the Left, who keep trying to pass themselves off as libertarians.
As a libertarian, I wouldn’t mind taking the blame for these results if our policies had been in effect during that time. They haven’t, so I won’t.
Please tell me which member of congress was elected as a libertarian?
Please tell me which senator was elected as a libertarian?
Please tell me which president was elected as a libertarian?
Please tell me which governor of a state was elected as a libertarian?
Yes, that is a sad commentary on the electoral effectiveness of libertarians for these major offices.\
However, it also drives home the point that libertarians are in no way whatsoever responsible for any of this crap. I’m sorry, but you’ve got a lot of conservatives that need to share the blame with the liberals in this case. That is why libertarians have been insisting that the differences between them aren’t significant enough to make a difference.
I’d rather you tell me who all the supposed “conservatives” were who drove the car into the ditch! There are damned few of them in Congress (Jim Demint and Tom Coburn are just about the only real conservatives in the Senate; the rest are RINOs). Democrats laugh amongst themselves about their winning strategy of using social issues to divide the conservative movement (divide and conquer strategy). Social conservatives would be invisible at the federal level had not Democrats pushed their social revolution through the courts (Roe v. Wade was the tipping point). True conservatives would remand all social engineering baloney to the states. Libertarians would become irrelevant over the long haul, as their raison d’etre would disappear. But getting back to basics, any vote for a Libertarian diverts a vote from the Republican Party and elects Democrats. It is always thus. Libertarians would be better served to help elect conservative Republicans in Republican primaries than going it alone.
Which conservatives are to blame? Pretty much all of them that have been in there for the past 20 years. Before that I wasn’t paying close enough attention to name names. For my own state I can name names: Bennett and Hatch are both career politicos that don’t give a damned about making government smaller. Bennett admitted as much right to my face. Hatch is all for government intrusion into people’s lives as long as its his kind of intrusion, right down to constantly whining that the critical issue facing this country is a lack of an amendment to the constitution prohibiting burning of the flag. With all the shit coming down (and that’s been predictably coming down for 30+ years to anyone who’s been paying attention), that is your burning issue? Give me a break. Any “conservative” that’s busy co-sponsoring bills with Teddy Kennedy is a conservative we could do without. My congressional district is #2, which for the most part has stuck me with a democrat representative, but even when it was briefly in republican hands, we had the inept Enid Greene and her embezzling husband. What a joke!
You just proved my point! Neither of those clowns are conservative (they can call themselves that, but their actions prove otherwise). All these accommodationists that masquerade as conservatives need to get the boot. If they support unconstitional actions/programs/issues, they need to get the boot. But spinning off into Libertarian nonsense (which dilutes Republican conservatism) is a horrible solution to the problem. Better to stay at home and fight for change within Republican primaries, i.e., elect REAL conservatives!
Terry Gain
How many libertarians have been elected to high office? Hardly any. What is the percentage of Libertarians in the population? Quite small. Seems to me that non-libertarians are behind most of the country’s problems
I wonder what the statistics cited here would look like if you could separate out both illegal immigrants and people who have been in the country less than 36 months. I think it would reflect percentages similar to an earlier time.
Agreed. A great deal of these stats exist because of the invasion of illegals as well as the rediculous amount of legal immigrants. Simply put, we are importing poverty and crime. Hispanics have very high drop out rates. Many of the immigrants are illiterate, even in their own language (which often isn’t even Spanish, but some kind of local Mexican patois). Hispanics also have increasingly high out of wedlock birth rates (the “strong family values” spiel about them is just a lot of Liberal wishful thinking, it is entirely untrue). They also form a disproportionate amount of school children, because of their high birth rates.
I wonder, if we got rid of all 20 million + illegals, what would the numbers look like?
Every problem you cited would disappear if the Marxist ethos which has been rotting us from the inside out would finally be exterminated from our culture. Smash Marxism Everywhere in USA.
Agreed. Marxism rots from the inside out. Just look at Europe. Even Germany, Europe’s so-called “conservative” power is broke. The country has consistently voted for governments that range from extreme left to radical left, and now they have to pay the consequences. Their wealth redistribution system is much more encompassing than anything in the US and currently 1/4th of all Germans live below the poverty line and accept government assistance to reach the “existence minimum.” When you point out to Europeans that poverty, even by their definition, is far worse where there is greater redistribution, the answer is always the same: “Well, thankfully we have our welfare state, and the existence of poverty is proof that we need even more social programmes.”
While not disagreeing with the weight of the author’s point, the truth is that the “poor” in the country are, on the whole, very well off. Various sources, including the National Center for Policy Analysis have written articles on this subject.
The following is from What is Poor? Today’s luxuries become tomorrow’s necessaries, by Bruce Bartlett, published in the Oct 2, 2003 edition of Capitalism Magazine:
“In a supplementary report that got no press attention, the Census Bureau looked at some of these new necessities and their ownership by the poor. It turns out that many poor people today own appliances that were considered luxuries when I grew up, and some would still be considered luxuries today. For example, 91 percent of those in the lowest 10 percent of households — all of whom are officially poor — own color TVs; 74 percent own microwave ovens; 55 percent own VCRs; 47 percent own clothes dryers; 42 percent own stereos; 23 percent own dishwashers; 21 percent own computers; and 19 percent own garbage disposals. ”
link: http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/politics/poverty/3143-What-Poor.html
I agree. In general, when I see the word “poverty” mentioned in a report about the American economy, I wonder what sort of poverty they’re talking about. American poverty isn’t the same as French poverty, and it’s definitely no the same as Indian poverty, Afghan poverty, Sudanese poverty, or Papua New Guinean poverty.
When I think American poverty, I think of black people starving in rat-infested tenements in the ghetto or white people starving in tarpaper shacks the Appalachians. Absolutely poor, in other words, not “poor compared to other people in the country.” I’m poor compared to Bill Gates. The guy handing out newspapers at the Metro station is probably poor compared to me. But we all have food, shelter and clothing – and probably TVs and cars, too.
