Small Dreams

[TemplarKormac]

There is too much welfare, too much entitlement, too many demands and not enough hope and hard work. I believe as Ronald Reagan once believed that we "are too great of a country to limit ourselves to small dreams." Do you know what Welfare and Foodstamps are? They are nothing but small dreams, limiting those who rely on them to small goals, pitched to the poor as a way of life, and that these programs are somehow the dreams that they should build their futures upon. Where did the American dream go? What happened to being prosperous? What happened to striving for a better future? I profess that to live off the government dole is not the American dream; but it is a small, fleeting dream that which in time will steadily turn into an unfathomable nightmare; as those who had been promised a path to success, are instead robbed of it, led astray. Led to believe their biggest dreams were founded on their dependence on their government and not on their own perseverance.

Like Reagan, I also believe that these entitlement programs are the source of poverty, not the solution to it. A nation will decline when its people do nothing, or are given no other alternative. People will also do nothing when paid to do so. As he said in his inaugural speech in 1981, "I Do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing." Take that in whatever context you will, but as I see it, I see the fate of an America where people do nothing but sit on their behinds and milk off the government dole and the unwitting taxpayer. Incentivized to be unproductive, unsuccessful. Where they contribute nothing to the backbone of our economy; where the American does nothing. What kind of dream is that? Such a small, unyielding dream it is. How can a man be made to sit there being unwittingly kept from looking forward a bright future by the promise he will be guaranteed one if he rely on your government to take you there, all whilst staring at the ground, paycheck to paycheck and not the hammer driving into the nail or the shovel piercing the soil below him.

We are too great a nation to be steered towards apathy and disuse. Too great to bemoan our fate while having every tool available to us to shape our own destiny. As Reagan once put it, "Only when the human spirit can worship, create, and build, only when people are given a personal stake in determining their own destiny and benefiting from their own risks, do societies become prosperous, progressive, dynamic, and free." So, how does a dependent society determine its own destiny? How does a dependent society benefit or suffer form their own risks if they are constantly shielded from their consequences? Americans should stop believing in small dreams, stop striving to just get by; but to recognize the bigger dreams, the more prosperous dreams... the more human, American dreams. "We are are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams," Reagan said that day. Yes we are. We are not doomed to an inevitable decline as some would lead you to believe. We as a country face certain doom if we simply chase after small dreams.

 

[TemplarKormac]

Did I come on too strong?

 

[tyroneweaver]

nope
read my signature line

 

[zeke]

How is this nation to survive when a bunch of whiny ass cocksuckers like you want to put the blame for your failures as an American and a human being on a President?

As much as I hated George Bush, I never used HIM as an excuse for my shortcomings. You know, like the thread where you blamed Obama for your lack of education and a job.

But then, I am a man and you are a little boy.

 

[Wildman]

Did I come on too strong?

NO !

BUT.....,

i do not believe that welfare is an "entitlement", to my way of thinking, "entitlement" is my retirement check every month for what I EARNED from my service to my beloved country.., The United States of America !!!

i still thank you for your post it makes more sense than anything a libertard can produce.

 

[Wildman]

How is this nation to survive when a bunch of whiny ass cocksuckers like you want to put the blame for your failures as an American and a human being on a President?

As much as I hated George Bush, I never used HIM as an excuse for my shortcomings. You know, like the thread where you blamed Obama for your lack of education and a job.

But then, I am a man and you are a little boy.

just who the fuck are you referring to ?

 

[Dutch]

You have some balls Templar, bitching about people living off the government.

 

[L.K.Eder]

i understand.

it is better to bloviate on the internet, than to try to achieve a small goal, like finding and holding a job.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Turning a dream into reality takes more than just hard work, TK. It requires a willingness for others to invest in your dream. Try going to a bank and asking for a loan to start your own business. You won't get it because you have no collateral of your own. Try going to angel investors instead and they will turn you down because you have proof of earnings for your dream.

Now apply that to those living in poverty and subsisting on welfare and food stamps. They will run into the exact same roadblocks and that is what happened to the American dream of a better future.

You complain about too much welfare and entitlements and you assume that without those there would be an incentive to attaining the American Dream. That is magical thinking on your part.

The reality is that without those programs there would be widespread poverty and rampant crime because desperate people can't afford the luxury of time to reach prosperity when they have hungry mouths to feed and house.

