Nearly 1 in 2 Americans have Fallen into Poverty

[Garden guy]

im amazed that americans have watched as republicans and the wealthy fuck our nation and sit back and think we should listen to anything they have to say....they steal lie cheat and the right wing idiots just smile and eat them up and buy them a dinner...what has happened to sanity?

[finehoe]

Maybe Americans could look at themselves in the mirror when their lives dont turn out the way they think they should

Unless they're a bankster.  In that case they can just ask demand the government bail them out.

[Timkin]

I'm amazed that Americans have watched as republicans and the wealthy fuck our nation and sit back and think we should listen to anything they have to say....they steal lie cheat and the right wing idiots just smile and eat them up and buy them a dinner...what has happened to sanity?

Well Garden Guy.... I concur with you .   SO  ....how do we reverse this?  Do we sit and protest as students did with OWS  and get pepper-sprayed, shot or killed  for  being totally sick of a one-sided situation and standing up for our rights?

I am no financial expert but I have sense enough to see what is happening and the root of this problem is greed and power mongers.   these two elements direct much of our society and in fact govern our country.  If I could fire every one of them and start over I would. I think many would.   No one seems to be able to come up with a solution.   We play world Police and we need to stop. We step in to situations in other countries we have no business being in , in the first place and we need to stop.   I am all for helping others , helping less fortunate, feeding the hungry and the down-trodden of not just our country, but the world... however until we as a Nation , as a Government, as a people start putting our country and our people first , as every other nation does for themselves , we will never change this and the declining condition of our economy and our people and poverty will continue in a spiral out of control. period.

I think someday, many will get sick of the way things are and retaliate, and it is not going to be pretty when it happens.

[jerry cornwell]

Well, feel free to go puke all over your occupied buddies if you are sick to your tummy.  As to what kind of American I am?  Im the kind of American that would like to see other Americans live within their means.  I would like to see Americans use some common sense when prioritizing their needs.  I want to see Americans have a little restraint when offered that credit card, home loan, car loan they know they cant afford.  Maybe Americans could look at themselves in the mirror when their lives dont turn out the way they think they should and make changes or demands at home, instead of others.  Maybe give up some of the luxuries in life in exchange for paying those bills they promised to pay (not at gunpoint, by the way).  Etc etc.  Simple enough for you Steph??  Want me to draw you a diagram??? 

Anyhow to try and keep the argument going somewhere, I believe its probable that Mitt Romney will win the presidency. Im curious to hear RMHowards thought on that. I feel there are a large number of people who just dont like the president on a personal level. In our democracy, you cant ask a voter to vote for someone they dont like.
Romney accuses the President of failing  the country, which i think is way wrong, but most voters in the economic climate of today,where they are, and will adjust their living means as RMHoward says, believe him.
Romney (the only republican mind you that can beat the President) will indeed bring "economic prosperity" to America. First off by cutting the minimum wage, by a lot! He will literally equalize American workers to those of the Third world.

[Garden guy]

Well, feel free to go puke all over your occupied buddies if you are sick to your tummy.  As to what kind of American I am?  Im the kind of American that would like to see other Americans live within their means.  I would like to see Americans use some common sense when prioritizing their needs.  I want to see Americans have a little restraint when offered that credit card, home loan, car loan they know they cant afford.  Maybe Americans could look at themselves in the mirror when their lives dont turn out the way they think they should and make changes or demands at home, instead of others.  Maybe give up some of the luxuries in life in exchange for paying those bills they promised to pay (not at gunpoint, by the way).  Etc etc.  Simple enough for you Steph??  Want me to draw you a diagram??? 

Anyhow to try and keep the argument going somewhere, I believe its probable that Mitt Romney will win the presidency. Im curious to hear RMHowards thought on that. I feel there are a large number of people who just dont like the president on a personal level. In our democracy, you cant ask a voter to vote for someone they dont like.
Romney accuses the President of failing  the country, which i think is way wrong, but most voters in the economic climate of today,where they are, and will adjust their living means as RMHoward says, believe him.
Romney (the only republican mind you that can beat the President) will indeed bring "economic prosperity" to America. First off by cutting the minimum wage, by a lot! He will literally equalize American workers to those of the Third world.

it's going to be difficult to make right wing americans to decide between a black man or to them an occultist..and color is still on the minds and hearts of a hell of alot of so called americans...i know many very wealthy conservatives and they all look at pres. obama and see him handing cash out to his own...

[jerry cornwell]

Lets keep it rolling..... Huntsman got where he is as a big fund raiser. Stephens right, he doesnt figure in.
But when Romney picks Mario Rubio he takes Fla...... and, only because of dislike of voters, CA and NY will be real close,
TX will go red. Again, Rubio's hispanic roots will tilt the republican ticket in CA. Rubio is essential for the republicans.
Obama wins if Paul goes third party.
Does anyone really think Newt has the nomination? The SC gvnor just sunk it. Remember, republican delegates are awarded
proportionately until April 1 when winner takes all. Romney will get the nomination.

