MILITARY RECRUITMENT - 9/7 JOB FAIR IN THE ASTRODOME

If you want to get technical, posting pictures of victims to sell more newspaper is not exploiation?

If all you care about are the victims, why are you quantifying the level of insensitivity, shouldn't you try to be as sensitive as possible?

Nevermind that the recruitment issue has not even been proven.

 

The bottom line is nobody would die with media publishing pics of victims. Military recruitment, on the other hand, is a whole different matter.

 

Again, this blogger reports that "Bush is censoring ALL reporting from New Orleans". This is NOT true. He did not write that the White House is trying to keep the dead bodies from being photographed which is apparently the only "censorship" taking place. He wrote ALL. that is a HUGE difference.

Again, this blogger reports that ALL of the reporters trying to get into New Orleans are being turned away at a National Guard checkpoint. This is NOT true.

Again, this blogger reported that the U.S. military was conducting a job fair at the Astrodome yesterday (09/07). There is no coverage of this ANYWHERE except for this one blogger yet you accept it as true.

This blogger has been proven to be reporting things that are NOT true and you continue to defend him, yet you immediately dismiss part of a Wahington Post report as "mendacity" (fancy word for lying) because you apparently disagree with it.

 

I still think you have a chip on your shoulder btw. You're statement in that 'old' thread was that the reason I am successful is because my parents are professionals. That was you're assumption, notwithstanding the fact that my business has nothing to do with any family members. I stated that I worked damn hard to get what I have and tried not to make mistakes in the process. For you to insinuate that everything I have is based on my environment and not my work was insulting and for that you were ridiculed. I belief in self-determination, look into it.

My point in the topic was that 'most' of the people that are sitting in the astrodome today probably have never saved any money otherwise they wouldn't be there and if they don't have savings there is a good possibility they don't have homes or insurance. My point was that the military is a viable option for these people. I also stated that New Orleans was one of the poorest, most corrupt cities with a deplorable education system that can be attributed to the mayors, governors and congressmen all of which have done little. If these people are spread out amongst cities (not forced btw) then they can allow their children to have a proper education and find a way out of the vicious cycle of poverty instead of compounding it.

Just as I am muslim, I believe its my duty (as I do quite often) to call out 'my' people when they are acting incorrectly or if there is wrong in that community. I have yet to see any of that in the african-american community with an exception of Bill Cosby and JC Watts.

But in reality I don't blame the people out there, I blame an ever-increasing socialized system that creates a system of entitlement to where people expect to recieve a coke upon entering the astrodome versus water even though they have not paid for it. I believe having public, inefficient welfare and a great deal of social services is a discredit because people lose the will to work hard and do not see that education is the only way out and know that no one will take care of them unless they save and work hard.

Do you want to know the real problem with why there are not savings aside from the 'government will take care of us mentality'? Its the mistakes people make. Broken families with multiple children make it impossible for people to save any money.

In an example if a husband and wife each make around 10 dollars an hour, then they only pay about 8% in taxes based on a 40 hour work week. That means that their after tax monthly income is abour $3800. If we estimate cost of living for two adults/1 or 2 children of $2800 (rent+food+car+ins/extra) then they should be able to save over a thousand dollars a month which if compounded over a few years gives one a pretty strong base to have in case of an emergency. But when you have multiple out of wedlock children and waste money on drugs/alcohol (which usually results in the inability to maintain a job), then there goes everything.

Its about lifestyle and not making mistakes rather than an inflated checkbook. This has nothing to do with race, but lifestyles that create the inability to save money and the dependance on others to help.

I have been doing all I can through my tutoring, rotary and my company to help, but I like to look at the root of the problem rather complain about the results.

 

Khan I never said you didn't work hard, I'm just saying you have no idea what its like to be poor and have to pull yourself out of that situation. And the fact that you are so judgemental to a group of people you've been way more privileged than is appalling.


Honestly,the way you used to post I used to think that you were poor and and pulled yourself from similar circumstances, and when you wrote about your background I was shocked. I'm not saying you don't have a right to your opinion, all of us give opinions about things we've never experienced, that's the nature of the board. But I swear you have the most negative attitude towards poor people in this forum.

 

F.D. Khan, you really need to hire an accountant and a financial planner to do something like that. The numbers you put there make absolutely no sense at all.

For starter, how did you come up with the $3,800 monthly income based on $10/hr wages for each of the two adults?

 

If i'm negative about anything its not the poor people, but the system in place that I believe promotes poverty. I know that many people will vote individuals into congress because they will enhance programs and entitlements for these groups. These entitlements create scenario's where it is more efficient for people to stay home collect welfare and babysit their multiple kids versus working. I have seen this over and over and over within my own office.

BTW I paid my way through my university and my graduate school by working almost full-time and taking student loans/scholarships. I wasn't accepted into these schools based on my family (legacy) and if anything my parents first language was not english and they were immigrants that came here with nothing. If you are asian its actually more difficult to get into many schools because they are an 'over'represented minority.

I thank God everyday for having my parents and I do believe that they are my base and taught me a great deal that has allowed me to be what I have become. That is why I try to work with families and help children with homework and such, because i know what its like not to have your parents be able to help you with most of your homework.