A poor guy in America might be considered affluent by Papua New Guinea standards. Does that mean anything? How much of the American poor’s relative affluence is paid for by the government and how much comes from the poor’s own efforts?
Poverty is complicated. Throwing out numbers is pretty useless unless those numbers are defined in some way.
To put things into perspective, the poorest 10% of Americans have more disposable income than the AVERAGE German. Relative poverty does nothing to explain real poverty. In America, your family may be considered poor if they only own one car and a regular Ipod and 5 year old t.v. In Germany, buying a house or car is considered pretty extravagant. Many “middle class” Germans also don’t own computers, which are now pretty much ubiquitous in the US, even amongst the “poor.”
While not disagreeing with the weight of the author’s point, the truth is that the “poor” in the country are, on the whole, very well off. Various sources, including the National Center for Policy Analysis have written articles on this subject.
The following is from What is Poor? Today’s luxuries become tomorrow’s necessaries, by Bruce Bartlett, published in the Oct 2, 2003 edition of Capitalism Magazine:
“In a supplementary report that got no press attention, the Census Bureau looked at some of these new necessities and their ownership by the poor. It turns out that many poor people today own appliances that were considered luxuries when I grew up, and some would still be considered luxuries today. For example, 91 percent of those in the lowest 10 percent of households — all of whom are officially poor — own color TVs; 74 percent own microwave ovens; 55 percent own VCRs; 47 percent own clothes dryers; 42 percent own stereos; 23 percent own dishwashers; 21 percent own computers; and 19 percent own garbage disposals. ”
link: http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/politics/poverty/3143-What-Poor.html
So much for the “War on Poverty.” What a waste of money… I hear all these silly talking points from some of my liberal friends about how the interstate highway system contributes to the decline of cities by funneling people out into the suburbs, and about how the blue states are all net contributors to the tax system, and how the red states are all net recipients of the tax system…
If you looked at the cities themselves, the urban centers, I have no doubt in my mind that since 1965-1967 since the Great Society and the “War on Poverty” were declared- the amount of federal dollars spent in urban areas (which are overwhelmingly Democratic) dwarfs the money spent in suburban and rural areas.
Hundreds of Billions of dollars spent fostering a welfare system where people are given incentives not to find work, or create a stable life for themselves. These are the areas with the highest number of unwed mothers. The society and culture in these areas are damaged.
National poverty is higher now than in all 51 years of record keeping.
While I won’t dismiss the effects of the recession, mote that most CHRONIC poverty – most of it – is the result of bad choices.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/PoliticalPhilosophy/BG791.cfm
“They are trapped in “behavioral poverty”: a vicious cycle of illegitimacy, destroyed families, absent work ethic, crime, drug addiction, and welfare dependency.”
An increasing number of high school drop-outs . California is known as a bellwether state, where trends begin, take root, and then move east. If that holds true our nation’s decline will be further accelerated, for California has the highest percentage of high school drop-outs
California also has the largest population of Hispanic immigrants for whom English is not their first language and who are unlikely to do as well in school as students where this is not the case. It is misleading to use California as a bellwether for this data point.
One in five children and one in seven residents of America are living in poverty.
Most child poverty is related to illegitimacy (i.e. no fatherly support). This is not the fault of the economy or ‘the system’. It is a choice made by their parents.
A little more than half of our taxpayers, 53%, picked up the tab this past April 15th for the remaining 47% who didn’t pay any federal income tax.
The non-payers are mostly middle class folks deducting their way out of it. The deductions have got to go, folks.
Interesting article, and I understand the point, but I have a few questions:
1) Regarding the assertion that the US workforce is becoming steadily less educated, this may be statistically true, but what has an over-educated society really gotten us, aside from a “higher education bubble” and a general devaluation of college degrees? Graduates with bachelors degrees are a dime a dozen these days, many struggle to find jobs in their field, and are now moving into the blue-collar type jobs formerly reserved for workers without college degrees. Perhaps a glut of college-educated workers are contributing to the plight of non-graduates, by invading on their employment “turf.” How many Starbucks Baristas have you met that have college degrees- most of the ones in the city where I live are recent graduates from college that can’t find other jobs.
2) What are the actual stats on high school drop outs? How many go on to pursue GED’s or other equivalency programs? Perhaps the effects above of an over-educated workforce is contributing to the plight of high school drop outs. They used to work at McDonald’s, or in other low-wage, unskilled jobs that are now occupied by kids with bachelor’s degrees. I can personally point to several twenty-something recent (within the past year) college grads who have taken jobs as baristas, cashiers, or waitresses because they couldn’t find jobs in the field in which they hold a degree. How many highs chool drop-outs have they displaced in those jobs?
I have no research or stats on either of these questions, but I think they are worth a look, to supplement what has been offered in this article. Does anyone have any information on it?
Thanks
We do have an increasingly uneducated workforce — they have no technical knowledge, or very few of them do.
We are glutted with high school dropouts who never took shop and college grads who know nothing but women’s/ethnic studies claptrap. Neither one could assemble a transmission, fix a heating unit, or check wiring on a circuit board without extensive training — which neither one would be eager to do because there are other choices and because we as a society wouldn’t let the poor dears become actually poor. They would rather work as a Starbuck’s barista for 7.50 an hour than assembling auto parts for 8.50 an hour (not that those jobs exist anymore anyway — unions) — it’s hip, and they can always get some sort of welfare aid if they need it.
Of course, most large companies are outsourcing because they only care about their profits (and they are global companies). It’s about time conservatives in this country (who rail against communism) had better realize that these companies are not paragons of capitalism — they are very much on the side of the socialists.
