For me, when given the choice between Acorn, Wall Street and the Lotto, I will take Acorn. They take less tax payer money.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27983.html On Oct 6, 3:52 pm, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > It's like Orn says, anybody that plays the lotto and actually thinks > they have a snowballs chance are really bad at math. But I confess > when our 'power ball" was over 350 million a few months ago I bought a > ticket. Even at 15 million to one odds I got a little thrill and had > a good half hour discussion with my partner at work on what we'd do > with all that smack if we won. Well worth the buck I'd say. > > You are right of course. I know I don't know what it's like to be > desperate and poor. I have never experienced it. I have ALWAYS had > the option to move in with Mom and Dad or stay with my brother or even > crash at a friends house when times were dicey. Even then I had > savings I could have burned to tide me over for a few months to find a > new job. It's how I was taught; Be prepared. I've never been fired > but was laid off after the IRS shut down the store I was managing. I > moved in with Mom and Dad for a few months. Trust me; that was > harrowing enough I never wanted to do it again. Now, 22 years later > they are moving in with me. > > It frustrates me that we have organizations like Acorn that are set up > to teach people to rob the system. I wish we could motivate people to > start their own business and hire people and do community service > rather then promote fraud. The Chamber of Commerce is a good start > but something tells me the slums don't have a very effective branch. > The over all sense of entitlement in these communities is mind > boggling. I would love to give them a hand up but too often it seems > this is not what they are looking for. At least that's the way it > appears to me. Granted, options for the poor are limited. But in > this country there are a lot more then in many others. Just removing > the temptations of easy money provided by thievery or drug sales would > vastly improve these communities. I have found that those that live > in these type communities tend to enable this behavior by not > reporting crimes. The police become the bad guys. Lee, tell me if > I'm wrong. > > dj > > > > On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 7:08 AM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > It is a lot more complex that what you are presenting Don. There is a > > deeper psychological aspect to be concerned with. Poor people who > > lose their lotto winnings don't have financial backgrounds, they don't > > come from a family of bankers, have friends who are wall street > > tycoons or have top notch advisers. Instead they go out thinking they > > are rich to no end and spend their way into the ditch as well as much > > of the time getting 'ripped off' by shady investors. Of course you > > must know that the majority of winners retain most of their new found > > wealth. The mental condition of a person receiving assistance has a > > great deal to do with their own success in life, chances are if you > > gave a bag lady 10 G's, all you would have is a bag lady with 10 G's, > > obviously she has issues that have sustained her bag lady lifestyle. > > But let 's look at the ghetto problem and growing up in such > > deplorable conditions. That has to have an impact on a child growing > > up, the security factor alone, living in fear, health issues from > > living amongst the filth and vermin. The totality of the environment > > becomes a microcosm of perpetuated detriment. They are well aware of > > their plight and can see the world about with all it's grandeur but > > only see themselves in it in the form of a dream. So what little they > > have becomes the only thing that is left to fight for, as there really > > isn't much left of personal dignity. I'm sure the kids in your > > neighborhood are not living under the same conditions and as a result > > have a different outlook on life, they see a future and have security, > > parents who can nurture them in ways that can lead them upwards. From > > the time they are born they are on the road to a successful future and > > even sometimes the affluent can have their share of failures. It's > > the same anywhere else. What are the chances of attaining wealth when > > you are a 'slum dog'? If I won lotto I would never go poor, it's all > > about common sense, self control and good math. > > > On Oct 5, 9:53 pm, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > >> You can't spend your way out poverty Slip. Statistics show a > >> surprising number of poor people that win the lottery and take the > >> cash option(generally the smarter move) are broke 10 years later. We > >> can build all the tenements and projects we want and those places will > >> invariably return to trash in the near future because some people just > >> won't help themselves. When apathy is rewarded it makes it difficult > >> for some to see the benefits in working themselves into a better way > >> of life when all they need is provided gratis. I personally feel it's > >> morally wrong. > > >> By the