Just because my parents were not poor does not mean I can't judge, analyze and understand the situation and then determine what the problem is.

 

Khan - I think what people are apalled by (myself included) is your sentiment that the poor are poor due to their own bad decisions and lack of work ethic. That's just completely false and you are completely out of touch with reality if you think that. I will concede that a good percentage of them are in there present plight due to those aforementioned reasons and do abuse the system, but to generalize them all together screams of ignorance on your part. Poverty is a vicious cycle which is extremely difficult to break out of. Just a few bad breaks and you're hopeless - I know of many people in this situation. How do you go to work if you can't even afford a car? What happens when the car breaks down? Heaven forbid you or a family member gets sick and you don't have health care - then what? All of the few dollars you had from your minimum wage job are now going towards medicine for mom.

It's great that you're a self made man. I applaud you and I'm not taking anything away from you. However, consider what life would have been like if Dad wasn't a doctor to begin with. Maybe that routine infection you got taken care of at the doctor's develops into something worse without health care. You obviously don't have the free time and the environment to study hard in school. It's a vicious cycle and quite frankly your attitude of superiority over others and sentiment that the poor dug their own graves disgusts me.

 

Good job, No Worries. I thought I'd let FDK do it since he's a hard worker, or delegate it to others since he's a strong leader.

Carry on.

 

I did do it on a 52 weeks a year scale, versus an avg days per month scale.

But I thought I was pretty conservative on the other figures. I don't know who only works 40 hours a week anymore, especially if they are barely making it. That and $2800 a month is based on $700 for rent utilities which is pretty reasonable, $500 for car/ins and then $1600 for food etc. That $1600 comes out to $400 a week or over $55 a Day!!

Even if I keep No Worries Numbers $300 monthly compounded annually for two years is almost $8,000. That is at least a base to start with.

I don't want to get caught up in this, my MAIN POINT was that lifestyle is a big determinant as to individuals' means to get out of poverty. Using drugs/alcohol and not having a stable home and multiple kids destroys the chances for anyone to save money and have that compound so they are not dependant on others to take care of them. Though I'm constantly called names in here for my opinion I probably do a great deal more than most to attempt to correct these problems instead of defending them.

 

FDK, in your working family model, do you also safely assume
1) neither adult would get laid off, so both he and she can continually work,
2) none of the family members would rack up significant amount of medical bills,
3) the car they drive would stay in good condition, just like its occupants, never need major repairs? (case in point, if they ever decide to buy a new car, all their montly saving plan would go down in tube, or they can keep wasting money on fixing the existing car, catch 22)

Edit: Saw your previous post allocating $500/mo for car+ins, I assume that's for monthly car payment. Good, scratch my 3). However, 1) and 2) are still hard, cold reality faced by millions of Americans. You have to deal with it.

 

Well as the overtime rules have been changed, it is kinda pointless in some occupations to work OT. Especially if your an exempt employee. A big thing you forget to factor in is "DAYCARE" Which is easily $400 a month for each child "and thats being CONSERVATIVE". If you cant afford daycare, then someone has to stay home and watch the kids. Thus cutting into any earnings one or the other spouse makes. And lets not even talk about GAS and filling up the car. I mean I can go on and on on why what you posted is flawed. You know being poor or living in poverty is not as black and white, cut or paste as you assume it is. A good movie to watch is Trading places with Eddie Murphy....

 

And even based on these "conservative" figures, you're assuming EVERYTHING else goes perfectly. Poverty doesn't take place in a bubble. If both parents are working 40 hrs/week, who is watching the kids? Who is helping them with their homework which you assert is such a fatal cause of poverty? If you live in Houston with no public transportation, how do both parents get to work? They sure as hell don't have 1998 Toyota Camry's. Maybe a '91 model if they're lucky. Factor in gas with rising prices not to mention that a car like that is very unreliable and likely will break down. Then what? You obviously also live in a very poor area so there's the likelihood of being burglarized. If both parents are working long hours who's making sure the kids aren't getting into trouble? After all, you yourself said poor people make bad decisions. So who's there to teach these kids if both parents are working long hours? What happens if you get sick? Heaven forbid you fall at work and break a bone or require surgery. Newsflash: you're not getting extended sick leave for a minimum wage job. I could go on and on. Poverty isn't so black and white, Khan.

 

40 Hours a week and one can't watch their kids?? I'm sure most people here both have parents that work more than 40 hours. Most professionals that I know work much more than 40 hours and at time much more than 50.
I allocated $500 a month for car/ins. You can get a Hyundai brand new with a 10yr 100k mile warranty for less than $200 a month. Its the decision to buy rims or waste money on that garbage that adds up. I'm not saying that this is the solution to their problems working minimum wage jobs, but i'm trying to show that by not making the 'wrong' decisions small savings can compound into a better life. I don't think thats such a horrible premise.

I am blaming people for SOME percentage of their situation, just as environment has a percentage of blame as well. I think that much of the lifestyle is based on an expectation of benefits and social security from the government rather than having to save and limit spending. I think if people didn't 'expect' the government to take care of them they would realize that they must work hard and save money in order to live.