Robert Reich: THE THREE BIGGEST RIGHT-WING LIES ABOUT POVERTY:

[kpete]

(1) Economic growth cures poverty. “The federal government,” Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee chairman, wrote recently in The Wall Street Journal, “needs to remember that the best anti-poverty program is economic growth.” Baloney. Since the late 1970s, the economy has grown 147 percent per capita but nothing has trickled down. The poverty rate remains around 15 percent. That's higher than it was in the early 1970s.

(2) Jobs cure poverty. More baloney. A higher percentage of the poor now work than has been the case in thirty years, and a smaller share of their income now comes from government programs. But they’re still poor. The only thing that’s different is the number of “working poor” – a term that should be an oxymoron – has exploded.

(3) Ambition cures poverty. Still more baloney. The poor aren't poor because they lack ambition; what they lack is opportunity. America is the only rich nation that spends less on educating kids in poor communities than in middle-class and wealthy ones.


Don't buy the right-wing lies about poverty. Know the
truth, and share it.

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich?fref=nf

[BootinUp]

1. Those are all excellent. nt

[Wounded Bear]

2. RR nails it again...nt

[Laelth]

3. k&r for the truth. n/t

-Laelth

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

4. Another myth I regularly come across from right-wingers

Is that the poor are poor because they make bad choices. As if someone chooses to belong to a single-parent family, or chooses to have lousy schools.

It's like the idiotic claim that people without health insurance choose to do without it.

[laundry_queen]

9. So true.

I agree 100%, it's such BS that it's all about 'choice'.

[toby jo]

5. Great stuff, kpete, thanks ~

This country needs more televised debates where these kind off truths can be aired.

I'd love to see Reich put himself out there to debate ANY right-wing economist on these issues. "The Economic Debates", every quarter or 6 months or so. Would serve to educate the populace. The sound bite crap on tv just doesn't cut it.

[riderinthestorm]

6. Robert Reich is always great. K&R nt

[jwirr]

7. And underlining these lies is the idea that we all start out equal. Many are disabled at birth or

live in poor communities.

[merrily]

11. Or, conversely, have advantages at birth.

You know, the ones we say were born on third base and think they hit a triple.

Imagine Dimson born to a poor immigrant family that speak English or have any money. Would he have ever even owned a ball club, let alone been President of the US for two terms?

[smallcat88]

8. The right

has been pushing the same economic lies for decades now. All the evidence says they are wrong but those who want to believe them continue to repeat the same bullshit As with so many things it's not about the evidence; it's about ideology. Even many of the working poor continue to support the Republicans because of some wistful vision of the past when things were 'better'. How do you get through to people who vote against their own economic interests?

[PatrynXX]

10. okay from the point of view

of someone who has right wing Christians (so called) friends (ahem friends as in without them I would be much worse off, but I disagree with their politics) if you want to make a dent in their belief system you need to do only one thing and actually get them to believe it. That more people, humans kids babies die under Republicans than under Democrats. This is the Abortion crap. From their side they pick what they think is the lesser of two evils. That more unborn babies are killed than outside the womb. Which after figuring this BS out I think they are riding on ignorance here. Republicans start wars. Can't say how many millions are killed. They support countries that do forced abortions (China). They support countries who kill women (millions ? I don't have numbers) I'm not a stats guy I just have a theory. On the off side of course is stuff that slides off them. People killed by guns and anything under the death penalty. won't win that way. Either way gotta prove say how many millions of homeless are dead because of Republicans trickle down horseshit. It's a dirty piece of shit but some has to do it

[hughee99]

12. So what cures poverty? n/t

[merrily]

15. A plentitude of decent-paying jobs helps a lot.

You know, the kind of salary and benefits where you don't have to apply for food stamps or Medicaid?

So does assistance for those who are unable to work.

So does on the job training for people who can work but need skills.

Unlike vast wealth, most of the money from the sources described above goes right back into the general economy.

Those things truly lift all boats, not making very rich people even richer.

It's really not as mysterious or impossible as some like us to believe.

[hughee99]

19. It sounds like we won't see those things without an improved economy and jobs, though.

Yes, the economy can improve and jobs can be created without doing anything to benefit the poor, but I'm not sure you can fix these issues without an improved economy and more jobs, either.

Large numbers of good paying jobs don't tend to materialize in bad economic times.

[merrily]

22. You are missing the point. Those things are what will improve the economy.

Large numbers of good paying jobs don't tend to materialize in bad economic times.

Not magically, no. Hence, during the last depression, FDR created them. Too bad the right gave him cold feet.

[noiretextatique]

23. the desire to cure it would help

Instead, we declared another endless "war" and created an entire beauracracy that needs to justify its existence. We know how to do it...we lack the will and desire to do it.

[daleanime]

16. Uh....

money?

[hughee99]

18. Does it?

If you had someone poor a huge wad of cash, have you "cured" poverty?

[daleanime]

20. I prefer smaller injections.....

over a longer time.



Can't over estimate the ability to get food and shelter.

[noiretextatique]

24. yes...and teach them to fish

Poverty results from a lack of resources. But have no problem devoting resources to the pentagon and corporate interests. Help actual people?! That is "throwing money" at the problem. Stunning hypocrisy.

[jmowreader]

27. More important is a place to fish.

Say the state of Arizona sees a crabbery as the key to economic salvation. They teach people to fish for them, clean them, can them and serve them in restaurants. Five years later they have no crabbery for the most obvious reason: the only crabs in Arizona were caught in Alaska.

