General Discussion

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)

49. We can do better than this!

Tue Apr 1, 2014, 06:11 PM

Apr 2014

I see the mansions in many areas of Los Angeles. Nothing wrong with being rich. Nothing wrong with the mansions. But, for God's sake, if you have a huge mansion and a mentally ill or unemployed person is suffering on the street, you and those enjoying wealth like yours have an obligation to share enough of your money, enough of your good luck, enough of the benefits you have received from the talents and abilities that God gave you with the very poor.

Why? Because you are a human being and you share that precarious position not just with those wealthier than you but with those poorer than you.

I walk past houses in the LA area with large gardens that are groomed by hired gardeners, and I think that the people who live in those houses probably spend more just to care for their garden every month than a good number of people in LA have to live on. Something is wrong with that.

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Highlight:

The United States Is Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading to the Poor, U.N. Report Charges [View all] xchrom Apr 2014 OP

K&R! Katashi_itto Apr 2014 #1

About time malaise Apr 2014 #2

+1 a whole bunch! Enthusiast Apr 2014 #74

Can I get an Amen? nt duhneece Apr 2014 #3

Amen. nt xchrom Apr 2014 #4

Amen! This is disgusting. n/t nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #9

Absolute Amen. calimary Apr 2014 #32

Amen bro, having been out of work now for four months I have come to the conclusion harun Apr 2014 #60

I'll give ya three. Amen, Amen,Amen! Auntie Bush Apr 2014 #61

Amen! LuvNewcastle Apr 2014 #78

K&R 99Forever Apr 2014 #5

If we were of another time in another place, some power would be liberating us. bkanderson76 Apr 2014 #6

Yes, we're just awful. Look at the members of the UN Human Rights Council. Hello, pot. 7962 Apr 2014 #7

OK, what bastions of freedom and equality would be on an ideal UN Human Rights Council? eShirl Apr 2014 #8

Murka! nxylas Apr 2014 #15

Norway comes to mind nt karynnj Apr 2014 #23

Just because we're less bad than some doesn't mean much. Yes, we *are* fucking awful nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #10

Guess you all think Pres Obama has no right to tell Putin he's wrong to take Crimea, too. 7962 Apr 2014 #38

Of course they (the UN) need us. But we need them too. nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #42

Oh, I dont. Cops alone these days are responsible for more now than ever, IMO. 7962 Apr 2014 #45

Wait wait...so... JackInGreen Apr 2014 #13

Just ask the Occupy protesters and get back to me n/t malaise Apr 2014 #14

IMO they have more of a right to call us out because we are the ones who set the standards and jwirr Apr 2014 #18

^^^^^^THIS.^^^^^^ GoCubsGo Apr 2014 #21

Exactly. jwirr Apr 2014 #22

A good example teaches more than any words. n/t freshwest Apr 2014 #50

And how. n/t Junkdrawer Apr 2014 #71

+2 nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #43

AMERICA #1 DERP! bobduca Apr 2014 #20

Eh. You have a point but there's no need to qualify the report that way. randome Apr 2014 #26

I am sure its VERY comforting to the American poor, than the Chinese poor have it worse. nt La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2014 #39

we have more people that are incarcerated, per capita, than any other nation in the universe.. frylock Apr 2014 #40

"But in Pakistan they just stone people instead!" nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #44

You forgetting about the US murder rate? Higher murder rate than any other developed nation. 7962 Apr 2014 #46

how about people jailed for sleeping in a stairwell? frylock Apr 2014 #51

As I mentioned earlier, someone should get a LOT more than a suspension for that crime. 7962 Apr 2014 #54

We have a lot of wealth in this nation. It tends to be concentrated in the hands of very few JDPriestly Apr 2014 #52

Why not mention some of our actual ALLIES. What bastions of freedom are, eg Saudi Arabia, sabrina 1 Apr 2014 #59

I did. England, France & Japan ARE our allies. 7962 Apr 2014 #62

Yes, all the Colonial Imperialists who SHARE our Dictator allies. Do you know the history of those sabrina 1 Apr 2014 #65

Lets also not forget the Spanish conquests. Or the Turks and the treatment of the Armenians 7962 Apr 2014 #79

The criminals in Venezuela are the right wing traitors who are attempting to topple a legitimate sabrina 1 Apr 2014 #82

So the killing & stealing by the government is ok. And all students are now "right wing". Got it. 7962 Apr 2014 #84

"Sure, this was wrong and someone needs to be held accountable..." cheapdate Apr 2014 #68

Alternet is reporting on things the corporate controlled media won't report. Enthusiast Apr 2014 #75

Yes, like "The top 45 lies in Obama's UN speech". That was great reporting. 7962 Apr 2014 #80

Funny, I cannot stand Glenn Beck. Enthusiast Apr 2014 #81

Sad K&R. So much police violence. Overseas Apr 2014 #11

Another example: ProSense Apr 2014 #12

Oh, aren't republicans so clever. Who other than they would have thought up such a scheme. gtar100 Apr 2014 #16

We need to make corporate welfare queens get drug tested. Why do they call the GOP grand? freshwest Apr 2014 #73

And the UK is increasingly following suit. LeftishBrit Apr 2014 #17

Anybody actually able to find the report itself? snooper2 Apr 2014 #19

found a link with the report... magical thyme Apr 2014 #27

thanks G_j Apr 2014 #30

so when will a coalition of countries start sanctions on the u.s.? leftyohiolib Apr 2014 #24

A death sentence for the "crime" of homelessness and mental illness. mountain grammy Apr 2014 #25

Yet if you are rich you can get probation for raping a 3 yr old Marrah_G Apr 2014 #28

American justice! mountain grammy Apr 2014 #29

Shame! cer7711 Apr 2014 #31

I blame the GOP and the tea party SmittynMo Apr 2014 #33

.... DeSwiss Apr 2014 #34

Plenty of Democrats act too much like Republicans. That isn't (or shouldn't be) in dispute. nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #47

But people won't work. Enthusiast Apr 2014 #76

K&R DeSwiss Apr 2014 #35

^^^^^^^^That about sums it up right there ^^^^^^^^ Tsiyu Apr 2014 #37

They'll say let private charity (i.e. mostly churches) take care of it. nomorenomore08 Apr 2014 #48

Yet they claim this is a 'Christian nation." Tsiyu Apr 2014 #57

+1 a whole bunch! Enthusiast Apr 2014 #77

OMG! Roasting to death! Rex Apr 2014 #36

We need LBJ's War on Poverty; instead, we have the Teabagger War on the Poor...knr joeybee12 Apr 2014 #41

We can do better than this! JDPriestly Apr 2014 #49

If you lack money, it's pretty common to be shuffled to the bottom of the deck in America MrScorpio Apr 2014 #53

In 1776 Adam Smith was railing against the Poor Laws in the UK for the exact same reason. Benton D Struckcheon Apr 2014 #55

The American strain of Christianity has always hated the poor. SunSeeker Apr 2014 #56

Disgusting. k/r 840high Apr 2014 #58

Just a slight clarifications Pakid Apr 2014 #63

Saddly swilton Apr 2014 #64

What? The State and Federal governments are just as bad as third world nations Nanjing to Seoul Apr 2014 #66

We murder the fucking poor every day it seems. lonestarnot Apr 2014 #67

Notice that we're seeing more of this open criticism of the US lately? elzenmahn Apr 2014 #69

I see the Salvation Army and other shelters improving mackerel Apr 2014 #70

K&R Solly Mack Apr 2014 #72

199th rec. woo me with science Apr 2014 #83