A beginner's work in progress.......
How are we going to survive 4 more years?
Published on November 26, 2004 By dabe In Politics
Yesterday,s New York Times editorial was about the GOP leadership looking to cut, and possibly eliminate the Pell Grants that enable poor and worthy people to get a higher education Link . Now that the election is over, all holds previously barred are unbarred, including these massive strikes in Iraq, and the raping of our society here. The massive rout in Iraq was necessary, I suppose, given that we allowed the insurgents to run off with all the weapons, and then had to go find them to prevent a lot of future bombings. But still, we've destroyed a city to get them back. We've killed lots of people to get them back. What a major screw up.

But, back to the Pell Grants......... were it not for the grants, I would not have been able to go back to school. It would have just been totally beyond my reach. I was on welfare at the time, back in the late 1970's and '80's. I had a dipshit husband and two kids. Welfare sustained us, though I knew it wasn't how I wanted to fashion my entire life. I knew I needed to go back to school, or I really was going to spend the rest of my life on welfare or low-paying, non-sustaining jobs. I needed more, not just for the money, but also for my intellectual growth, and my self asteem. So, I applied for Pell Grants, was approved, and went to college. With the two kids, ten years, and additional student loans, I got my professional degree, a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture. I subsequently took the 3-day, misery making licensing exam, passed and now am a gainfully employed person.

I now make almost $80K/year, of which a substantial chunk goes to taxes. So, instead of supporting me on a sub-subsistence living for my entire life, the Pell Grants have enabled me to be a contributor to the general economy of this country. The Pell Grants worked for me and thousands and thousands of other low income individuals, allowing us to give back to the government over and over and over what they gave to us. In other words, by not paying into a significant program now, we will all pay through the nose later in the added costs to society, and the loss in future revenues. In fact, though, the cost to fund the Pell Grants is chump change compared to what the feds spend in overall budget expenditures. There is absolutely no savings worth a damn to be made by cutting these grants. It's short sighted bullshit.

This is sickening. And, adding insult to injury, the GOP leadership and all they misguided followers want to reduce, if not eliminate entirely, the entire welfare program. What the fuck are people supposed to do? How does giving tax breaks to people at the top going to stimulate the economy, when at the same time they are proposing to take away any assistence at the bottom. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see that more and more people have become homeless, lost health insurance, and educational benefits under this oppressive GOP leadership crap, and are losing more and more of any hope of ever moving up. More and more people resort to drugs and crime, as poverty doesn't really allow much else, and the solution....... build more prisons to house the poverty stricken, outsource the adminstration and maintenance of them so corporations make tons of money on them from, yup, you guessed it, Uncle Sam. Or, should I say "Uncle Scam"? The far reaching ramificatations of defunding such a simple program is huge and wide spread.

I hate the GOP. I hate them so freakin' much. They are the most selfish, self-serving, short sighted, stupid, did I say selfish and self serving, ignorant assholes. No holds barred from me. I will continue to fight this crap for as long as it takes to unseat these assholes. I hate the leadership and I hate the people who support them. They are an insult to society at large.

Comments (Page 2)
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on Nov 26, 2004

Democrats cut things too btw.  Jennifer Granholm, the Govenror of Michigan zapped the funding for the Michigan Competitive scholarship which helped me get thorugh college.

She also eliminated the small business loan garauntee program in Michigan that made it possible for small businesses to borrow money with less collateral.  Under the previous (Republican) administration, our company was able to borrow money to fund our transition from OS/2 to Windows.  Without that loan, we would have gone out of business.  If our current Democratic governor had been in place then, there'd been no loan, no company, no JoeUser and a a few dozen fewer jobs available.

Blaming the GOP is really unfair.  Both sides cut things when they think they have to. And everything that gets cut affects someone badly.

on Nov 26, 2004
I dont think you should blame all the GOP. I mean, I dont like this cut either but i dont think alot of cutting been done was a great idea, whether it be a republican or democrat decision. but, hey, look at whats happened to our economy. we gotta cut somewhere. i dont support this cut but, again, hey, someone will argue no matter what we cut, and i dont think its fair to blame and hate every last GOP member.
(note my ever increasing drift from liberal to moderate)

All your base
on Nov 26, 2004
It's pretty much open season on anything deemed "socially oriented" funding. I'm sure it won't be the last either.
on Nov 27, 2004
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

"The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor."

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and dishonest--but the myth--persistant, persuasive and unrealistic."

I forget who said this...
probably some Republican.
on Nov 27, 2004
As you, I also used pell grants along with other grants available to work my way through college. So of those other grants I received some are no longer out there for young people today, but if someone wants to get an education there are a large amount of grants for specific areas (computer education, business programs, etc.) that can be found.

Now what helped me get those grants was 1) I came from a family of 10 (6 girls, 4 boys), and the fact I was handicapped (lost a leg because of Type I Diabetes).

I am a democrate (not a liberal), and I fully understand that things will change. Not all programs can be kept, and not all people have the right to these programs. Again if someone wants an education (college or vocational) there are many programs out there.

At times I find the GOP a bit of a nuisance, albeit they won't be there forever. Remember we had both houses for over forty years; the only reason we lost them was because we lost touch with middle America and the south. Instead of condeming the GOP get involved in your local Democratic Party to bring about change as you see it should. Just remember this little bit of advise; do not move to Idaho.

Pam
on Nov 27, 2004
Thanks, Pam. I will not move to Idaho.

