Trying to Balance 2 - Financial aid under "American Rescue Plan Act" programs

[MightyGiants]

I haven't forgotten you Mighty. I've come up with a couple things I agree with on liberals and disagree with on conservatives. It's been a hellish week and weekend for me. My very old mother fell and broke her hip a couple weeks ago and was sent home from rehab about 5 weeks earlier than she should have. While she was in the hospital and then rehab, I became primary care taker of my 94 yr old father who needs all kinds of help. When my mother was sent home unexpectedly, I now have two very needy people that I have to care for...and it isn't always pretty!

Then Thursday night my daughter called with a family emergency. So I went and picked up two of my grandsons and took them to dinner before bringing them home with me to watch the draft for which they complained because they wanted to watch something else. I bribed them with ice cream and snacks so I could follow the draft. Then I continually fielded calls all night from my daughter with updates. I finally decided to put the kids to bed about 10:30 only to get a call from my daughter saying she was coming home and wanted to pick up the kids so they wouldn't miss school in the morning. I got to sleep about 1:30.

Then Yesterday, my son (who recently moved from Wisconsin to New York) called and needed help desperately - he had three truck loads of stuff to move and his best friend and helper had to be away for the weekend as he's in the reserves. So I helped him move all day and my body absolutely is paying the price.

And of course, I've been up to my eyeballs in the draft since Thursday.

Anyway, I have not forgotten my promise to get back to you. Unfortunately, I have to make a run for my mother to refill prescriptions and pick up some stuff she feels is vital...so I'm off to the city. But I will be back and I will give you an answer

sorry to hear about your struggles

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Okay, here's my best shot.

Things I agree with that are policies (past and present) of the Democrat party:

1) I am a proponent of food stamps. I believe it is a good cause. Feeds the poor while keeping small farmers from going under and having to fill job voids for which they are typically unqualified. Keep the mom and pop farms going.

2) I loved the policy of Jimmy Carter that has since fallen by the wayside. Carter called for America to switch to the metric system and to do so in phases. It got off to a good start, but then he fell out of favor with the country and no subsequent President bothered to keep it going. There are only three countries in the world that still use the Imperial System of Measurement: the U.S., Liberia and Myanmar (great company we keep with those high tech wonders). The metric system is far, far superior to the imperial system. Everything in the metric system is done using base 10 measures. It's incredibly simple and it's probably one of the biggest reasons other countries beat the pants off the U.S. in math. Instead, the U.S. uses things like "foot" which was some geniuses foot size in the 1500's broken into 12 pieces (probably some guys toe length) using the base 12 mathematics system and then breaking the "inch" into another base 16 system so we have things like 1/64th of an inch. A "rod" was the length of a branch some guy had back in the 1600's. A "mile" was a measurement used by the Romans in 1500 based on the revolution of a wooden wheel on a cart (of course, all wheels were not the same size). I could go on and on...a "gallon" based on ten lbs of water in some shopkeeper's pail...and of course, a "pound" weight originated in Troyes, France as the weight of gold held in a container in a goldsmith's shop, etc., etc. In short, we should have gone to the metric system years ago and Carter had the insight to see just how antiquated the U.S. system is compared to the world - and it holds us back. Now we use both measurements for things we measure mixing imperial with metric and most kids are utterly clueless how to use metric

3) I agree with FDR's social security policy. If not for the implementation of that, millions of elderly people who can no longer work would starve to death or eat cat food or lose their homes, etc. It was a good intention at the time and still is. However, the politicians who believe we should give all the benefits of the social security system to non-residents of this country is insane. It's like begging poor people from other countries to invade the U.S. for those benefits and the way the system is financed, it's going broke as it is. Of course, it didn't help when LBJ in 1968 made a change in the budget process by including Social Security and all other trust funds into a"unified budget." That allowed fiscally reckless politicians to raid the SS funds - which they did, over and over again until it has become just another boondoggle. As much as I despise Al Gore, he was absolutely right that SS funds belonged back in a "lock box", the funds out of the reach of politicians.

4) Speaking of FDR, he was spot on when he systematically opposed any government job to be unionized. He had it right! There is NO competition in government jobs. Regular civilian jobs were contested between worker and owner/management. Both sides had to compromise in order to remain competitive in their market and keep the business alive. Government workers can demand all they want and politicians simply give everything they want to them and consequently, raise taxes on everyone else to pay for it. There is no incentive for politicians to deny government workers outrageous demands. FDR called it "foolishness on its face, and no man with common sense would suggest it". He was right.

Things I disagree with that are policies (past and present) of the Republican party:

1) For years the GOP has been guilty of "crony capitalism", i.e., funding companies that fund their political elections. It's gotten a little better in the past 20 years or so and politicians like Marco Rubio have led the charge in getting the GOP to back off their old strategy. Kudos to him. However, even though the Democrats cried "foul" for years and years, they have taken up the mantel and exploit it themselves even stronger than what the GOP used to do and now have Big Tech, Big Media, Hollywood elitists, and the Billionaires Club in their pockets to join in with their own version of crony capitalism. It all sucks!

2) I disagree with every Republican since Ronald Reagan who promised to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. In fairness, every single President since Reagan, democrat and republican, made that same campaign promise crystal clear. Trump was the only President in the past 40 years to actually do it for which I say, "Bravo - bout f...n time!"

3) Too many in the Republican party spend like a drunken sailor (I used to say, "drunken democrat", but I'll spare you - LOL). Most republicans are not fiscally conservative other than in words only. They all wave their arm in the air out of a near sleep and in unison say "aye" for their yearly raises and cushy benefit packages including "free lifetime medical insurance" (the Golden Cadillac kinds) and give themselves raises for staff, expenditures, etc., regardless if the country is going through an economic downturn and millions of regular people are hurting across the nation and there is little to no inflation to take into account.

Oh well, that's all I got.

[Bob In PA]

I'm bumping this thread up, hopefully so we can hear from others concerning the subject matter.

I'm trying to raise for discussion this issue... Should ANY law EVER apply only to a group of people defined by "race."

I'm also trying to indirectly pose this question... what is "race" anyway?  To my knowledge and belief, there is only one race of sentient beings on this planet.

Bob

[FL GMAN]

Aid should go to those most in need, race and color should not apply. That's my H.O.

[Bob In PA]

I can think of one possible situation where a law might be legit although it applies to a limited group of people defined with reference to race: a law dealing with a disease that appears only in those of certain races. Bob