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Amen to that! I am about to go back in my own country. There is no more difference between the third world country and United States. Corruption is so high, some people are getting hungry, no more jobs for most people like me and there is nothing much I could do. I would rather be poor in my own country than starve over here in United States.
You most certainly ARE out of line to condemn with a broad stroke those who use food stamp benefits today as worthy of shame.
Exactly which items should be covered in the program is a legitimate, but completely separate discussion.
There are millions using the program for the first time in their lives because of long term unemployment that has steadily gotten nothing but worse for at least a year and half. Without it they would have NO food on the table. Is that what you would prefer? And they will be off the program as soon as their situation improves enough to make that possible.
You had better wake up and take a look around you. This isn't the America we once knew. Did you not say that in your own post? People are hurting and need help.
Considering the times we live in, I have seen few other comments on this forum as mean spirited as yours. For you to begrudge people basic food with which to bridge the gap to a hopefully better time ahead is what is really worthy of shame.
Hello. I guess you failed reading comprehension. I NEVER stated that I begrudged anyone food stamps. I begrudge people using food stamps to eat better than many of the taxpayers funding the program do. I begrudge people getting obese by eating junk food paid for by the taxpayer, who then needs to turn around and pay for their obesity related illnesses. And I certainly don't think anyone using the program should feel proud for doing so.
Amen to that! I am about to go back in my own country. There is no more difference between the third world country and United States. Corruption is so high, some people are getting hungry, no more jobs for most people like me and there is nothing much I could do. I would rather be poor in my own country than starve over here in United States.
I agree.
In America lots of people still think that we Americans have more privalages, more opportunities, more freedoms than other countries, but really, we don't.
Like I said earlier in this thread. I've spent significant amounts of time in China and South Korea. And the quality of life in those countries was not much worse than the US. There were just as many people driving cars, living in nice places, wearing nice clothes, saving money, etc. Even Some South American countries like Argentina, Uraguay and Chile. The quality of life is similar to the US.
The USA is not the land of golden opportunites. In the 80's it was. In the 90's it was. But not now.
The USA is sliding down. Other countries are moving up. And nothing really major is being done about it.
As for Barack Obama. I don't see him doing anything too radical. I am not holding on to false hope that he will be able to solve these problems. He is a good guy and I like him, but I just don't think he can fix things. The president is powerful, but he cannot just do whatever he wants as we are seeing with this health care fiasco that is playing out right now.
What the USA needs is a radical change in it's power structure.
Also i'd like to add. Less immigrants are coming to the US for a better life these days. These days they are going to other countries.
In the past 10 years, it has all changed. A lot of you all are still looking at things in a 1999 mindset. Things have changed quick.
Actually this is the first year that the H1-B allotment hasn't been filled. Foreign students continue to flock to our universities, often taking teaching assistant and research positions as grad students under the J (?--I can't recall the exact number) program, thus preventing elligible US students from getting those jobs. A friends daughter with a 4.0 GPA recently lost out on a TA position to a foreign student with a lower GPA because the professor was from the same ethnic background as the foreign student and has a history of only hiring students from the same background. She is considering filing a formal complaint.
Actually this is the first year that the H1-B allotment hasn't been filled. Foreign students continue to flock to our universities, often taking teaching assistant and research positions as grad students under the J (?--I can't recall the exact number) program, thus preventing elligible US students from getting those jobs. A friends daughter with a 4.0 GPA recently lost out on a TA position to a foreign student with a lower GPA because the professor was from the same ethnic background as the foreign student and has a history of only hiring students from the same background. She is considering filing a formal complaint.
These are students who study abroad here temporarily. Then they usually go back to their home country, or another country. Some of them stay in the US, but not many. The US is a popular spot for students studying abroad.
I was talking about immigrants who come here to permanently relocate for financial reasons. Economic refugees or people seeking opportunites. They are coming to America less. Most European countries have seen a major increase though. And many people are choosing Canada over the US too.
These are students who study abroad here temporarily. Then they usually go back to their home country, or another country. Some of them stay in the US, but not many. The US is a popular spot for students studying abroad.
The point is, they are taking jobs from US citizens.