On this hand we have the high-school only who is an artist with a backhoe and a skilled machinist. On the other; a PhD in Women’s Studies who is a subject matter expert in transgressive homophobic imagery in neolithic cave art. I should be anxious that we may find ourselves with too many of the former and not enough of the latter? Uh yeh, Thorazine – STAT!
RJ-
That’s my point. Do we really need people graduating from college with useless degrees in stupid things? What’s the value added in having a whole bunch of egg-heads who can’t change a light bulb on their own? What happens when we’ve raised the level of expectation to the point where a person needs a degree in custodial arts in order to be a janitor?
Thanks for making the point. I work in the high tech world and a college degree is of limited use, except of course entry to the club of management. Every kid who asks me about what they should do in the future I tell them to get an Oracle DBA cert rather than bothering with college, unless you can somehow get a classical education despite the professors. So many degrees have no translation into the real world–except to perpetuate themselves. I was never more disappointed in my life than when I first attended college.
I reckon a complete revamp of education is in order. What passes for high school doesn’t require four years to learn; I think we’d get far few dropouts if they graduated at 15 instead of 17, and there’s no reason for many of the classes we take in HS just as in university. There’s a ton of fluff in school, and it’s ever increasing. I think though, that the TEA Parties are evidence that just because many of us (including me) received a sub-par education from the government schools doesn’t mean learning ceases, or that a poor education is an anchor for life. I’m one of the weirdos who read “The Odyssey” by choice in middle school–it was never required in any class I ever took, including in college. That goes for most of the classics, and I’ve read everything from Adam Smith to Zeno on my own since. I would love to have had a real classical education with somebody to actually guide me in a more sensible order, but that wasn’t a choice. Like a lot of people I just did the best I could, and I reckon few would consider me uneducated these days.
All these indicators are just that … indicators. The cause is another thing. The cause is moral decay due to an ever increasing lack of societal cohesiveness. It has gone so far that we are now in a state of near total lack of a cultural national identity. We are just a bunch of hedonists clawing around in our search for something to make us feel good. We are men without chests. Modern men in search of a soul. We are adrift with no compass and no idea where we even want to go.
If you want to look at a real cause for our spiraling out of control fracturing of the american psyche one needn’t look any further than the acceptance of casual sex. Casual sex and the over-sexing of everyone through mass media. We are literally out of control horny in this country and in the West in general and divorce is rampant. People discard religion in their young life because their religion tells them they should not screw around like tomcats. Once religion goes out the window so does any other conveniently unnecessary rule or value. Pretty soon you have chaos.
You don’t see chaos around you? That’s because you don’t drive through or even go near 1/3rd of your city. Because its a killing field.
People have always been “screwing around like tomcats.” The difference is that now the government will gladly pay for the child, which removes the burden of responsibility from people to pay for their own behaviour. End the payments by forcing people to pay for their own children.
‘Cuddle up, Baby; Uncle pays the bill.’
R.A. Heinlein, about 50 years ago.
He also dubbed the era now ending ‘The Crazy Years’,
and said they would be followed by ‘a period of civil unrest’.
Then don’t vote for people like this:
http://www.alan.com/2010/10/04/ct-gop-senate-candidate-linda-mcmahon-teamed-with-girls-gone-wild-for-raunchy-semi-nude-show-2/
3. Marc Malone
“Woman power! Feminism! This is what it looks like. Single motherhood. Poverty for women and children. And the feminists are… Dems!”,/i>
Oh give me an effing break, you douchebag.
What? Did you want women to be stuck marrying old farts and barefoot and pregnant forever? Dream on, idiot. Go back to your Men’s Rights and PUA blogs where you can cry a GD river about how women don’t want your old, skanky, used up @ss. Wahhhhhhhh.
You know what is really ruining this world? MEN. Because you all want to spooge all over the world and control EVERYTHING though wars and Fascism.
Please name me ONE female leader of a Fascist country? NAME ME ONE, mofo or get off the pot!
Here’s two: Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos
All of these problems can be laid at the feet of the liberal estabishment, their allies, and the moderate rhino-republicans who make their agenda possible. We need to rethink the way we deal with these issues and not double-down on failed programs. We need to reform our government back to the Consitutional foundation. It is, as someone already said, a hundred year war.
One need only put these in the proper order to clearly understand the problem.
1. Four of out of every ten births in America are to unmarried women.
…which leads to…
2. An increasing number of high school drop-outs.
…which leads to…
3. The American workforce becoming less educated.
…which leads to…
4. All time highs in national poverty levels.
…which leads to…
5. 47% of Americans paying no income taxes.
A functioning society requires a responsible citizenry. Responsibility requires restraint. 4 out of 10 children being born out-of-wedlock indicates a complete rejection of responsibility and restraint. When that happens, degradation and poverty are the inescapable end result.
Govt and bureaucracy are not the problem. The problem is our culture – a culture that’s been poisoned by the Left as they’ve conducted their “long march through the institutions” of Western Civilization over the past 100 years.
Fantastic analysis.
All of those issues listed are directly related to our free hand outs to the poor. It has become cyclical that one generation begets the next hand-out generation until the hand-out class becomes a majority. Make the poor perform some sort of national service to possibly learn a trade and to earn their hand-outs. Then give them a deadline to find work or cut them off. That’s pretty harsh but at some point the parasite will kill the host.
It’s not the poverty. It’s the culture.
After all the poverty in 1776 was appalling. And yet here we are.
A few passing observations …
Are people poor because they have no money, or do they have no money because they’re poor … in values? 150 years ago you’d have a Mick on the dock in New York and he was poor. Hand him a ten-dollar gold piece and that’s the last you’d ever hear of him because he could figure out the rest. We’ve handed over 8 Trillion dollars — more like 20 Trillion if adjusted for inflation — to certain favored urban groups, and somehow they’re still poor.
