Me? Nothing to add. Ya’ll got it covered, bummer

If we do not know what we have, we are poor. I am wealthy I just do not have a lot of money. Would taking something that belonged to someone else make me wealthy. not at all. We cannot be wealthy without counting our blessings. If we do not know how much we have we will always be concerned with those who have more.

All of my children are alive. (4 daughters) wealth indeed.

Because it isn’t a marriage?

>>Civil marriage is a government institution that we all must enter in to receive government recognized marital benefits. This include medical,physical, and financial benefits>>

Doesn’t it seem unfair that somebody has to find somebody else in order to qualify for these benefits? Maybe the benefits should be available to _everybody_. Why should the government discriminate against single people?

LaShawn, that’s not really conservative, but libertarian. It just coincides with True Conservative principles somewhat (as opposed to Modern Conservatives, who think that anywhere right of the Democrats is conservative enough).

how can one always make the right choices to prevent poverty?

Poverty can happen to anyone.

You can choose avenues and execute on them to get out of poverty. But you never know when you could be poverty-stricken. You could be wealthy one day and dead broke the next.

And I’m only talking about here in America where the opportunity to get out of poverty abounds.

Ouch!

It is easy for someone who has their own unique situation to tell someone else, who has their own unique situation, that if they work hard enough they can live the American Dream. In order for there to be rich people and middle class people, there are going to be poor people, and people that live in downright poverty. We live in a capitalist country. There are people who work hard and still can’t afford the decent basic necessities of life in a civilized society. Yes, a homeless person can go to a shelter, but homeless shelters may have pretty tiles on the floor and 10 dollar paintings on the walls but they are riddled with criminals, mentally insane individuals, drug addicts, sexual predators, and thieves. And many people are scared to be boxed in with those type of people. Think of the SuperDome after Katrina.

Blanket statements seem insensitive and a little bit naive to me.

As for the government and rights, lets look at gay marriage. Being gay is not a crime nor is it a hostile threat to the physical safety of Americans, yet folks are rallying for the government and have voted for a president who they think will block the ability for gay people to get civil marriages on the basis of Morality. Civil marriage has nothing to do with the marriage bond as deemed by God. Civil marriage is a government institution that we all must enter in to receive government recognized marital benefits. This include medical,physical, and financial benefits. So why deny these people a government marriage? None of which has to do with God or Christianity. In my eyes, people want the government to reflect their religious morality and Christians want to uphold the moral code of Christianity, here. However, as a Christian, I believe that should also apply to taking care of the sick, poor, unsheltered and disabled. To me, as a Christian, this is a right for everyone, and my government should reflect it as a right.

Sorry, but being taken care of is not a right biblically or otherwise. Christians are required to give privately, but Christians are not being unbiblical for not wanting to give through government. It is

I know you realize that if the fat cats had ALL the money, that would leave none for you and me.

Poverty of spirit is far worse than poverty of pocket.

The most pitiful soul is one with poverty of pocket who wastes valuable energy by feeding off a poverty of spirit.

Only you can prevent your own poverty. Nobody is holding a gun to anyone’s head and forcing him to make counter-productive choices.

This is from one who has been there and is never going back.

400 years of oppression? Think the universe is fair? The universe does not care about you or me. It was designed to be indifferent to us. Past injustice is past, deal with todays oppressions, one of which is the manufacture of rights as an election ploy. Done by individuals who are aware of the damage they are doing to Dame Liberty. Desire to cry a pox on both their houses, but as adults we sometimes need to learn to make a choice between unpleasant alternatives.

Am against abortion. Recognize I have no inherent right to tell others what to do. Believe Ros vs Wade was an improper decision. But when reading the constitution I gain the sense of a right to privacy. Do not believe it to be a “manufactured” right at all.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for such a penetrating idea of how to get so many to comment without rancor.

With a 10pm nightly curfew, no drinking alcohol in the barracks. Up at 7am — go to work. The Service Corps will always have some work: picking up garbage/ doing maintenance/ building houses…

A middle class American life is an achievable dream for those willing to work a bit for it — benefits have costs, and people enjoying benefits have responsibilities.