UN poverty official touring Alabama's Black Belt: 'I haven't seen this' in the First World

Source via AL.com

On Thursday, Alston visited communities in the Black Belt's Butler and Lowndes counties, where residents often fall ill with ailments like E. Coli and hookworm - a disease of extreme poverty long eradicated in most parts of the U.S. - in part because they do not have consistently reliable access to clean drinking water that has not been tainted by raw sewage and other contaminants.

Poverty in America exists, for a variety of reasons. Uniquely though, Americans across the political spectrum blame the impoverished themselves. The mindset being that if you're poor then you simply haven't worked hard enough to not be poor. Few people, white or black, would admit to being in poverty because they believe that's an admission of laziness.

a reply to: links234

What? $800 billion on the military annually, half the world's expenditure. $1.5 trillion deficit for tax cuts mainly catered to the top 1% but a blind eye turned on those less fortunate? Something is wrong here and the fact we have a UN Poverty Official touring Alabama is very telling of this.

World's wealthiest nation.

The US economy between the end of WWII and 1980 grew unlike anything in recorded history.

WHY

Because the rich were taxed after they made their few million at a cheap rate, at nearly 90 percent.

The infrastructure was built, roads, bridges, massive highways, a vast economic giant was created in America.

Then all of a sudden came the lie that the rich were overtaxed and Ronald Reagan massively cut taxes on the rich and raised them on the MC!

THE THING CALLED A DEFICIT WAS CREATED THAT EQUALED ALL THE DEFICITS COMBINED BY REAGAN'S TAX CUTS…

Then a vast army of people were brainwashed to worry about the taxes that rich people were paying and a conservative army of zombies created to defend the philosophy of trickle down economics.

Poverty went up again, as before the great society programs reduced poverty like never in American history.

The conservative movement now defends the state of the destruction of the American economic system and the elevation of poverty.

It will get worse under Trump

a reply to: Willtell

Even if your rates are correct (which they aren't) why didn't messiah Obama redo the tax code to punish the rich again? I'll wait

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Willtell

Even if your rates are correct (which they aren't) why didn't messiah Obama redo the tax code to punish the rich again? I'll wait

In a few words, Because Obama wasn’t sh__

Excuse my French

a reply to: Willtell

So why hasn't any liberal president since the extreme taxes, moved to reverse the tax rates if it was so good for the economy.

a reply to: avgguy

As I recall, Alabama is heavily Republican? With a Republican controlled house and Governorship? Hasn't the Republican Party been the majority in Congress for 7 years now? Who's president at the moment? Oh, Republican.

But liberals. Those darn liberals.

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Willtell

So why hasn't any liberal president since the extreme taxes, moved to reverse the tax rates if it was so good for the economy.

Because too many people have been brainwashed by conservative dogma that trickle down economics is the way to go, i.e. the present republican tax cuts for the rich under Trump.

The democrats never can get enough of a majority in the congress to bring back the great society programs that existed under Johnson...

These programs ALONE were responsible for the dramatic reduction to American poverty.

Look it up

a reply to: Southern Guardian

Lol you want to pick on Bama when liberals own the four biggest dumpster fires is the US: Chicago, Detroit, LA and NY. I'm just questioning reasoning how the absence of a "90%" tax on the wealthy has lead to people without clean water.

a reply to: Willtell

Dems have had plenty of majorities in both houses. The point is even they don't want high taxes. Even Bernie doesn't and his whole battle cry was " the rich don't pay their fair share."

This is a matter of massive psychological brainwashing and dogma and lies of the American people that republican conservatism is the best approach

In Kansas, finally, the republican experiment of massive tax cuts was tried.

It proved to be an absolute disaster to the state!

They had to, on an emergency basis, get rid of those tax cuts and send the governor home

Even republicans there cried uncle as the states economy fell to destruction under the republican philosophy

And they want to do this to the whole country!