We absolutely must address the cultural values problem, and let’s be direct. When hardworking inner-city kids are attacked for behaving “too white” we have a serious problem.
It fell into place for me when after living overseas for nearly twenty years in a nation of the British Commonwealth I returned to the States for a job in Arkansas. There I was with easy access to the commonly acknowledged White Trash, of which there is plenty in Arkansas. Suddenly the differences in attitude and effort between the jet-black people of Nigeria, Uganda, Jamaica, Zambia, or wherever … and those of the average “African-American” leapt into stark contrast.
Along with White Trash, we have Black Trash. One is primarily rural, the other primarily urban, but apart from that and skin color there are few differences. Both groups struggle with delayed gratification. They drop out of school at horrendous rates. They blame others for all their problems. They are incapable of any long-term planning or systematic advancement. And so on.
Of course they’re poor.
Now, to the more important issue. Twenty years ago, only one of the ten richest counties in America was near Washington, DC. Now, depending on whose numbers you use, it between four and six of the richest counties in America surrounding the capital like so many dingleberries.
When the wealth of a nation moves from the heartland to the capital, it is in trouble. In the “underdeveloped” world it is the usual state of affairs.
When government employees take home over 50% greater pay and benefits than equivalent workers in the private sector, a nation is in trouble.
When the entire education system is focused on the *redistribution* of wealth and the people in power have no understanding of what’s required actually to CREATE wealth, that nation is in trouble.
When people have no understanding of the essential difference between celebrity and importance, a nation is in trouble.
When reason, rationality, and rhetoric have be washed away by magical thinking, a nation is in trouble.
When people allow themselves to be driven by their feelings instead of logical analysis, a nation is in trouble. Have you noticed how most people say “I feel that [such and so]” instead of “I think” or “I believe” ?
I could go on, but it’s clear that the author missed the fundamental points of the case she was attempting to make.
Your comment about the black immigrants is interesting. I had a relative who worked for the phone company in New York City, often in inner city urban neighborhoods where Black Caribbean immigrants also lived. The American black people said they did not like the immigrants much because they were “too ambitious.”
16. scott,
I think Sex Police will fix the problem as you diagnose it.
If it works anything like the drug war people will be screwing in the streets. We can stop that with cameras. Until people start vandalizing them. Or we could hire lots of snitches.
I’m not advocating a police state. I’m simply shining a light. I found this light by self examination as I wasted much of my life worshiping sex. We reap what we sow.
Is it me, or does it seem that we’ve been reading a similar version of this same “the sky is falling” article for the past 40 years?
And what has been happening for those 40 years?
I guess rising dropout rates and fatherless children are no reasons to cause alarm.
When I went to high school there was one girl in my class who got pregnant. Now that same school has a daycare to help out with the flood of offspring from the short-sighted morons who are “more sexually sophisticated” than my generation.
Yeah, just keep thinking America’s a steady state. It’ll never fall apart. No vigilance necessary. Go back to your wii bowling game and your beer. Life’s just fine.
Forty years ago we weren’t $13 trillion in debt
I get it. We start government programs to change the culture.
We’ll fund those programs by taxing the rich: I should say, by requiring the rich to invest. And we can borrow money against the programs’ future success: I should say, we can increase the programs’ success by reinvesting the future proceeds today.
And each of those five societal trends is highest among African-Americans over every other demographic group. It is vital that we improve the leadership within the black community, to largely change that leadership, so that African-Americans can concentrate on, and literally believe in, achievement and success, rather than historical grievance and victimhood. A strong, independent, thoughtful African-American populace would do so very much to improve this country. Voting in demographic blocks of 94% is neither strong, thoughtful, nor independent. Frankly, it should be embarrassing.
Don’t worry, HUD/DOT/EPA will solve all these problems…we’ll have jobs, homes and transportation all within our nice neat new sustainable communities.
Now this is community organizing.
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/
We have the supposedly “impoverished” people “suffering” from obesity. These same people have modern cell-phones, flat-screen televisions and a roof over their heads coupled with ‘free’ medical care and ‘free’ food cards subsidized by the people who actually work their butts off.
As Prof. Victor Davis Hanson has already opined:
The paupers of today would have been considered the “wealthy” of yesterday.
Please, gimme a break.
Personally, I’d like to see more people starving in the streets who refuse to work or make something of themselves (maybe they wouldn’t have time to make babies if they actually had to go hungry and homeless). But, nooooooo, let’s just keep making the welfare state grow.
Idiotic.
Or, as Kathy Shaidle put it:
“Today’s “poor” are the rich Jesus warned you about: fat, slovenly, wasteful of their money and other people’s.”
Being materially well off today costs a lot less than it used to. If we measure “wealth” only by the kinds of goods that people have as opposed to what it cost to purchase those goods, then yes, the average person today would be considered materially wealthy compared to persons in the past. This is a good thing. Mass production and innovation have resulted in material wealth within reach of many people with limited economic means. This is indeed a very good thing. While its true that some people are in need of weaning from the State teat, you can’t say that just because they have cell phones or flat screen TVs or even a car.
We have raised our children and they are just new into the work force and starting families. We always knew that they would be more accomplished than their parents. They are smart, caring, motivated, with a work ethic that puts them at the top 100% of their peer group. They are just starting their own respective families and each plans on 3 to 4 kids. They too, believe that their kids will out perform their parents. America is full of opportunity today for a person that is willing to educate themself and invest the labor.
Our kids are midwest small town, and went to small schools that did not offer AP classes. What they lacked in highschool opportunities the mae up for in leadership experinces and hard work in college. Anything is possible
From the article:
“1. America is getting poorer. One in five children and one in seven residents of America are living in poverty.
Here are the cold hard facts according to a September 2010 Census Bureau report:
* 43.6 million people in America are living in poverty.
* That translates into 14.3% of the total population (up from 13.2 % in 2008).