If you want your American Dream to come true you need to deal with the underlying cause first. Prosperity in this nation came about when a blue collar worker could buy a home and raise a family of 3 children on a single income. That meant that he was paid a living wage with benefits even if he was only a janitor.

The proof of that pudding occurred in the 1990's following the 2 largest tax increases (1 Republican and 1 Democratic) in history. The economy had the largest economic expansion in history, the unemployment rate was at record lows and the deficit was shrinking. More new jobs were created and new companies were starting up at record rates. Government was creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs too by adding teachers and police officers.

So if you want to know where that all went wrong look no further than unnecessary wars and tax cuts for the wealthy.

The American Dream requires that there be a willingness to lend and invest, a tax rate high enough to pay for government spending at present rates and most of all corporations paying every hard working American a living wage with benefits.

Do all of those things and you will see prosperity, growth and future for We the People.

 

[DiamondDave]

The American Dream requires that there be a willingness to lend and invest, a tax rate high enough to pay for government spending at present rates and most of all corporations paying every hard working American a living wage with benefits.

Do all of those things and you will see prosperity, growth and future for We the People.

This is about the biggest crock of shit I have EVER heard, and we have TDM on this board, so that is saying a LOT
The American dream has nothing to do with what the government forces upon citizenry or what the government hands out to parts of the citizenry without any fucking work.. the American dream is a widespread dream throughout the parts of out populace that wish to actually do something to make something of themselves

tax rate high enough to spend at today's rates?? You are fucking high... and funny how that tax rate does not apply to all.. just those you are envious of

You want to live on a wage, do what is necessary to earn it

Goddamn entitlement supporting, big government junkies

 

[NYcarbineer]

Too much welfare and other entitlements is disincentivizing people's desire to work?

You really think that's true? Then why are scenes like this common nowadays - hundreds and hundreds of people lining up,

just to try to get a job at a Walmart?

Hundreds of job seekers line up for Walmart positions | 89.3 KPCC

...they were lining up for 65 jobs.

 

[J.E.D]

Did I come on too strong?

No, you came on too hypocritical. Are you still jobless and living with your grandmother?

Yes?

Then stfu and get a job, you mooching leech.

 

[KNB]

How many more times can some dumbass Republican invoke the name of their senile terrorist-supporting war criminal Ronald Reagan?

Tax cuts for the wealthy do not correspond with economic growth.

The top statutory income tax rates have changed considerably since the end of World War II. Throughout the late-1940s and 1950s, the top marginal tax rate was typically above 90%; today it is 35%. Additionally, the top capital gains tax rate was 25% in the 1950s and 1960s, 35% in the 1970s; today it is 15%. Statutory tax rates affecting taxpayers at the top of the income distribution are currently at their lowest levels since the end of the second World War. Whether or not the top statutory tax rates should be raised at the end of 2012, as scheduled under current law, is currently an issue before Congress.

The results of the analysis in this report suggest that changes over the past 65 years in the top marginal tax rate and the top capital gains tax rate do not appear correlated with economic growth. The reduction in the top statutory tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie. But as a small proportion of taxpayers are affected by changes in the top statutory tax rates, this finding is not unexpected.

However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be correlated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution. As measured by IRS data, the share of income accruing to the top 0.1% of U.S. families increased from 4.2% in 1945 to 12.3% by 2007 before falling to 9.2% due to the 2007-2009 recession. At the same time, the average tax rate paid by the top 0.1% fell from over 50% in 1945 to about 25% in 2009. The statistical analysis in this report suggests that tax policy could be related to how the economic pie is sliced—lower top tax rates may be associated with greater income disparities.

The top statutory tax rates are but one part of a broader debate on the design of the overall tax system, which may be taken up in the future. House Ways and Means committee Chair Dave Camp reportedly has said his committee will move a tax reform bill in 2013.

Many tax reform proposals include changes to the tax base, often through the elimination of tax expenditures, as well as changes in the tax rates. Broad-based changes to the tax system that significantly affect the level of total tax revenues could have short-term and long-term effects on the economy."
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42729.pdf

 

[NYcarbineer]

Reagan was an FDR Democrat and president of the Screen Actors union, until he figured out there were really lucrative acting jobs available,

in politics.