Kansas ‘Real Live Experiment’ in Trickle-Down Tax Cuts

a reply to: Willtell

What tax cuts specifically are you talking about nation wide. The top bracket is getting a 1% cut, how does that equate to bankrupting the nation when the last POTUS added 10 TRILLION to the deficit?

a reply to: avgguy

What makes you thing ALL democrats have some sense, the fact is they don’t.

Some of them think like republicans

In fact, during the ACA debate we could have had a public option if it weren’t for two so-called democrats

originally posted by: avgguy
a reply to: Willtell

What tax cuts specifically are you talking about nation wide. The top bracket is getting a 1% cut, how does that equate to bankrupting the nation when the last POTUS added 10 TRILLION to the deficit?

Who said anything about bankrupting the nation?

Were talking about policies that can bring poverty down. How trickle down economics, the pride of republican dogma, is a horror show that adds to poverty.

The southern states like Alabama prove this.

Those people are so brainwashed they would vote for their own destruction

IN-FACT THAT’S JUST WHAT THEY’VE DONE MANY TIMES

originally posted by: links234
Source via AL.com

On Thursday, Alston visited communities in the Black Belt's Butler and Lowndes counties, where residents often fall ill with ailments like E. Coli and hookworm - a disease of extreme poverty long eradicated in most parts of the U.S. - in part because they do not have consistently reliable access to clean drinking water that has not been tainted by raw sewage and other contaminants.

Poverty in America exists, for a variety of reasons. Uniquely though, Americans across the political spectrum blame the impoverished themselves. The mindset being that if you're poor then you simply haven't worked hard enough to not be poor. Few people, white or black, would admit to being in poverty because they believe that's an admission of laziness.

This is all thanks to Globalism that benefits the wealthy and the majority suffer.
If you drive from one side of the country to the other, it is full of homeless people on the streets
Our infrastructure and country is falling apart.
As a matter of policy, if you set up a tent under an underpass, it will be torn down and you will be told to move along.
It is an eyesore to residents, business and tourist, so we have to maintain a North Korean style appearance that all is well.

If people were allowed to build cheap housing without regulations and government controls, we would already look like the third world.
People want us to look like a first world country while pay to the average worker declines and the math is not going to work.

a reply to: Willtell

Actually, the unemployment rate in Kansas is 3.6% - well below national average. The economy is booming here.

The problem is that the government cannot meet its budget with what it takes in because they cannot cut spending. Part of that is because the state SCOTUS has the legislature by the 'nads when it comes to educations spending. A bad decision gave the court the power to more or less mandate what the legislature *must* spend on education.

That means about half the state budget is education spending because if the educators don't get what they want, all they have to do is sue under that decisions and the court rules the legislature *must* spend more under that ruling.

That means the spending there is unrestrained and educrats have a blank check.

The other half is spent on all other government business.

Poverty will always be traced back to government corruption.

It does kind of ring true that SOME poor people are poor because they choose to be, but there are many people out there that are poor because the government has let them down.

If this country would stop promoting consumerism, and push the country back towards more manufacturing, and encourage innovation then we could see a huge increase in the middle class.

If the government wouldn't stifle small business growth at every corner, and nickle and dime you to death when you finally become profitable, then we could see a surge in entrepreneurship and encourage people to start their own businesses. This country can't last on just being a nation of consumers. Until we see a massive reduction in wasteful spending, lower taxes across the board, and a reduction in government, then poverty will only get worse.

a reply to: Willtell

Generally speaking, you need jobs to alleviate poverty.

Remember those jobs Obama said were never coming back?

a reply to: Willtell

Were talking about policies that can bring poverty down

I get it...

You want my family to have less so you can give it to someone else.

No thanks.

a reply to: ketsuko

Don't for get about their 15 billion unfunded pension liability. That issue alone will suck more and more taxpayer money into the bottomless pit. I wonder if their state constitution considers these pension promises and payouts to be a holy grail?