* Of that 43.6 million living in poverty, 20.7% are children (up from 19% in 2008).”
Your data cited doesn’t show that one in five children are living in poverty; it shows one in five people living in poverty are children. Without knowing how many children there are in the general population, you can’t tell what percentage of children are in poverty, you can only say that ~9 million children are in poverty (or that poverty-stricken children are about 3% of the total population.)
#1 is kinda bogus. The “poverty line” is a moving target that changes every year as it is a number representing persons earning a certain percentage below the average income of the country. Statistically, there will always be people in conditions that are considerably worse than the average.
Keep in mind, a significant number of folks who are considered to be living in “poverty” are dying of obesity-related maladies from eating too much fast food, have comfortable places to live, cable TV, a computer of some kind, internet access, mobile phones, at least one automobile (if not several others up on blocks on the dirt in front of the homestead).
I hate hearing about “poverty”. The poorest in our nation are better off today than millionaires were 100 years ago. Same goes for the poor vs. the middle class was just a few decades ago.
If you took an average Joe from a nation that was in the bottom half or two-thirds in terms of development TODAY and showed him how the “poverty-stricken” of the U.S. live today, he’d probably faint from jealousy.
I suspect that one of the reasons that high school graduation is down is that the powers that be in education have decided that everyone needs to be educated for college. This means that, by and large, the vocational track has been eliminated from schools as fast as they can manage it. So now students who would be crackerjack machinists or wonderful cabinet makers are no longer taught the skills they need in high school. They need to suffer through a curriculum that is not designed to facilitate anything but attending college should they graduate. No wonder many of them get tired of it and opt out. They aren’t even learning skills that will help them aspire to a technical school. But considering what their experiences are in high school few of them are willing to consider suffering through high school in order to get to a technical school. You used to be able to leave high school with training that would qualify you to get a good entry level vocational type job where you would work your way up and train for the future. No more.
TheAbstractor
Here’s two: Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos
Nope. They were famous/popular or infamous/unpopular WIVES of Presidents and NOT the LEADERS.
Proof positive that men are delusional about their self-supposed ‘victimhood’ via the evil “Feminazis”.
Now, shall I list all of the things males have done to females that have caused unbelievable pain and suffering?
No. Of course I can’t, because I’d have to write a freaking BIBLE.
Men have done nothing to cause female suffering.
Women are far more cruel than men, and to the extent that one gender mistreats the other, women mistreat men.
Get a clue, toots.
@TheAbstractor
Here’s two: Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos
Nope. They were famous/popular or infamous/unpopular WIVES of Presidents and NOT the LEADERS.
Proof positive that men are delusional about their self-supposed ‘victimhood’ via the evil “Feminazis”.
Now, shall I list all of the things males have done to females that have caused unbelievable pain and suffering?
No. Of course I can’t, because I’d have to write a freaking BIBLE.
Nope. They were famous/popular or infamous/unpopular WIVES of Presidents and NOT the LEADERS.
Proof positive that men are delusional about their self-supposed ‘victimhood’ via the evil “Feminazis”.
Now, shall I list all of the things males have done to females that have caused unbelievable pain and suffering?
No. Of course I can’t, because I’d have to write a freaking BIBLE.
So we should wait until female tyrants have racked up a comparable body count first?
*Ahem*, The Obvious: Gender is IRRELEVANT — tyranny is the problem.
They already have racked up a body count. 50 million abortions and counting.
Also, 3 million innocent men in jail for things that a healthy society would not consider to be a crime….failing to keep a woman sufficiently attracted to you.
Feminazis are, in fact, the 21st century Nazis. First of all, everything they say is projection.
Do social trends in California lead the US, or do they trail Mexico?
At this point it’s not at all clear.
That 4 0f 10 births is to an unmarried woman is at the root of all the other “causes”. If you look at the statistic for African-Americans (7 out of 10) it becomes crystal clear why they are over-represented in all other negative statistical groups.
The unpleasant and politically incorrect reality for democorrupts and their liberal and leftist base is that the overwhelming majority of California’s unlettered school dropouts are generated by three of the left’s favorites and most reliable voter base groups. The high school dropouts are flowing from inner city black welfare recipients, illegal immigrant public school enrollees greatlt augumented by the anchor baby children of illegal Hispanic immigrants, and the hosts of offspring of unmarried mothers much revered and heavily subsidized by Sacramento, DC, and local government democrats.
35. Seerak
So we should wait until female tyrants have racked up a comparable body count first?
*Ahem*, The Obvious: Gender is IRRELEVANT — tyranny is the problem.
Female tyrants? So, it’s ONLY women causing tyranny in the USA? Is THAT what you are alluding to? It’s not the Rich male bankers or Soros and other assorted rich, powerful, MALE creeps of the world along with powerful douchebags like Al Gore or the William Ayers or Bill Gates or Osama Bin Ladens of the world?
Do you really believe that the Jane Fondas, Hillary Clintons, Nancy Pelosis and Code-Pinkers should make you afraid of all women? Do you honestly believe that all women want to kill their children and abort all male babies (check out CHINA for the deets on that, idiot). Do you have a mother and sisters? Are you for real? Really, Cupcake?
Well, if you are that afraid of women, it’s time to tuck your nuts in, little boy and call it a day.
Or maybe, just maybe, men are afraid of their own much deserved Karma.
No article about America’s decline is complete without citing The Misandry Bubble.
Misandry (under the euphemism of ‘feminism’) is the reason for decline. The GOP has no chance of figuring this out, as they are also an anti-male party. The GOP winning seats in congress will do absolutely nil, since Republicans love to suck up to even lefty feminists.
The Misandry Bubble : Read it if you dare.
There is a reason that ALL successful societies of the past shamed unwed mothers. They knew that unwed mothers are the source of all other problems.