I know that both parties have made unpopular cuts. But, as I said, in light of the tax cuts which do not really change the lifestyles of anyone, including the top 10% who don't really need them, to cut such a really helpful program that costs the government next to nothing is cruel. Absolutely cruel. I'm not saying dems are perfect. God knows, we have Zell Miller. But, if the dems controlled things, the Pell Grants wouldn't even be contemplated for cuts. It just doesn't save or bail out the government in any way, shape or form. It's just a cynical and hateful way of handling a poor voting base, that likely wouldn't carry the repubs in any election. It just sucks. I'm angry.

Yeah, I do blame the gop, cuz they're the one's in complete power right now. And, I will not dismiss this as just another minor effort, nor will I get over it. I will be working at the local level to get the bums out.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."


Sometimes, no matter how hard you want to do something, you cannot do anything for your country because you're just working too hard at merely surviving. Take away the tools to do for your country, and the whole premise of this quote falls apart.

"The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor."


Bingo! My point exactly. We are becoming a country of a materially rich few at the top, and the quality of life at the bottom can no way keep up with the quality of any goods, never mind American. These kind of cuts only serve to derail spirituality of the people to one of mere subsistence living. Think about it.

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and dishonest--but the myth--persistant, persuasive and unrealistic."


Bingo again!! There are myths on both sides. This gop leadership is perpetuating the myth that everything will be hunky dory if only we just fund things like only abstinence education, and healthy marriage whatevers, which are steeped in Christian ideology, but have nothing to do with social reality, then cut a program that WORKED goddammit. Interesting that the worst divorce rates were correlated with the red states who support gop ideological myths, while the blue states, ie MA, has the lowest divorce rate. Also, speaking of myths, there are millions of Americans, myself included, who are not Christian, and I resent that this gop leadership is carrying the ideological myth that if everyone would just buy into their Christian beliefs, this country will flourish. Separation of Church and state is an imperative social reality to keep this country free from the crap that the GOP is pulling now. It's also unconstitutional to pull what they're doing, particularly bolstered by this myth-based gop leadership.

Ughhhhh.............. I'm rambling. but you get my drift. I continue to hate the GOP leadership of this country.
on Nov 27, 2004
What makes you think a tax cut won't change the lifestyles of anyone? What makes you think the 10% don't need them? That money has a better chance at creating new jobs directly supervised by people proven at creating wealth rather than passing through several layers of bureaucracy that each take their cut along the way. What makes you think the bottom isn't keeping up with the top? Have you seen third-world countries? That's how bad things can really get.
on Nov 27, 2004
That a good leberal, just ban everybody that disagrees with you.
on Nov 27, 2004
Not to be too picky, dabe, but you're upset with the "old" Congress, the lame duck bunch, the one with the 51-49 Repub majority, the one with Daschle, the one with so much GOP control that none of Bush's judicial nominees got approved, the one that balked at passing the intelligence reform bill. The Republicans are not exactly "in complete power now" any more than they were in October. They'll have a larger majority in January, but for now your characterization flies in the face of reality. Hate to say it, but it's bordering on irrational now, too.

Cheers,
Daiwa
on Nov 27, 2004
I agree with your statements entirely, but hate never got anyone anywere. I say just relax give them enough rope and the will hang them selves.
on Nov 27, 2004
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"
To: Evorg
John F. Kennedy, key word Kennedy, some Rupublican? Please.
on Nov 27, 2004
dabe, in all sincerity, i really appreciate your true concern for your fellow U.S. citizens. regardless of what i consider myself to be, democrat or repuplican, i am tired of our government placing prioity in the constant investment (whether socially, economically, morally, etc.), in the backyards of other countries over its own citizens. i am often unsure how we can possibly assist countries with their problems, when there is so much to concentrate on here.
on Nov 27, 2004
Thanks, DNCdude. It's nice to know I'm not a lone voice in this wilderness called joeuser. I'm trying to relax, and I know that they will eventually hang themselves, but I just don't want them to hang me first.

As for the Kennedy quote, I knew that. Ridiculous that it, along with the other quotes, was raised to argue my points. Sheesh...............
on Nov 27, 2004
Not to be too picky, dabe, but you're upset with the "old" Congress, the lame duck bunch, the one with the 51-49 Repub majority, the one with Daschle, the one with so much GOP control that none of Bush's judicial nominees got approved, the one that balked at passing the intelligence reform bill.


Nice too see a republican(apoligies if you are not such) who recognizes Tom Daschle. For such a moral crowd not a single republican showed up to hear his fairwell speech to the senate after serving as senater for the past 18 years. And AMEN good he resisted the Bush judicial appointments! Theres hope yet that there will yet be a balance of power between parties! As to "the one that balked at passing the intelligence reform bill" if I recall correctly (which I do) President Bush would rather not have had the 9/11 commision hearings that brought about that bill and that it was senate republicans such as Bill Frist who turned down that bill.

Sincerely,
DNCdude
on Nov 27, 2004
People on the left keep repeating this tired complaint that President Bush "didn't want" or "would rather not have had" the 9/11 commission hearings. It's in the nature of things that people will jump to that conclusion when they are prejudiced against him to start with. There were legitimate issues as to the scope of the inquiry that needed to be addressed. The Commission was established, did a thorough job, the President has embraced and supported the findings and recommendations, and all the left wants to harp on is his alleged reluctance to have a Commission. There is also this apparent assumption out there that the intelligence reform bill was perfection itself and should have just been passed without even being read. Well, ain't quite so. I'd rather they get it right and if that means sending it back to committee for further work, so be it.

Cheers,
Daiwa
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