Ken Burch (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 05:30 AM
Original message
If Obama DOES cut Head Start and community block grant funding
He can't call himself a Democrat any longer.
NOTHING can make up for cutting those things. Nothing at all.
And cutting them cannot be a part of any strategy for winning back lost ground later.
The "indenpendents" are NOT demanding that we TOTALLY abandon the poor...and if they were, their votes couldn't be worth having.
NOTHING can make up for the reduction of Head Start.
But some here will defend it all anyway.
du_da (104 posts) Fri Feb-11-11 05:48 AM
Response to Original message
3. In today's political climate
I don't see how you don't include Head Start on a cut list. Certainly in a perfect world we wouldn't do that, however the people have spoken and they want the parent's carrying the weight of preparing children for school not government. If they are wrong we need to show them why they are wrong. If you think we can do this without the independents then you are just fooling yourself. You might want to look around see which ideology is winning the votes and dominating communities at the moment. How many times have you read postings on DU from someone complaining how the conservatives have taken over their neighborhood. Now, how many times do you see the same type of post on a conservative site referring to liberals taking over the neighborhood?
Obama's big mistake in all this is to even try to pick and choose programs. He should have accepted that he was going to have to make cuts so as to not lose any more ground to the opposition and simply cut everything by some appropriate percentage across the board with no exception. That would have hurt but it would have shown him willing to take the issue serious which is what the independents want to see and at the same time forced the opposition to show their true colors by giving them the opportunity to stepped forward to try to save their own preferred projects. Thus illustrating that they weren't entirely serious.
du_da (104 posts) Fri Feb-11-11 06:12 AM
Response to Reply #4
5. We don't have the luxury
of ignoring the previous election results, especially when nothing indicates the trend coming back our direction at the moment. If you don't think part of that message was one of personal responsibility then you weren't paying attention. As for freeperville, I avoid that one. Even if they weren't so off the deep end their format sucks so bad that it is nearly unreadable. As such maybe there's an exception. But I check several sites of all political flavors and the complaints of neighborhoods becoming too liberal have been few and far between lately. It seems we aren't doing a good job spreading the word. Either that or they have managed to scare everyone into hiding. I will give you the possibility that it could be the later but I don't see any evidence of that.
Like you, I would like to take those tax breaks and put them toward getting us out of this mess as well. Guess what, this isn't a dictatorship and we don't have that option and never did. Progressives never had a majority more or less super majority. We have always had to deal with the real world which includes the right leaning tendency in this nation. Truth be told we either were unable or unwilling to sell the people on the fact that rich people are not as deserving of tax cuts as everyone else, as such the method for passing tax cuts for the middle class that did not include tax cuts for the rich simply wasn't there, and not passing them for the middle class was political suicide.
So you want to explore the world of the absurd, lets explore the possibility that we can accomplish anything without getting support from people who are not already part of our choir.
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #5
51. How easily you throw around the word "luxury: when you KNOW this equates to DEATH.
obbolink (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 02:37 PM
Response to Reply #72
73. While I completely agree with you, can you iimagine how painful it is for someone like me
to read those words?
This is about ME.. this is my life.
And millions just like me.
It. Is. Soul. Murder.
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #5
51. How easily you throw around the word "luxury: when you KNOW this equates to DEATH.
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 01:46 PM
Response to Reply #5
51. How easily you throw around the word "luxury: when you KNOW this equates to DEATH.
MadTrucker99 (2 posts) Thu Feb-10-11 06:53 PM
Response to Original message
140. If conclusion jumping were an Olympic Event
They are talking about the Weatherization Assistance Program of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provided up to $5 billion to help low income families save on their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. If this item is true, then the change would be returning the the program funding to the pre Act levels. It could be that no one is applying for the money at that level and the money can be better used elsewhere. The money was NOT for buying heating oil or gas or electric. It was specifically tagged for those who wanted to upgrade their current heating equipment to more energy efficient equipment.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x384453
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Thu Feb-10-11 12:34 PM
Response to Reply #22
76. Why do they hate us?
Bobbo's Soul Crushed
(http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/crushed%20car%20on%20flickr.jpg)
I didn't realize that this:
(http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/merismus/gallery/c487499a.jpg)
makes such a big package! H5!
I didn't realize that this:
(http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/merismus/gallery/c487499a.jpg)
makes such a big package! H5!
Ken Burch (1000+ posts) Fri Feb-11-11 05:30 AM
Original message
If Obama DOES cut Head Start and community block grant funding
He can't call himself a Democrat any longer.
NOTHING can make up for cutting those things. Nothing at all.
And cutting them cannot be a part of any strategy for winning back lost ground later.
The "indenpendents" are NOT demanding that we TOTALLY abandon the poor...and if they were, their votes couldn't be worth having.
NOTHING can make up for the reduction of Head Start.
But some here will defend it all anyway.
The "indenpendents" are NOT demanding that we TOTALLY abandon the poor...and if they were, their votes couldn't be worth having.
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Thu Feb-10-11 12:34 PM
Response to Reply #22
76. Why do they hate us?
Bobbo's Soul Crushed
(http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/crushed%20car%20on%20flickr.jpg)
(http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/crushed%20car%20on%20flickr.jpg)
I see i started a new catch phase, "and the buick pulls up. LMAO. :-)
The Kia Soul is cute!
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQyZ8BoNSQ[/youtube]
The Kia Soul is cute!
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vQyZ8BoNSQ[/youtube]
I wondered who the original author of that was.
It's a gem.
In 1998, Congress required the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct the first rigorous national evaluation of the program. The Clinton administration took this mandate seriously and initiated a 383-site randomized experiment involving about 4,600 children. Confirming previous research, the study found that the current program had little meaningful impact.
Aside: Im guessing this was a Triumph TR3. Probably early 60s.. 61-63
A vehicle isn't supposed to be cute, Jess :lmao: it's supposed to be badass! :fuelfire:
Exactly, that's why I don't own one. It's just cute. I see a lot of middle aged men driving them and I just have to chuckle at the red light. Same with men driving a Prius.
Or when I see a man driving a miata
(http://static.funnyjunk.com/pictures/mazda_miata.jpg)
Head start, Lol.
From a NY Times op-ed, Feb 7, 2009:
link (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/opinion/08besharov.html)
15 years, later, it continues, not doing anything but sucking up money...
It would be amazing to me if one program--any federal program--were actually successful in any at eliminating poverty or reducing misery.
I think we can restore it.
Actually I think Bobos car is a lime green Buick Skylark with two Obama symbols side by side to form the double zero number like the 01 on the General Lee. Also she has a iPhone painted on the roof and the name General Disaster along the sides of the roof. When she hits the horn it plays "Imagin" by John Lennon as she and her invisable cousin Luke Link go around helping the poor.