America instead chooses to propagate a myth that an unwed mother is both heroic and a victim. This is idiocy.
Shame single mothers. Stop them from getting financial support. Watch most other problems vanish quickly….
Single mothers don’t get that way by themselves. There used be a time where a man was shamed if he didn’t do the honorable thing and marry the woman he impregnated.
Calling someone ‘idiot’ hardly advances your piss-poor argument, Doubtfire. Basically, you have a huge chip on your shoulder. Or maybe in words you can understand: you hate men, and you have a victim mentality.
I work for a large welfare department in a large California county. Our “clients” are 70% black in a county that is barely 6% black. Over 80% are unmarried women, most high school dropouts. Of those that did graduate, they often have a third grade reading level. Fully one-fourth of our adult parents are “sanctioned” because they refuse to engage in any welfare-to-work activity, such as job skills training, entry level work, subsidized work, etc. They accept a much smaller welfare check rather than even try to work.
We also have over 400 “undocumented” parents with US-born kids. Of those “undocumented” adults, over 80% are working, either in the underground economy or with false papers. But at lease they work.
I agree with posters above. We should move to a skills-based immigration system and stop admitting unskilled, uneducated people. When the country faces a severe shortage of unskilled workers to do low-skilled jobs, then all those slacker welfare recipients can take those jobs.
Stupid 2,
I have taught school for 58 years on the secondary level and have observed how the entitlement programs have poisoned the minds of our youngsters. Free lunch, free books, SSI crazy checks,destroyed initiative,my name is Jimmy and I will take everything you will gimme. What are you going to do with your life after you leave here? You guess the answer. I am going to draw,which my parents have done for four generations. We have had 40 years of civil rights instead of 40 years of civil responsibility. Since I went through the great depression,we learned to survive by working and saving. We did not expect some government to rescue us from our condition. 53% of Americans paying taxes and 47% with their hand out for food, trips,
gambling money, beer money and cell phones.America today does not know what real poverty is like. 41.3 million on the dole, what a shame for America, the land that used to work and prosper. Why does Obama knock the movers and shakers of this society?
He was the recipient of school money because of preferred treatment. God bless America, not a Rev. Eright shout.
So I’m confused; is the problem that too many people go to college, or not enough?
And Scott writes: “I agree with posters above. We should move to a skills-based immigration system and stop admitting unskilled, uneducated people. When the country faces a severe shortage of unskilled workers to do low-skilled jobs, then all those slacker welfare recipients can take those jobs.”
I don’t know if we can pull that off, because it certainly would not be as easy transition, but if someone could articulate that platform, it would be worth a shot.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14
Let’s be clear, Ms. Doubtfire – enraged feminists, lesbian or not, are a great source of mischief in every Western society. You want what is unhealthy for you – Alpha male power – unable to get it, you figure you’ve been denied it by a male conspiracy, and that if you got it you’d be happy. It doesn’t really make most men happy, but it’s clearly toxic in the hands of women.
First–I don’t think “trickle UP economics is going to work”. So,the 47% of Americans who don’t pay any taxes arn’t going to give anybody a job. If fact, I do not think you ought to be able to vote if you don’t pay ANY taxes. You don’t have a stake in the country.
Secondly–the reason we have so many single mothers is because the DEMOCRATS arranged it that way. An unwed mother gets about $2,200 per month per child. If she is married, nothing. It did not take them long to figure out that one. If we weren’t handing out money like candy, they would either be married, or think twice before having a baby. As it is now, they are making a living out of having babies without fathers. Thihk this will work?? DUH! Thanks democrats. All those children without fathers thank you too.
jr
So I’m confused; is the problem that too many people go to college, or not enough?
The problem is that too few people are truly educated, AND that college is not corelating to real education in the way that it used to. More and more college degrees are in bogus fields that push a leftist agenda, rather than in useful fields.
Each of these 5 trends is a result of deliberate liberal policies.
A strong, self-reliant, educated, moral population is impossible to control. That population only wants government to provide basic security and defense.
And that isn’t the statists’ / ruling class / communists’ plan.
Let’s be clearer, Larry from Silicon,
Yes, I’m a Lesbian, but, I don’t want to wrestle, I don’t want to box and I sure as heck don’t want to play ‘foozeball’ or grow a ‘stache’. Get it? Most women like being women! The most UNfem women tend to be hard-core Feminists which is an oxymoron in and of itself and THAT I will never ‘get’, but, hey, each to their own.
What is Apha male power without BETA male power? Someone has to keep the cogs churning? The Alpha is NOTHING without the BETA doing the heavy lifting. If anything, Alphas are trumped up women and Betas are the fools doing all the dirty work for the prissy “Metrosexuals” who prefer to lift a pinky finger over a cup of latte’ rather than lift a finger to do actual WORK.
So, let’s get this straight, shall we?
WHO is the enemy?
Because I can find a million reasons why MEN are but, I know there are too many good men to take that stand. So, why on earth do some of YOU men take the idotic stance that ALL women ‘bad’?
And, you men brag that you like spreading your seed and that it’s just your ‘nature’? Well, hello mister “big dick” because the only reason your penis is large for an ‘ape’ is because women have been playing your ass forever and a day (hence “Sperm competition). Do you guys really feel like ‘victims’ because you found out you ain’t the only “playas” up in the hizzy?
PUHLEASE. WE ALL have the DESIRE to SPREAD our DNA and women even moreso because our eggs are much more precious and RARE.
But, no worries, fellas. Most of us women are going ghost or Lesbian and refuse to just be “baby-makers” for disgusting pig-men.
Please, stick to your porn and leave us women alone. FOR GOOD.
Thanks.
“Of that 43.6 million living in poverty, 20.7% are children.”