 

[Big Black Dog]

If I were "King for a Day" I would immediately stop all unemployment checks, welfare checks, food stamps, free government issued cell phones and all the other free shit the government gives away. Sounds harsh but I'm sure you would be surprised at the large number of people who would find a job someplace doing something to enable them to live. It's easier to just stay home than it is to actually go out to work. Because of it, we have become a nation of slugs and agreeable to live off the free crap the government gives us.

 

[KNB]

If I were "King for a Day" I would immediately stop all unemployment checks, welfare checks, food stamps, free government issued cell phones and all the other free shit the government gives away. Sounds harsh but I'm sure you would be surprised at the large number of people who would find a job someplace doing something to enable them to live. It's easier to just stay home than it is to actually go out to work. Because of it, we have become a nation of slugs and agreeable to live off the free crap the government gives us.

You are aware that the 1% "job creators" aren't creating any jobs, right? You do understand that very simple fact, right? 10k factories have closed in the 21st century, and food service jobs pay shit. So what are so many millions of Americans supposed to do to get ahead? Go to college? Student loan debt outweighs credit card debt, so people are going to college. What else? Get a second or third minimum-wage job to try to get ahead? There aren't enough jobs for everyone while 1% job creators are hoarding trillions in cash.

Why is that so difficult to understand? Do you actually believe that people WANT to scrounge by on $600 a month from unemployment? The average food stamp recipient gets about $30/mo- around a dollar a day. Yeah, those poor unemployed moochers are just LIVING IT UP with all that free money.

 

[depotoo]

Turning a dream into reality takes more than just hard work, TK. It requires a willingness for others to invest in your dream. Try going to a bank and asking for a loan to start your own business. You won't get it because you have no collateral of your own. Try going to angel investors instead and they will turn you down because you have proof of earnings for your dream.

Now apply that to those living in poverty and subsisting on welfare and food stamps. They will run into the exact same roadblocks and that is what happened to the American dream of a better future.

You complain about too much welfare and entitlements and you assume that without those there would be an incentive to attaining the American Dream. That is magical thinking on your part.

The reality is that without those programs there would be widespread poverty and rampant crime because desperate people can't afford the luxury of time to reach prosperity when they have hungry mouths to feed and house.

If you want your American Dream to come true you need to deal with the underlying cause first. Prosperity in this nation came about when a blue collar worker could buy a home and raise a family of 3 children on a single income. That meant that he was paid a living wage with benefits even if he was only a janitor.

The proof of that pudding occurred in the 1990's following the 2 largest tax increases (1 Republican and 1 Democratic) in history. The economy had the largest economic expansion in history, the unemployment rate was at record lows and the deficit was shrinking. More new jobs were created and new companies were starting up at record rates. Government was creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs too by adding teachers and police officers.

So if you want to know where that all went wrong look no further than unnecessary wars and tax cuts for the wealthy.

The American Dream requires that there be a willingness to lend and invest, a tax rate high enough to pay for government spending at present rates and most of all corporations paying every hard working American a living wage with benefits.

Do all of those things and you will see prosperity, growth and future for We the People.

Ever heard of Tyler Perry and how hard he worked to become a success? He even lived in his car to help him save for a production he wanted to put on. He is a true American sucess story, coming from abuse,, et al, yet he didn't let that or others turning him down, stop him.

 

[Darkwind]

Turning a dream into reality takes more than just hard work, TK. It requires a willingness for others to invest in your dream. Try going to a bank and asking for a loan to start your own business. You won't get it because you have no collateral of your own. Try going to angel investors instead and they will turn you down because you have proof of earnings for your dream.

Now apply that to those living in poverty and subsisting on welfare and food stamps. They will run into the exact same roadblocks and that is what happened to the American dream of a better future.

You complain about too much welfare and entitlements and you assume that without those there would be an incentive to attaining the American Dream. That is magical thinking on your part.

The reality is that without those programs there would be widespread poverty and rampant crime because desperate people can't afford the luxury of time to reach prosperity when they have hungry mouths to feed and house.

If you want your American Dream to come true you need to deal with the underlying cause first. Prosperity in this nation came about when a blue collar worker could buy a home and raise a family of 3 children on a single income. That meant that he was paid a living wage with benefits even if he was only a janitor.