way. Violence IS a solution. Very often it is the most > >> economical and effective solution. This is why it will continue to be > >> implemented by individuals and governments until the end of time. It > >> just so happens it makes me sick to my stomach. > > >> dj > > >> On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 7:14 PM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> > Cynical? > > >> > Woestehoff says this investigation is long overdue. She complains that > >> > wealthy and well-connected parents have long-been throwing around > >> > their clout on behalf of their children. The rules ought to be the > >> > same for everybody. But, you know, this is Chicago. And we know that > >> > in Chicago there’s an expectation that a certain group of people who > >> > have power will be able to get their children into any school. > >> > Unqualified students who have parents with clout aren’t just attending > >> > public high schools. The issue has also plagued top officials at the > >> > University of Illinois in recent months. They’re accused of admitting > >> > hundreds of unqualified students. The scandal involves the president > >> > of the university along with many high-ranking elected officials. > >> > A state panel investigating the admissions process recently > >> > recommended every trustee on the board resign and yesterday, the > >> > chairman of the board did just that. > > >> >http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=35938 > > >> > Absurd? > > >> > Admissions clout clearly thrived in places where families were > >> > politically savvy and well-positioned to tap into connections with > >> > elected officials and university trustees, said educators and other > >> > observers. > >> > Just how skewed was the campus clout list? Half of the 616 Illinois > >> > students who received preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009 > >> > graduated from just 22 high schools, all but one in the metro area. > >> > Meanwhile, at least 668 Illinois high schools had no clouted > >> > applicants at all. > > >> >http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-clout-schools-17-jul17,0... > > >> > There's more as you must know. I didn't apply anything to the world > >> > at large, clearly the elite school comment was pertinent to Chicago > >> > but I will admit that I think it does go on in other parts of the > >> > country and the world. Besides, you should understand that I'm > >> > addressing the fact that poverty, while there are exceptions, is a > >> > nurtured aspect of the world. It's Marx distinction between the > >> > powerful and the powerless, the establishment of a social strata which > >> > is prevalent in many parts of the world, fact is I don't know of any > >> > off hand that function without it, some are worst than others. Truth > >> > is if the world sincerely wanted to rid itself of poverty it would > >> > end. Bulldozers would raze the ghettos and decent affordable housing > >> > would be built, bankrupt farms would be financially rescued, revived > >> > and enabled to productive feed the world acreage, the same goes for > >> > much of the failed small business's that translate into jobs. But of > >> > course that wouldn't be all too profitable to the stock market, > >> > investment capitalists and bankers. Better the not so 'well to do' > >> > bail them out when they need help, no? Isn't it all so obvious, or is > >> > is just me? > > >> > On Oct 5, 6:11 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> Chicago's elite public schools, the ones that parents are bedding with > >> >> aristocracy in exchange for their kids enrollment. > > >> >> very cynical, Slip. Inner city schools have additional problems that > >> >> come with poverty, there is not doubt about that. But to state that > >> >> other schools in any state provide more services because parents are > >> >> bedding with aristocracy is, well, absurd. You seem to take the worst > >> >> case scenario and apply it to the world at large. > > >> >> On Oct 5, 6:26 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> >> > Well Molly, your examples merely confirm my comment that "little" > >> >> > effort is made. I wouldn't say that the examples reflect a great deal > >> >> > of effort. Sure there are organizations that combat numerous problems > >> >> > but overall results are insignificant. Things haven't really changed > >> >> > all that much, have they? > > >> >> > I'm not assuming that "all" children are experiencing the same thing > >> >> > and I would think you should know better than that. Of course there > >> >> > are better schools, better standards and better students. I'm simply > >> >> > addressing the obvious problems. It wouldn't make sense to talk about > >> >> > Chicago's elite public schools, the ones that parents are bedding with > >> >> > aristocracy in exchange for their kids enrollment. It's about inner > >> >> > city mentality and the mentality of those who contribute to the > >> >> > development of inner cities across the country and around the world. > > >> >> > On Oct 5, 1:15 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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