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rrneck

(17,671 posts)
47. I rail about the 1% as much as anybody and they deserve it.
Thu Jun 20, 2013, 04:59 PM
Jun 2013

If they're smart they'll get their shit together before people start dragging them out of their houses and stringing them up. But the reality is that you don't go from average middle class to CEO millionaire all in one leap. There is a strata of people who make a good living, better than most, who will find that if we actually decide to help the poor in this country it will cost them. That strata is shrinking because wealth is accelerating upward all the time, but nevertheless the urban centers on the east and west coast have a lot of people who will have to lose money to make the country better.

The same holds true for the states that give more to the federal government than they get. The irony that southerners distrust the government while their states get more federal money than they give is old hat around here. That disparity is as it should be. Wealth is being concentrated in blue states at the expense of the red states. Economic parity means that the blue states will have to give up a boatload of money. One of the earliest political observations I remember from my dad was when he said, "The roads around the county road supervisor's house always get fixed first." Culture, education, and infrastructure follow money. And the money is concentrated in the north.

The best thing about what you do is that you are personally doing it. Real people see another real person helping them. Too many of us think our civic responsibilities don't extend beyond clicking a MoveOn link. It means more than just feeding people. I had an English professor in college that was from Oregon. He was a tree hugging hippie and a bit of a novelty in the south. In the early days of recycling they had those cardboard boxes with three holes for soda cans all over the place. After class as we walked along, he would pick up cans and put them in the box. He wouldn't say anything and he didn't do it to shame anyone. It's just something he did. And the magic is that you found yourself doing it too. That's where real social change happens.

When I look at a map like this, I see a map of where the money is.

With rankings by state, congressional district and racial/ethnic group, the index provides a snapshot of where different groups stand today and sets a benchmark for evaluating progress over time. The study shows that there are enormous disparities across America in the distribution of health, education, and income.

The map below shows overall rankings by state. Use this interactive map to create custom maps by state, district, metro area, and by race within each state including earnings, educational achievement, life expectancy and many more.


http://www.pbs.org/now/fixing-the-future/well-being.html


I'm not trying to give you a hard time, and I appreciate the work you do in the community. But most of those really dark spots on that map would not be there if liberal ideology were actually put into practice in this country. And those spots are in notably blue states. Carpetbaggers haven't gone away. They just have different luggage.