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I was talking about immigrants who come here to permanently relocate for financial reasons. Economic refugees or people seeking opportunites. They are coming to America less. Most European countries have seen a major increase though. And many people are choosing Canada over the US too.
Your statement that the immigration rates have been declining since 1999 is inaccurate. As I said earlier, this is the first year ever that the entire allotment of H1-B visas hasn't been filled. A major part of that is simply because there haven't been enough employers with jobs to offer the sponsorship, not so much that there is a lack of interest from immigrants.
The point is, they are taking jobs from US citizens.
Your statement that the immigration rates have been declining since 1999 is inaccurate. As I said earlier, this is the first year ever that the entire allotment of H1-B visas hasn't been filled. A major part of that is simply because there haven't been enough employers with jobs to offer the sponsorship, not so much that there is a lack of interest from immigrants.
I'm curious, where did youget this info? I've read a lot of literature lately that says immigration to the US is dropping down, and what from what i've seen this looks true.
H1-B visas do not account for all illegal immigrants though. The USA has always been completely full with millions of undocumented immigrants. There are also people on other types of visas and people who get in on tourist visa.
Also you gotta look at which country these people are coming from. People from very poor countries are still coming in i'm sure. But I would guess that people from wealthy or moderately wealthy countries are coming in less to work.
I doubt the flow coming up from Mexico has slowed down with all the problems Mexico is having.
I'm curious, where did youget this info? I've read a lot of literature lately that says immigration to the US is dropping down, and what from what i've seen this looks true.
I don't disagree with this. What I disagree with is the assertion that it's been dropping since 1999.
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H1-B visas do not account for all illegal immigrants though. The USA has always been completely full with millions of undocumented immigrants. There are also people on other types of visas and people who get in on tourist visa.
I know the difference between a legal and illegal immigrant. Illegal immigrants are an entirely different story--talk abotu a group that is overall sucking America dry... People coming in on tourist visas that are just here to spend money and not trying to work, I completely welcome them.
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Also you gotta look at which country these people are coming from. People from very poor countries are still coming in i'm sure. But I would guess that people from wealthy or moderately wealthy countries are coming in less to work.
I doubt the flow coming up from Mexico has slowed down with all the problems Mexico is having.
Actually the flow from Mexico has slowed. The flow from other nations, especially Haiti, continues.
I've had enough of this. We, the American people, are getting screwed in new ways each and every day.
Saving money has become a luxery. Enemployment continues to skyrocket. New job creation is almost all in the minimum wage sectors. We get nickel and dimed to death in just about every single way. Health and dental care is completely unnaffordable. Politicians are hopelessly corrupt and our political system stagnates in bureucratic nonsense.
The costs of virtually everything increase while wages stagnate. The middle class life is almost extinct. Our government has for all intents and purposes become an oligarchy. Mega-corporations are eliminating small business owners in every sector of the economy from agriculture to retail and everything inbetween. I could keep on going.
This country is going down the gutter. And where are the mass protests? Where are the people getting together to demand change? It's not happening, people are just staying in their houses, watching TV, surfing the internet, getting intoxicated, trying to ignore what's happening and insulate themselves in their own bubbles. If this kind of thing were happening in just about ANY other country there would be uprisings and major actions being taken by the people.
Our government is NOT what it claims to be. This is the land of the free? This is a democracy? Not at all, not at all. It has tranformed into an oligarchy, a plutocracy.
So i'm getting out of here. This country is toast. I left this country once before for a few years, and i'm about to get the F outta here again, before I fall any deeper into credit card debt.
It's too bad too. The USA is a beautiful country with amazing nature, diversity and wealth. But it's just too hard to survive here, too hard to save money, too hard to escape the life of wage slavery and poverty.
See ya on the other side of the world. And about to go stack up some cash and eat some sushi
Capitalism is about competition. We compete for higher education. We compete for jobs. We compete on the job. Not everyone is equal. Some cannot compete as well as others and some cannot compete at all. You need to find some socialist or communist country where you will be carried at some level of subsistance regardless of how well you compete. Those who are able to compete would not opt for this as they can do much better in a capitalist society. The end result will be that our capitalist country will far out shine any socialist or communist country.
That's just the way it works. Capitalism is not for everyone.
- Reel
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