You can thank the federal government for this statistic. They make it too easy to be poor. Free breakfast and lunch programs, free vaccinations, Medicaid, free clinics, food stamps, WIC, welfare, public housing and other “benefits” for the poor to mitigate their low earnings. Meanwhile middle class people not eligible to be on the dole have to actually consider whether or not they could afford more children before having them. My wife and I wanted another child but decided we couldn’t afford it. Why aren’t the poor forced to make the same choices? The poor shouldn’t receive any benefits if they have children while poor. We’ll never break the cycle of poverty if we continue to subsidize it.
I don’t think those who are considered poor in this country are compable to the poor in other countries. I taught school for many years and noticed how many kids receiving free breakfast and lunch were wearing ‘”desigber clothing and sneakers”. These are supposed to be POOR kids. They always had money in their pockets and could pay for extra curricular activities.
I do think ennui and laziness has overtaken much of our society. There is far too much emphasis on ME-time, recreation and doing the least possible amount of work, study, etc. The infatuation with celebrities is an example of this.
Many of the very successful people earning the very Big Bucks today reached their positions because of hard work on their parts.In American a college education is available to anyone with ability and some amount of work. Too often those lacking ability clutter up the colleges. College graduation should not be a measure of a country’s worth.
Too many examples of American ignorance are shown on late night TV. It’s nothing to be proud of. Rather than be proud of their ridiculous answers, they should feel embarrassed. ….the scarlet S for stupid.
We survived Woodrow Wilson. We survived Franklin Roosevelt, and we survived Jimmy Carter.
So I’m pretty sure that we will survive Barack (and Michelle) Obama, too.
Have more faith in your fellow Americans. It is this country’s ordinary people, not their leaders, nor politicians, who make the USA the greatest country in the history of civilizations. We’ve made mistakes in the past. But we always bounce back, even stronger than before.
My grammy has often said that it will all be the same a thousand years from now, and life is too short. So don’t sweat the petty sh*t. My grammy is so cool.
Divorce is also at an all time high in America. Men have been lead to believe since the mid 90′s that cheating on your wife has no consequences. The amazing financial ride some Americans took in the years just after the turn of the millineum wasn’t enough, so instead of saving for the future or living within their means, they bought every expensive ego flashy toy in the form of idols called cars, boats, houses so they could feel better about themselves and their neighbors and friends would envy their success. But remember pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered – so now the HOGS are losing their toys, but their wives and children are losing everything. Don’t misread my intent – this is not man bashing. I have the most wonderful kind loving father and brother anyone could ask for – and neither have ever been considered “well to do” financially. They budgeted, planned ahead and did the best they could for their families and remained faithful to their wives and children. Even when financially broke, their families are happy because their happiness is not based on money. Yes, they have stress, but they work through it together because they respect one another. God designed the hierarchy as man answering to God and wives and children answering to their spouse or father. If men would refocus and truly seek God’s righteousness, this country would turn around. It is that simple. There is no other rocket science financial or other solution. Yes it has to be the man who gets his heart right with God – because by nature we as women want to be able to follow them and trust them, just as children want to trust and follow their parents. COULD SOMEONE PLEASE FOCUS ON THE BASIC CONCEPT THAT MAN NEEDS TO TURN THEIR HEART TOTALLY BACK TO GO AND TOTALLY BACK TO THEIR FAMILY. What is amazing to me is that churches are not bold enough to preach this message over and over and over until the men figure it out and it becomes cool and the “in” club to live as Godly men. Every man in the bible who turned his focus to God left an incredible imprint on their families, friends, neighbors, churches, children, and this world. I wish a million men would MARCH on WASHINGTON who are known for turning back to their faith in Christ and the wife they chose to love in their youth. Divorce allows them to wipe the slate clean in their minds and have someone believe in them without knowing truly who they have been and the mistakes they have made, so they are not held accountable for restoring any of the relationships they have devastated. Wives want restoration, but it takes work, and too often the men prefer to pretend nothing ever happened, walk away and work on someone new. It is too often only a matter of time before that marriage blows up too. American men have to take a serious look at themselves, strip away the facade or image before their friends, and be honest before God – then our nation will return to the roots it was founded on by our forefathers. Nothing less and nothing more will change America.
The Ungodly US Federal court system had its negative impact as well. Taking prayer, bible reading and the ten commandments out of the classroom plus busing destroyed public education. And the big one Roe v. Wade destroyed the fabric of American society imperiling all of us. Just to start, federal courts have been an abomination, liberal federal judges are the greatest threat to our civil liberties.
I was just discussing this issue with my mother. She remembers when every family put an importance on education but now most Americans can’t understand the depth of the economic predicament being created by Barry, and Bernie and Timmy.They are the trifecta of economic idiocy and with our education rates falling, poverty rates increasing, and our federal government being such a mess the future does not look rosy.
BUT, this is America and we have found ways to stand together and get things done.
I think we need to adopt more of the Amish mentality where the solutions to problems can be found in your family and your neighbor, and not look to DC or UN or IMF for solutions. It is obvious by their history they do not now have any solutions for us.
She recalled that when she graduated from high school she had been saving half of her income to be able to afford to go to “Beauty School” ( my weren’t times simplere then?) so she would have a means of income.
Today the 18 year old kids have saved almost nothing, planned for almost nothing and prepared themselves for almost nothing. The school my daughter graduated from had one of the highest graduation rates in the state and held the highest rate of students going on with their education. It worked well. It is now closed.
If we Americans don’t start solving problems were are going to have that ability taken from us.
Thirty-four states already cut higher education aid and twenty-five states already reduced grade school aid. Twenty-Seven states have reduced health care benefits for low-income people. Twenty-six states have hiring freezes. Twenty-two states have lowered employee”s wages. Thirteen states have announced layoffs. Federal aid to the states has already being reduced. The worst is yet to come. 2010 will bring the loss of many jobs in public sector as well as the private sector. Experts say any chance of a turn around will not happen now. The US is broke and has the worst debt in the world.
