Politicians search for cheap poverty solutions

Gary L. W.
Worthington, MN     10/06/2009 1:01 PM

Simple cut the following politicians wages and benefits, give the people back their money from taxes, cut taxes and cut illegals from welfare, medcare or whatever else they are not intitled to and education, send them back home on their own dime and no more translators for them. Plus bring our troops home to protect our own Country.

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brian g.
Fulda, MN     10/06/2009 12:54 PM

Let us consider ourselves a just society. Anyone in that society can manipulate statistics to support their own arguments. Consider this, the average working person manages to accumulate something in their lifetime, often property, savings, sometimes considerable assets. The current system of help discourages and even prevents this. A 40 inch tv is not an asset, a home is. The current system of subsidized housing (and this is occupied by very few handicapped in worthington) rewards the building owners with asset accumulation. NOT THE ONES WHO LIVE THERE! It is common for someone who is getting help (by help I am talking about much more than disability) to actually have nothing of real long term value. The service providers get it all for themselves. My personal goal is to be a good steward of my assets and use my life energy to care for my family. In the future, maybe distant maybe soon one never knows when life will end, I will pass on some assets to my family. The current system of help is broken, it does not allow accumulation of assets and passing them on, IN OTHER WORDS THE CURRENT SYSTEM MAKES THOSE THAT GET HELP SLAVES TO NOTHINGNESS.

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Debra H.
Brewster, MN     10/06/2009 12:09 PM

Brian, I believe you are well intentioned, but your comments show a lack of knowledge of the facts. The HUGE majority of people on long term state benefits are elderly or disabled. People who are blind make up a significant number of the long term unemployed or underemployed. Drug testing would eliminate only a tiny percentage of people from benefits and will cost the state a large amount of money. What we need is (1) expanded job training and job support programs; especially programs targeted for people with phyiscal disabilities and those who are slow learners (not intellectually disabled, which is defined as measured intelligence lower than IQ 70, but people fall into the range that is often called boarder-line), (2) programs to stablize housing for low income families as new research shows that the stress of homelessness negatively affects the brain development of toddlers and young children, (3) health care reform to insure the prevention and treatment of potentially long term health problems, especially in children, (4) improved wages (most of the jobs SW Minnesota will not provide enough income to allow a family with both parents employed to earn enough to meet basic needs of housing, clothing, food, and health care). Without these things can we really consider ourselves a just society?

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B w.
Worthington, MN     10/06/2009 10:13 AM

There's nothing new here. Raising minimum wage will only increase unemployment at that wage level. "Affordable housing" is code for gov't subsidized. We need new people in elective positions, the has beens have nothing to offer.

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brian g.
Fulda, MN     10/06/2009 8:36 AM

Most employers require a drug test. Not so for those who dont want to work. State aid payments need to have strings attached. Require drug testing and proof that they are seeking work or are in a training program and actually studying and trying to get independent. How can you get a job if you dont fill out an application? Remember the old saying, give a man a fish he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime, teach a child to fish and he will feed the world. Make it difficult and unpleasant to get on the government welfare system and natural human nature will take over and force people to provide for themselves.

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