I need to vent

[The Lost Manatee]

Given how this economic crisis has morphed, I'm not sure that there is anything that the President of this country, with or without the help of Congress can do to stop the downward spiral. When it was just an issue impacting the US, that was one thing, now it has spread throughout the world it is no longer just a domestic issue.

As for bailing out AIG again, I still stand by my initial remark, if a company is too big to be allowed to fail and it is failing, then it is time to break it up. Actually, it shouldn't have been allowed to dominate the market that way to start with. Government anti-trust laws should have kicked in and kept it from reaching that point. However that is water under the bridge and over the d*m and a long way downstream now. Now, it should be broken up and let the private market figure out what is worth saving and dare I say the rest goes through bankruptcy. The shareholders will get hurt, no doubt about it but it will do more to fix the problem at AIG than constantly pumping money into the bloated, overextended company.

Long term fixes, include stricter enforcement of anti-trust laws, eliminating naked short selling, change the accounting rules so that banks aren't revaluing their portfolios every day to whatever the current market value maybe, change the laws to allow shareholders to actually have more power to remove the old boy network of board of directors that exists today. There are just a few of the things that need to be fixed in order to help restore our economy.

[Elrod]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

[UAHparrothead]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

Come on E, feeding poor kids is wasteful???

[Moonie]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

Come on E, feeding poor kids is wasteful???

there is already an afternoon program, day-care/latch key kids etc. payment is based on incomem which pay for care/snack/entertainment, etc.

is this additional funds for the same program, or funding for a new one?

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

Come on E, feeding poor kids is wasteful???

Wasteful, no. But IMHO it's part of a SPENDING package, not a STIMULUS package. This was touted as a stimulus package when in reality it's just another spending package....

I was hoping there would be real change with this administration. So far, all I see is politics as usual.....

[Salukulady]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

Come on E, feeding poor kids is wasteful???

there is already an afternoon program, day-care/latch key kids etc. payment is based on incomem which pay for care/snack/entertainment, etc.

is this additional funds for the same program, or funding for a new one?

Anyone remember what happened to "Head Start"? That was an excellent program. I have a niece and nephew that benefitted greatly from it after my sister was divorced and had to return to school full time with a deadbeat ex-husband. Without welfare my sister would have never been able to make it alone with two kids while she finished her nursing degree. She has been a tax paying citizen her whole life and has produced two tax paying adult children whom might have fallen through the cracks without government assistance when they were young. Sometimes these programs actually get to the people who need it.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Anyone remember what happened to "Head Start"? That was an excellent program. I have a niece and nephew that benefitted greatly from it after my sister was divorced and had to return to school full time with a deadbeat ex-husband. Without welfare my sister would have never been able to make it alone with two kids while she finished her nursing degree. She has been a tax paying citizen her whole life and has produced two tax paying adult children whom might have fallen through the cracks without government assistance when they were young. Sometimes these programs actually get to the people who need it.

Your sister is who welfare was meant for: someone who needs a hand UP, not a hand OUT. Key words in your post: "while she finished her nursing degree." She got assistance on the way to bettering herself, not just sitting on her arse collecting a welfare check. Welfare was never meant for generation after generation, as it's used now. Every able-bodied person on welfare should be REQUIRED to either be doing some sort of work or be in school. Oh, please don't get me started..... There were kids on welfare in my town who were consistently dressed better than me and my siblings because my parents were just scraping by....

[Salukulady]

The original welfare state was intended for people that needed a temporary hand. I agree, so many people take advantage of the system, but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water, Let's revamp the system so it works. I think with controlled parameters and required accountability, this kind of help can be a positive program for society. We need a Welfare Dictator that will set very strict boundaries for the recipients.

[Bfan53again]

I'm still waiting on a specific example.

$726 million for an after school snack program.

Come on E, feeding poor kids is wasteful???

Wasteful, no. But IMHO it's part of a SPENDING package, not a STIMULUS package. This was touted as a stimulus package when in reality it's just another spending package....

I was hoping there would be real change with this administration. So far, all I see is politics as usual.....

I agree that we shouldn't object to funding programs that benefit the majority of people of this country. But this bill should be solely focused on stimulating the economy, not pet projects of members of Congress to satisfy voters.......

If we don't get real jobs created and consumers confortable enough to spend money again real soon Congress will even greater social welfare programs to consider......none of us want that.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

I agree that we shouldn't object to funding programs that benefit the majority of people of this country. But this bill should be solely focused on stimulating the economy, not pet projects of members of Congress to satisfy voters.......

Exactly!

[moeron]

When I was 10 -11 - or 12, My Dad fell and broke his back. He never worked again. 3 days later my Mom went on welfare. With 6 kids at home. I was able to go to College on a BEOG. I worked on da trading floor as well as vending. SGH wrote. A hand -up not a hand out. They should use biometrics to stop scaming on welfare.

I had ....had a friend who said that cracking down on cheats was racist. Since over 60% of people on welfare is white that holds no water. It's a real problem that people who need help are not getting all the help that they need.

2 to 5% of the package could be pork. Not as much as most spending bills. That is still alot.

[ph4ever]

I had ....had a friend who said that cracking down on cheats was racist. Since over 60% of people on welfare is white that holds no water. It's a real problem that people who need help are not getting all the help that they need.

Where on earth did you get that figure? Got something to substantiate that claim? Perhaps a link or a quote?

Most breakdowns I've found regarding welfare & race are:

White 38.8%
Black 39.8
Hispanic 15.7
Asian 2.4
other 3.3

Source: Andrew Hacker, _Two Nations Balck and White: Separate, Hostile, Unequal_, Scribners, 1992, p. 87. and Overview of Entitlement Programs, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994). While I'll admit these are dated I seriously doubt they've change that much. I haven't been able to find recent stats though.