The bankruptcies should happen in 2010 and many of the other problems have already begun. In 2010, 37 Governors face re-election and 46 states will chose their legislatures. The reality is to keep the states spending budgets up; taxes will have to be increased. When you have a lot of people out of work and a lot of failed businesses this means big tax hikes and raising taxes for those able to survive in a down economy is just going to make it harder for them to make it in the long run. Of course out of work people are short term oriented and can care less about down the road.
Things look like the politicians are going to try and run with upside down budgets but they will run out of money and then have to make some hard choices when they are up against the wall. In a state with high unemployment, who is going to vote for a politician who says we need to pull our belts in and run with a balanced budget and a sound economic policy and this will mean spending cuts and job cuts. Now the politician who says well we need to make jobs, extend unemployment benefits, send the kids to school and college, keep the medical aid coming, and keep the spending up is going to get elected. Then when the spenders get elected what are they going to do?
A study, conducted by the Pew Center on the States, found that California, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are among the most bankrupt states in the country. The only ones not run top-to-bottom by Democrats were Arizona, Florida and Nevada…all of which have huge illegal immigration problems.
California to become America’s first failed state?
Their unemployment is at 12 percent, and government staff workers are being paid with IOUs. None other than Professor Kevin Starr, University of Southern California, State Librarian Emeritus, one of California’s greatest historians, pronounced that “We are on the verge of becoming a failed state because we can’t agree on anything.” The California Senate has been in Democratic hands since 1970, and likewise, the Assembly — The reason California may be our first failed state is because the Democratic recipe for success in California is the same as in every other liberal state — more spending —– particularly on social programs and public employee sector benefits. Spending is the public policy that gets Democrats re-elected. (Their state budget went from $56 billion in 1998 to an eye popping $131 billion in 2009.) What nobody on the left is willing to admit is that blue states are in meltdown. Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Illinois (Obamaland), Pennsylvania, Oregon and, of course, California, are in debtors prison. High levels of taxation, a love affair with regulations — the more the merrier — and the unremitting expansion of public sector employment have made public sector unions a political powerhouse. It’s hard to imagine that the debates in the primary elections will not focus on job creation in the private sector, and stemming the tide of businesses and high-income residents fleeing the state. So will California’s elections move them right of center as we saw with Europe’s large social democracies, or will their fascination for Obama-like left-leaning economic policies remain intact — no jobs, increased spending and bigger government. Lastly, Los Angeles voted to Arizona boycott over immigration law. Who cares? Many states are now looking at passing the same law. LA and San Francisco have just hurt there on own economy’s which according to all the top economists won’t last long anyway. This is bad news, who wants to be like California Not Arizona. Many experts agree that after the November elections the Democrats will lose the Congress and Obama’s rating will drop 20% to the lowest ever recorded for any US President.
Tell me about poverty! Divorce is one of the primary causes.
My wife left me with three small boys, and I didn’t have the physical stamina to work two full jobs, that of a parent and get a good income. I made the choice to be a good parent. For years we lived on half the poverty standard. Most companies don’t want to hire a half-time worker. Two of my sons dropped out of high school to start college early. Instead of a car or TV, we got cheap, home made or even free out-dated computers for studies. All three of the sons have good skills and one is starting a company. The youngest recently graduated college and had two good companies competing for his employment.
Now, finally, I can do things for myself. But my skills are out of date. Rats!
Real poverty is poverty of the mind, not money. We didn’t have money, but we were rich mentally. By investing so much of myself in my sons, each has the potential of doing far better than I did.
I’m age 65, my husband is age 65. Growing up I had a roof over my head, food to eat – THAT’S ALL. (It was the same with my husband) My parent’s philosophy was, if you don’t have it you don’t spend it!!! My sisters and I created our play, as did my husband’s siblings. WE HAD NOTHING, BUT WE WERE A HAPPY FAMILY – we created our fun – in this country there are so many resources for having fun at no cost. (same with my husband’s family) My husband and I both got a college education – for the most part “our” funds. Our children are college educated, because we made that a “goal” for them.
WE CHOOSE what we want to do with our lives and what we want to be. Those at the “poverty” level also have choices. My question: are the current parents WILLING to invest the time into their children to help them create a fun life for their kids in spite of limited costs?
I think we just get “too wrapped around the exile” with all this poverty stuff. Let parents be parents and let’s not get so involved in trying to solve their problems/dilemmas and let these wonderfully concerned and loving parents do their jobs! everything else will fall into play.
Currently,California cannot be the bellwether state when it comes to graduation rates. It has been overrun with illegal aliens and legal immigrants who do not value education However, it is a bellwether for the effects of unregulated, destructive, third-world immigration.
End immigration–legal and illegal–now. Stop importing poverty, crime, ignorance and disease.
Amen
My “poor” neighbor has gold teeth, a Louis Vuitton bag, a cellphone, an iPod, orders in Dominos twice a week, and drives an Escalade.
Democracy: it’s two wolves and a lamb voting on what’s for dinner.
We don’t need legal or illegal immigration. We don’t need educated foreigners. We need to stop all immigration, period. We need take our schools back from the hypocritical, racist haters that now run academia, the media, and our financial system. They control all of this because they practice endless nepotism and cronyism behind the scenes while openly preaching tolerance, multiculturalism, and other garbage they don’t believe in for themselves. Most people know this but are too scared to say something about it. Too scared to be called racists or some other terms that are thankfully losing their force.
“•There is an increasing number of high school drop-outs.
•The American workforce is steadily becoming less educated.”
What’s the percentage of male versus female in that dropout rate? Boys are increasingly becoming disenfranchised from the education system and I would bet that the great percentage of dropouts are male…
I get pleasure from, lead to I discovered exactly what I used to be having a look for. You’ve ended my four day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye