1/17/2014

View From The Porch 1-17-14

A large low pressure cell moved in, making the temperatures shoot above freezing.
So now we have melting snow, rain, and high wind warnings.
A real slop fest.
This is a hand held, four exposure HDR. ISO:200.

Ruminations On The War On Poverty

While visiting Samizdata, a very well written blog, I came across this comment, "The United States, since the times of the “Great Society”, has spent approximately 24 trillion dollars on anti-poverty programs, while the percentage of those considered to be in poverty has remained the same. With a 50 year track record as evidence of the utter failure of the welfare state, it amazes me that the public continues to buy into this form of wealth re-distribution."

An insightful observation.
Needless to say, you always get someone to disagree. So I decided to look it up as best I could in a short amount of time. Here's what I came up with after a brief search.

Picture
Federal spending, population and poverty totals [iii]

                    Total              People in           Welfare              Expenditure                   Population[iv]     Poverty[v]        Expenditures[vi]     Per Person                  (Millions)          (Millions)            (Billions)              In Poverty

1960           179.5                  39.9                  $17.7                  $445

1970           202.2                  25.4                  $43.9                 $1,726

1980           225.0                  29.3                 $128.8                $4,399

1990            248.6                 33.6                 $138.2                $4,116

2000            278.9                 31.6                 $205.4                $6,503

2010            305.7                 46.2                 $349.6                $7,571


2011           308.5                  46.2                 $369.2                $7,983

2012           310.6                  46.5                 $356.8                $7,674

These figures came from the Federal Safety Net site.
That totals $52,245 for a family of four even though the Poverty Threshold for such a family is $23,492


Next I went over to Wikipedia.

File:Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate 1959 to 2011. United States..PNG

So, what's a person to make of this?
I think we could conclude that the 24 trillion dollars spent to fight poverty have been a failure.
Yet we continue to spend ever larger amounts to combat poverty and now also it's evil cousin income inequality.  Our current occupant of the White House has publicly stated he wants to "spread the wealth around." 
I paraphrase a definition of insanity (and stupidity) as 'doing the same thing over & over but expecting a different result.'

I fervently hope that it begins to dawn on those who still think this type of waste is actually good and a better alternative than growing the economy, that it is NOT about helping the poor. It never has been. It's about power, control, creating a dependent underclass who will always support you out of necessity.
Or as Lyndon B. Johnson said, "I’ll have those n*****s voting Democrat for the next 200 years."
His words, not mine.


Finally, let me leave you with two items via American Digest.

The first this comment.
 "There are 8 levels of control that must be obtained before you are able to create a fascist state. The first is the most important. 1) Healthcare – Control healthcare and you control the people
2) Poverty – Increase the Poverty level as high as possible, poor people are easier to control and will not fight back if you are providing everything for them to live.
3) Debt – Increase the debt to an unsustainable level. That way you are able to increase taxes, and this will produce more poverty.
4) Gun Control – Remove the ability for citizens to defend themselves from the Government. That way you are able to create a police state.
5) Welfare – Take control of every aspect of their lives (Food, Housing, and Income)
6) Education – Take control of what people read and listen to – take control of what children learn in school.
7) Religion – Remove the belief in the God from the Government and schools
8) Class Warfare – Divide the people into the wealthy and the poor. This will cause more discontent and it will be easier to take (Tax) the wealthy with the support of the poor.

Does any of this sound like what is happening to the United States " 


And finally,


aatransformamerica.jpg

1/11/2014

London Calling...

Arguably the westernmost phone booths in North America.  Taken at Dutch Harbor.

1/07/2014

Boy Scout Motto; "Be Prepared"


A view of the transfer switch I installed this fall. A switch for the house and a switch for the garage.
The generator plugs in at the receptacle between the second transfer switch and the window.
It's nice to have a tested backup.

1/03/2014


1/02/2014


1/01/2014

Happy New Years 2014

Here's to hoping that 2014 is better, in all respects, than 2013.

Here's a little something I saw over at American Digest.

It rings true and more succinctly sums up what I have tried to say in the past.

The "learned helplessness" is so deep it shows up even in our fantasy life. This is why I beg people to find ANY way to fight back. Stop looking for The One way to fight back. To make up for not fighting back we imagine we, or someone that will fight on our behalf, will find the one unguarded and vital target where we can attack and win in an instant. Politically, we fantasize about finding the weak spot in The Death Star and firing a kill shot.

The Left didn't bring the country under their control that way. The Left has published books on how to fight the system. They fought the system. They now own the system. The Left waged a Long March through the culture. We keep engaging in Short Retreats to the next "gated-community" that we hope will protect us from liberal domination.Start fighting in small ways, anywhere, and it will give you confidence to fight more and the tide will turn IF liberals find they can't rely on never finding opposition. Use direct language. Call them communists, racists, sexist, traitors, etc. You don't gain respect by speaking in moderate language about the people that are setting fire to this country.

This isn't Sunday School. This is a Civil War. The Left already knows it. They already fight like it's a Civil War. You might as well face up to it. Posted by: Scott M at December 31, 2013 1:14 PM