The collectivist, populist, redistributionist dogma of Clinton, Obama, et al. is as tiresome as it is unsupportable. But John Edwards is downright scary, because he seems to actually believe the nonsense he spouts about "economic fairness" (i.e., they have yet to take enough of my money to give to people who didn't earn it). Now, he's going on a "poverty tour" to round up poor people and, "by telling their stories to the rest of the nation . . . attempt to shed light on the new faces of poverty in America."
The former U.S. senator from North Carolina has a plan for “ending poverty in America within a generation” that includes an increase in the minimum wage, investments in rural community colleges, creation of 1 million short-term “stepping stone” jobs, and a program to encourage responsible fatherhood and fight teen pregnancy.
Let us pass over, for now, the empty arrogance of pledging to "end poverty" within one generation, as well as the obvious point that relative poverty will always be present and, in a way, even necessary in a free society. But it must be pointed out that millions of people around the world die every year because of extreme poverty and that the poor in this country live with creature comforts not even the well-off of previous generations possessed. That's the most offensive thing about Edwards -- his complete lack of a sense of proportion.
Comments
End poverty in ONE generation....that IS arrogant...and damn funny to boot.
The feds NEED a certain portion (roughly 5-7%) of the population "fat, drunk, and stupid" (to quote deam Wormer) to fund all those programs that are supposed to "aid" these people out of poverty, when in fact it's been PROVEN many of the programs do nothing, and are merely special interest groups with their own agendas (and money to burn at our expense).
And that is one vicious circle they're perpetuating.
B.G.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me in all of recorded history, there have been poor people, rich people, and middle of the road people.
Will Messiah Edwards be the one to turn that all around?? Didn't work out so well for those who tried before, but...
I guess a mans got to have a goal.
Putz
There is no denying the statistics that the wealthy have grown wealthier, the poor have grown poorer and the middle has stayed stagnant, while at the same time there is a growing desparity between the richh and poor. There are issues of economic fairness at stake whether you care to admit it or not. Ignoring or poo-pooing the problem will not make it go away or change the fact that it exists. We have had enough of the failed supply side economics now after two extended experiments with it. Its time to make the economy work for all americans, not just the rich and connected.
Add'l comment. The reason there is a growing populist movement in the US, and rightly so, is that the people are realizing that politicians, elites, some business leaders are listening more and siding with special and moneyed interests over the will and best interest of the people. Prime examples are illegal immigration and job offshoring - two issues that are clearly detrimental to working people's interests. And it isn't a left-right issue either - many republicans are also populists - Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan, economists Paul Craig Roberts and Alan Blinder for example that see the threats to our national security and economic health in this blind open border-global race to the bottom.
For those unaware, Paul Craig Roberts was one of Ronald Reagan's top economic advisors.