This one ran a bit long. Hope it wasn't too laborious.
People are people. nt ZombieHorde Jun 2013 #1
In 2016 the vast majority of the country will vote for Hillary and will turn blue graham4anything Jun 2013 #2
Stop it. Just stop it! They will not vote for Hilary or any other democrat in the deep south. madinmaryland Jun 2013 #42
the generation is over.Women in record numbers will indeed vote for Hillary in the south. graham4anything Jun 2013 #43
I am a woman. Blue_In_AK Jun 2013 #48
See, you will vote for her in a race vs. Jeb Bush(and I hope the same against anyone repub.) graham4anything Jun 2013 #53
But hopefully it will not be that choice. Blue_In_AK Jun 2013 #68
I live in Oklahoma Floyd_Gondolli Jun 2013 #50
It took a generation just to get to the point LBJ was talking about. We still have another madinmaryland Jun 2013 #57
If Dr. King and LBJ were as pessimistic, we would still be living in 1859 graham4anything Jun 2013 #59
What the hell are you talking about. Wasn't it Abraham Lincoln that moved us into the post-1859 madinmaryland Jun 2013 #61
500 plus electoral vote with 125 million popular votes you mean. graham4anything Jun 2013 #62
You again provide an evenings worth of amusement... madinmaryland Jun 2013 #67
I think many will vote for Hillary. My daughter-in-laws family are dems but they hate southernyankeebelle Jun 2013 #79
Why is that, rrneck? rdharma Jun 2013 #3
Who is "they"? nt rrneck Jun 2013 #4
The red spots on your map. rdharma Jun 2013 #6
Concentrations of poverty. There's a link to the CDC. nt rrneck Jun 2013 #7
I know! nt rdharma Jun 2013 #9
A fine example of what I'm talking about. rrneck Jun 2013 #8
Huh? rdharma Jun 2013 #10
Unfortunately, you're not. nt rrneck Jun 2013 #12
Right To Work WovenGems Jun 2013 #26
This!!!!! get the red out Jun 2013 #28
Exactly! rdharma Jun 2013 #46
Recommended. (nt) NYC_SKP Jun 2013 #5
One thing about FDR; in spite of his wealth he could empathize. Uncle Joe Jun 2013 #11
Just.... WOW alittlelark Jun 2013 #13
"get to work solving problems", OK I'll get right on that, LOL Corruption Inc Jun 2013 #14
+1,000!!! The poor are more likely to fall for the TV brainwashing which displaces their anger, Dustlawyer Jun 2013 #15
the democratic party has abandoned poor people, and I wouldn't exactly call this a liberal website. liberal_at_heart Jun 2013 #16
You got that right. Dawgs Jun 2013 #20
+1 nt rrneck Jun 2013 #25
Amen to both points. n/t QC Jun 2013 #30
Clinton and the Third Way threw the poor under the bus, LuvNewcastle Jun 2013 #33
That's how the GOP likes it BainsBane Jun 2013 #17
Blaming the GOP rrneck Jun 2013 #23
So what are WE doing that causes poverty in the South? ieoeja Jun 2013 #52
I don't have one. rrneck Jun 2013 #55
I love Southerners MannyGoldstein Jun 2013 #18
We can't right now. LuvNewcastle Jun 2013 #34
watch us get rid of Republican rule in VA carolinayellowdog Jun 2013 #49
They do not want our help. geek tragedy Jun 2013 #19
Thanks for lumping all of us together. Dawgs Jun 2013 #21
And mostly Democratic Senators, with the Republicans they do elect geek tragedy Jun 2013 #22
A fine libertarian attitude that. nt rrneck Jun 2013 #24
Sorry, but the Democratic Senators excuse is lame and you know it. Dawgs Jun 2013 #31
Nope JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #39
yeah, like poor people are voting Texasgal Jun 2013 #66
I can't demand people vote a certain way JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #27
We're all in the same boat. rrneck Jun 2013 #29
But who started the culture war JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #32
You're doing good work and goodonya for it. rrneck Jun 2013 #37
I don't think this is condescending JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #38
Heh. I was raised Southern Baptist. rrneck Jun 2013 #40
I was raised Southern Baptist too! JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #41
I rail about the 1% as much as anybody and they deserve it. rrneck Jun 2013 #47
It isn't because those states are hording all the money. ieoeja Jun 2013 #54
They obviously aren't doing enough. rrneck Jun 2013 #56
It doesn't tell the whole story JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #65
I agree. rrneck Jun 2013 #69
I have a question JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #35
For some of us who were around in the 60s it feels like we have to do it all over again. Or maybe it jwirr Jun 2013 #36
Where conservatives live and actively oppress "the other", poverty reigns supreme SoCalDem Jun 2013 #44
And here I thought we were "one nation ..." Bake Jun 2013 #45
"...probably hailed from a blue state." Tuesday Afternoon Jun 2013 #51
Thank you! Lunacee_2013 Jun 2013 #58
Sounds like your grandma would be pretty cool to hang out with. nt rrneck Jun 2013 #60
Please remember Ronnie Ray Gun DonCoquixote Jun 2013 #63
Very true. Population density figures large in the dynamic. nt rrneck Jun 2013 #64
Virginia is weird on this map: most people rich, most places poor carolinayellowdog Jun 2013 #70
THat map can be overlaid on a number of others MNBrewer Jun 2013 #71
....chewing tobacco.... Spitfire of ATJ Jun 2013 #72
I grew up in rural Georgia MNBrewer Jun 2013 #74
A friend of mine had a brother visit from Pascagoula Mississippi,... Spitfire of ATJ Jun 2013 #78
How in the world can the counties in SD that comprise Pine Ridge not be deep red? KamaAina Jun 2013 #73
very poor, but very few people, so concentration is low? MNBrewer Jun 2013 #75
But the portion of the Navajo reservation in northeast AZ is dark red KamaAina Jun 2013 #76
WIthout a doubt Pine Ridge is known for poverty. MNBrewer Jun 2013 #77
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