freeman3 wrote:I said right-wing, not you personally. Btw, by property I primarily mean higher taxes.

It has nothing to do with whether they are "deserving." It has everything to do with believing that in many cases there is a better way. For those who cannot help themselves, yes, absolutely. For those who can help themselves, we should help them to do that. Welfare, housing, etc. for the able-bodied ought not be a "career choice." There are all kinds of common-sense reforms that the left and right can agree upon with regard to welfare and unemployment. Here's but one: if you start a job that doesn't pay that well, you should not lose all benefits. The goal should be to encourage work, not discourage it.

As for taxes, as soon as government stops frittering it away, we can talk about raising them. Stop corporate welfare. Stop ethanol subsidies. Just stop pretending it's Monopoly money.

When you write things like this I get hope that progress can be made on poverty and improving the chances for people living in the inner-city. I just don't see the drive at the higher levels of the Republican Party for reforms in this area and what we do when our economy does not create enough jobs for people? I would rather people get paid for work than do nothing--able- bodied people should contribute to society by working--but if jobs are not created then what is the answer?

freeman3 wrote:When you write things like this I get hope that progress can be made on poverty and improving the chances for people living in the inner-city. I just don't see the drive at the higher levels of the Republican Party for reforms in this area and what we do when our economy does not create enough jobs for people? I would rather people get paid for work than do nothing--able- bodied people should contribute to society by working--but if jobs are not created then what is the answer?

If Obama was more like Bill Clinton, there would be more jobs. It's about creating certainty, predictability.

We are in economically unchartered waters. The Fed has never kept rates this low for this long. We have never seen a recovery so tepid in terms of jobs and wages.

I'm not going to blame the ACA per se, but I think the slow roll of it contributes to the unsettled nature of the economy because people don't know what will/will not happen next. Obama has postponed certain things, changed others--this is not helpful.

I think most GOP voters agree with me. The problem is that the money in the party is on Bush.

I really don't want Clinton v. Bush. It will just perpetuate the overwhelming sense that DC is separated from the rest of the country.