[jerry cornwell]

I really hope you have drawn the right conclusion and i will vote so......
I find the dislike of Congress a joke, really worthless in that while everyone despices Congress, they will still vote for their congressman, its the other voters congressman whose at fault.
I mean i dont see Crenshaw or Mica (and Corrine too) leaving WAshington. Nelson will have a tough re election here.
I do believe Elizabeth Warren stands a solid chance of winning but Mass is strong progressive.
Damn Stephen  59% is pretty strong really a landslide!

[JeffreyS]

Ummm,  thats BS.  When all these poverty stricken Americans give up their smart phones and flat screens, then i will believe they live in poverty.  Until then.

Yes because that's what they all have.  So you really need many more of your fellow citizens to live in squalor before we should give a damn.  I know in my head the conservatives in this country want our labor to be competitive with the labor in Guatemala but it always shocks my heart to hear (or read) it.

[mtraininjax]

Stephen doubts people vote with their wallets, we shall see. I do not believe the American public is better off 4 years later with the Hopey/Changey project, but we shall see next year!

[Timkin]

^^  Where is the Pepper Spray?? 

[cityimrov]

http://www.youtube.com/v/6ik4f1dRbP8

We have a problem.

"I snapped. I absolutely snapped and I can't explain it any other way," Chris Reichert told the Columbus Dispatch. "He's got every right to do what he did and some may say I did too, but what I did was shameful."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20001186-503544.html

I know people who could tell me every horrible thing that a certain politician's organization did because it somehow personally affected them.  They absolutely disliked the organization to the point they could not stand even setting near it nor do they want to give any business to it.  Guess who did they vote for?  Their response was they could never see themselves voting for another party.  They don't know why they vote they way they do except they just have too even when they know better. 

Getting them to change is like trying to get someone to loose weight or quit smoking.  They know they should but they just can't.  We have a problem if this keeps growing. 

[NotNow]

The problem with "youtube" arguments:

The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be true but unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise unrepresentative of typical cases.[1][2]

Also, anecdotal evidence can be inaccurate, sometimes based on anecdotes, second-hand accounts of events or hearsay.[1]

Anecdotal evidence, which may itself be true and verifiable, can be used to deduce a conclusion which does not follow from it, usually by generalising from an insufficient amount of evidence. For example "my grandfather smoked like a chimney and died healthy in a car crash at the age of 99" does not disprove the proposition that "smoking markedly increases the probability of cancer and heart disease at a relatively early age". While the evidence is true, it does not warrant the conclusion made from it.

Conclusions made from anecdotal evidence might not be untrue, but they are unreliable because they don't follow from the evidence and might easily be incorrect.

You can also take a generalization and then search for anecdotal evidence that "confirms" it. For example "Yogurt prolongs life. I didn't believe it, but then I heard that a man in a mountain village who ate only yogurt lived to 120."

The term is often used in contrast to scientific evidence, such as evidence-based medicine, which are types of formal accounts. Some anecdotal evidence does not qualify as scientific evidence because its nature prevents it from being investigated using the scientific method. Misuse of anecdotal evidence is a logical fallacy and is sometimes informally referred to as the "person who" fallacy ("I know a person who..."; "I know of a case where..." etc. Compare with hasty generalization). Anecdotal evidence is not necessarily representative of a "typical" experience; statistical evidence can more accurately determine how typical something is.



From wikipedia

Of course, somehow my pointing out this fallacy will result in me being accused of endorsing all kinds of horrible acts depicted on youtube videos.   Further proof that we really do believe what we WANT to believe.  Come on admit it, we are all guilty of it.

[FayeforCure]

Actually Notnow, I don't see why you have a problem with the video since it represents people acting out on the ideology that you support..............I mean don't you have a problem with "hand-outs" too?

And don't you feel you should decide whether you want to throw some money to the "unfortunates" out there rather than have the government decide?

The behavior depicted in this Youtube totally fits with your own ideology.........so you shouldn't have a problem with it at all.

That's the funny thing about people acting out their ideology for real.............all of a sudden people with the same ideology will disavow the very behavior that their ideology calls for.

[FayeforCure]

^^  Where is the Pepper Spray??

Yup, never any pepper spray for the aggressive, crazy (mostly middle-aged) Tea-Party folks. But our peaceful young folks with real concerns about our economy will get pepper-sprayed in a heart beat.

[FayeforCure]

I know people who could tell me every horrible thing that a certain politician's organization did because it somehow personally affected them.  They absolutely disliked the organization to the point they could not stand even setting near it nor do they want to give any business to it.  Guess who did they vote for?  Their response was they could never see themselves voting for another party.  They don't know why they vote they way they do except they just have too even when they know better. 

Getting them to change is like trying to get someone to loose weight or quit smoking.  They know they should but they just can't.  We have a problem if this keeps growing.

At the very least these people could just stay home rather than vote for a party that soooooo despises anyone who is no longer able-bodied.