The community college in my town offers seven programs that have absolutely no applicability here. One is Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. If you even want to think of a job in that, the closest place is Seattle.

Teach them to fish...but have a place for them to do it.

[left is right]

28. Bravo

your post title and closing sentence together are the single best answer I have ever heard about curing poverty

[noiretextatique]

29. yes...I agree

Thanks for adding that important point.

[Tsiyu]

30. Ah and here is another fallacy

"Poor people don't know how to spend money."

Because middle class people didn't get themselves in a hole with easy credit and second mortgages.

No sireeee...it's those stupid poor people who can't stretch a dollar"

Poor people can stretch a dollar so far you can see through it. They have to. So you can stick that fallacy where the sun don't shine.


Here's some other breaking news for you: some charities in Africa have been doing just that - giving cash to poor people, and guess what? They spend it on their kids' education, on new roofs, on new businesses.

AMAZING!

Calvinist much?

[hughee99]

32. That's on you, not me.

I said nothing of the sort. I appreciate the condescending morality lesson, though, and feel free to remove your head from the same place I can "stick that fallacy" I never made but you accused me of.

If you accept the idea that the system is screwing the poor people, then why would the same system not immediately seek to screw those people out of any new money? If the system is stacked against them, you're not going to "cure" poverty without fixing the system.

[Tsiyu]

33. lol

So until we fix the system, we just let poverty continue unabated?

What exactly are you saying?

[hughee99]

36. Reich just listed three things that don't cure poverty, so I was asking what did cure it

and got the reply "money".

If you want to CURE the system, I don't see how you can do it with money alone. You can treat the symptoms, but you can't fix the problem any more than you can fix a boat with a hole in the bottom by just bailing out the water.

[Tsiyu]

37. I view it like circulation

Last edited Sat Jun 7, 2014, 06:49 AM - Edit history (1)

If you let all the blood perfuse only the big toe, the brain, heart and extremities are gonna die.

Right now the "big toe" is gorged with $$$$$$$$$$$$$

We need to remove the tourniquet from the toe and let the money flow through the rest of the body.

That doesn't involve a significant restructuring of the system, which cannot happen without devastation to the masses. TPTB will never agree to fix what isn't broke to them without violent pressure exerted on them from the people.

And you can just forget in the US having Congress do anything that might drain any blood from the toe.

Money is the answer...unless we want bloody revolution

[merrily]

13. Poor? What poor?

Haven't we been phasing out mention of poverty these days? Even near reverent mention of job creators has been toned down too, since Occupy Wall Street.

No one seems able to define or quantify "middle class" but most of us seem to think we belong to it, anyway. So, politicians are all about the middle class.

[daleanime]

14. K&R....

[fishwax]

17. k/r

[hakko936]

21. So how do you "cure" poverty?

1) Economic growth itself does not cure poverty, but a growing economy can provide opportunity for those living in poverty in the way of decent paying jobs. This still isn't a cure, but it helps.

2) A job doesn't cure poverty. There are people out there making good money and yet are still living day by day because of poor decisions made in the past or currently. Again, a job won't cure poverty, but it helps.

3) Ambition won't cure poverty, but applied ambition combined with opportunity can certainly set the path for getting oneself out of poverty.

4) Education falls into the category of applied ambition, but still won't cure poverty without opportunity also being present.

The bottom line to curing poverty requires opportunity created by a growing economy that is creating good paying jobs for those who apply their ambition and get an education (and that doesn't always mean college). Curing poverty is a very complicated issue that has a multitude of factors influencing the outcome.

One thing that will not cure poverty is simply providing people with money. It will take more than money to cure poverty.

[noiretextatique]

25. how do you know that?

A guaranteed income most definitely reduces poverty numbers. SS keeps many seniors out of poverty. So, yes...it seems money does help people who do not have money. Why is that so hard to accept when it comes to poor people? We can understand how fueling wars enriches private security companies and defense contractors. We understand that unregulating Wall Street enriched a bunch of "too big too fail" entities, and we also had to bail them out. Why is money only a problem when it actually benefits poor people?

[Tsiyu]

34. It's the most phenomenally stupid economic philosophy

to posit that we pour money and throw subsidies at billionaires to "create jobs," but the "little people" wouldn't have a clue what to do with even a smidge of these resources.

Except we've done just that: Let the affluent absolutely gorge on $$$$$$$$ while taking away even the idea of a living wage from the working class and disabled.

And the wealthy are hoarding their wealth, not helping the economy one iota.

The working class are unable to sustain the consumer driven economy, though many would love to fix up their houses, take vacations, buy new vehicles, pay off student loans, maybe return to school, purchase new clothes - all of these beneficial to the economy at large - but we don't want to let them have any cash.

Stunning that anyone tries to sell this scheme as solid.

Just stunning.

[indepat]

26. Reich-wing lies drive public policy to the holistic detriment of society, all aided and abetted

by the reich-wing fourth estate.

[Uncle Joe]

31. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[alp227]

35. K&R for Dr Reich & a permalink to this status,

https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/posts/806733906005874

[Enthusiast]

38. These lies about poverty are just part of a massive propaganda effort by the .01%.

You can hear this propaganda every day on Fox "News", Limbaugh and the rest.

I have heard Limbaugh and O'Reilly go on and on about how poor people in this country have it too good. We hear, "Poor people are living high on the hog with all these handouts, why would they want to work."

This false meme is supposed to be proof that taxing the wealthy and investing in programs that help the poor is a waste of time and money.