The proof of that pudding occurred in the 1990's following the 2 largest tax increases (1 Republican and 1 Democratic) in history. The economy had the largest economic expansion in history, the unemployment rate was at record lows and the deficit was shrinking. More new jobs were created and new companies were starting up at record rates. Government was creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs too by adding teachers and police officers.

So if you want to know where that all went wrong look no further than unnecessary wars and tax cuts for the wealthy.

The American Dream requires that there be a willingness to lend and invest, a tax rate high enough to pay for government spending at present rates and most of all corporations paying every hard working American a living wage with benefits.

Do all of those things and you will see prosperity, growth and future for We the People.

So you pick all the wrong metrics and then say you are not at fault if you don't achieve these goals?

I don't think so.

History is replete with examples of people who did not have to rely upon others to achieve success.

 

[Big Black Dog]

If I were "King for a Day" I would immediately stop all unemployment checks, welfare checks, food stamps, free government issued cell phones and all the other free shit the government gives away. Sounds harsh but I'm sure you would be surprised at the large number of people who would find a job someplace doing something to enable them to live. It's easier to just stay home than it is to actually go out to work. Because of it, we have become a nation of slugs and agreeable to live off the free crap the government gives us.

You are aware that the 1% "job creators" aren't creating any jobs, right? You do understand that very simple fact, right? 10k factories have closed in the 21st century, and food service jobs pay shit. So what are so many millions of Americans supposed to do to get ahead? Go to college? Student loan debt outweighs credit card debt, so people are going to college. What else? Get a second or third minimum-wage job to try to get ahead? There aren't enough jobs for everyone while 1% job creators are hoarding trillions in cash.

Why is that so difficult to understand? Do you actually believe that people WANT to scrounge by on $600 a month from unemployment? The average food stamp recipient gets about $30/mo- around a dollar a day. Yeah, those poor unemployed moochers are just LIVING IT UP with all that free money.

I don't buy your excuses. What did people do before the government began to hand out all of the free shit? They got up off their asses and found a way to support themselves. When does the cycle end? If you don't do anything to help yourself, you will always be standing in line for a handout. It's not the taxpayer's job to support you. Go into business for yourself. Find a way to support yourself. Quit saying "I can't do it. Please support me." For God's sake, support yourself and become a problem solver instead of constantly being a problem causer.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Turning a dream into reality takes more than just hard work, TK. It requires a willingness for others to invest in your dream. Try going to a bank and asking for a loan to start your own business. You won't get it because you have no collateral of your own. Try going to angel investors instead and they will turn you down because you have proof of earnings for your dream.

Now apply that to those living in poverty and subsisting on welfare and food stamps. They will run into the exact same roadblocks and that is what happened to the American dream of a better future.

You complain about too much welfare and entitlements and you assume that without those there would be an incentive to attaining the American Dream. That is magical thinking on your part.

The reality is that without those programs there would be widespread poverty and rampant crime because desperate people can't afford the luxury of time to reach prosperity when they have hungry mouths to feed and house.

If you want your American Dream to come true you need to deal with the underlying cause first. Prosperity in this nation came about when a blue collar worker could buy a home and raise a family of 3 children on a single income. That meant that he was paid a living wage with benefits even if he was only a janitor.

The proof of that pudding occurred in the 1990's following the 2 largest tax increases (1 Republican and 1 Democratic) in history. The economy had the largest economic expansion in history, the unemployment rate was at record lows and the deficit was shrinking. More new jobs were created and new companies were starting up at record rates. Government was creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs too by adding teachers and police officers.

So if you want to know where that all went wrong look no further than unnecessary wars and tax cuts for the wealthy.

The American Dream requires that there be a willingness to lend and invest, a tax rate high enough to pay for government spending at present rates and most of all corporations paying every hard working American a living wage with benefits.

Do all of those things and you will see prosperity, growth and future for We the People.

Ever heard of Tyler Perry and how hard he worked to become a success? He even lived in his car to help him save for a production he wanted to put on. He is a true American sucess story, coming from abuse,, et al, yet he didn't let that or others turning him down, stop him.

Anecdotes are meaningless one-off exceptions. Jobs that pay living wages and benefits are a proven way to achieve prosperity and the American Dream for millions of people.