nuttyjoe

I did think you were not referring to our soldiers wounded, PN; but that's exactly why this needs to be re-defined! The idea of the system (I actually dislike the word welfare)must be restructured and administered towards helping people to stand up for themselves!
Workman's Comp is another area that needs improvement. What does one recieve under this program-1/3 of your wages? All the time while bills need to be paid even waiting for the processing time! Which means that the injured worker is forced to run up more debt trying to stay afloat until they can return to work- if possible.
How many of you DTT members could absorb a 2/3 cut in your pay right now? Could you pay your monthly obligations with no problem? My guess is that most people would have to start cutting in some areas to hopefully stay ahead in the most important areas. And even then, it would be hard for most.

waitingtables

My husband was injured on the job two years ago. He had to wait for 90 days to receive a comp check, though his doctor visits weren't charging us anything. He was out of work for about 5 months, and if it weren't for my picking up more hours waitressing, we would have been screwed. But, from all of the very negative stories I read about workman's comp, we had a good experience with it.

pensacola_niceman

You're misinformed if you think abuse of the system is the exception. Anytime you have a system of free handouts, you will have abuse. It's human nature and especially indicative of the poor. I don't see anything happening right now that will stop the cycle of poverty/welfare/crime among the poor [and predominately black] community. Welfare moms continue to pump out more kids to populate our prisons in the future so they can get a few extra bucks in that check every month. Our cities are now infested with this poor criminal element and all we can see to do is come up with new "programs" and throw more money at it.

Yeah, that's right. All of us middle class white people have no right to complain since we were not born under such circumstances. We should be more "understanding." Meanwhile, it remains unsafe to walk in our own cities and there's always somebody in the shadows waiting to rip you off. The most disgusting thing of all is that our own nation's capital, Washington DC, is the most crime ridden city in the country. Of course, since the ones commiting the crimes are mostly black, we can't do anything about it without appearing racist.

Katczinsky

Really? Misinformed? Perhaps you could provide me with the data that would inform me, because all the TANF data I've seen has shown me that the large majority of welfare recipients are either working or unemployed and looking for work. And it is unclear of the circumstances of even those who are categorized as unemployed and 'not' looking for work. To me this data would indicate that abuse is the exception.

I do not deny that the welfare system needs reforming. If you don't understand the circumstances of what you're dealing with then you can never fix it. Understanding and empathy isn't naive or idealistic, on the contrary it's practical and the only way we're going to effectively address the problem of both welfare and poverty.

Which is why according to the United States Department of Justice, 55.7% of violent crimes were committed by whites and 25.3% were Black (with 12.9% by "Other" and 6.1% "unknown"). (28).

And yet 70% of those imprisoned are non-white (CPIC-University of NY).

The only misinformed conclusion is the suggest that racism isn't involved in the issue, and that the 'black man' in the inner city is the 'boogeyman' out to get you when you're walking your streets.

__________________
Political Compass:

Economic Left/Right: -9.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.72

fxashun

What would be done if they were white? Nothing. Nearly all nations have an underclass and ghettos where it is dangerous to be. Heck there are a few where the whole nation is an underclass.
The problem with THIS nation is that white people created part of their own by purposely importing it. And many black people continue to live that way because they don't know any better or don't care.
But even if there were no black people here, there would still be welfare moms. Here's a link to the racial breakdown.
And here's a look at the "why"'s of the disparity of wealth between black and white families.

__________________
I'm politically correct, handsome, intelligent, and modest.

pensacola_niceman

Ok, so you're saying that the reason 70% of those imprisoned are non-white is because we are a racist society and they didn't really commit any crime? Furthermore, are you implying that white people get off free from the same given crime than a black person would?

Are you denying that the crime rate in Washington DC is disgustly high and that the majority of those commiting the crimes are black?

I don't think your sentiments are an issue of racism, but that of political correctness. You can't admit that, on a percentage basis, black people commit more crimes than whites. You can't admit, on a percentage basis, black people are bilking the welfare system more than whites.

I know there are societal and historical reasons for the race disparity in the issues stated above. I am not naive enough (or racist enough) to suggest that black people are in anyway inferior to white people. I'm just going by the facts as they lay.

It's hard to attack a problem without properly defining it first. It's even harder when you're forced to do it with kid gloves.

fxashun

The mass majority of the people that live in DC are black and poor. So of course they will commit more crime.

I can't find any racial breakdown on fraud though. So what exactly are the facts as they lay?

__________________
I'm politically correct, handsome, intelligent, and modest.

nuttyjoe

Actually, rather than worry about racial proportions towards crime; I'm of the opinion that America needs to address crime as a whole. The same goes for economics; because money is- and always will be- the underlying reason behind most crime.
We must look at this like a row of dominoes. If you knock one down, the ones behind will start falling in order.
If you want to pin economic problems strictly to racial proportions; just how many Black CEO's of companies are bleeding their companies in such catastrophic manners as Whites? It's irrelevant; because its more important (at least to me) that it is the employees of those companies (Black, White, and others) that are being forced into dire straits. It is those dire straits that cause people (whomever) to start turning to crime.
That's just one example. Let's look at another. How many of these government bailouts of financial istitutions (Bear Stearns for one, National City for another; and more will be following) are Black or minority owned?
Now look at our housing crisis. What's the racial proportion between Blacks and Whites currently in foreclosure? Again; its irrelevant. Isn't it more important to attack the underlying problem first? It's more important that we start dealing with the underlying economic problems; and not worry about blaming any race for them!

Katczinsky

Did I once say that imprisoned black people don't commit their crimes? I'm sure most of them did, and I'm sure most of them deserved prosecution under the law.

All I'm pointing out is the disparities, and their pointing toward racial inequities under the law. Most violent crimes deserving of long prison length or even death row are committed by whites, and yet a large majority of those imprisoned and executed are people of color. These are the facts; I'm not the one denying them.

Where did I say that? You said most crimes are committed by blacks, and I corrected your err.

Why would I have to admit something that you completely fabricated?? I have shown you sources with the actual percentages, and they show that the majority of crimes are committed by whites. I'm not the one who is in denial here!

Perhaps you could reveal these imaginary facts, because so far you haven't presented any, and yet I have presented at least two credible sources of information that directly contradict your assertions.

Are most crimes committed by blacks? No. But, do I deny that they're disproportionately represented in the context of their percentage as the greater population? No I do not. However, I also do not naively brush aside the influences of race in the creation of these disparities as you point out, and I do not naively brush aside the relevance of race relations today. These racial inequalities have been formed by racism, and today they have been institutionalized. I see that you probably do not deny this fact, but you're going to realize that there remains racist undertones in the debate of these disparities, and especially the debate of welfare.

__________________
Political Compass:

Economic Left/Right: -9.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.72

Katczinsky

I would have to agree here but I would never assume race relations as irrelevant. You're correct in saying that the underlying cause of most crimes is in money, but I don't think it's irrelevant to address racial inequities under our legal system. Believe me, I'm convinced that with social equality so comes political. But seriously, poverty is incurable within the context of capitalism, and I highly doubt there will be a socialist revolution in the United States any time soon!

To address the roots of the problem is important, but to convince yourself that eliminating poverty without a significant social movement is an exercise in futility.

__________________
Political Compass:

Economic Left/Right: -9.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -6.72