Good article

[velvetpage]

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/43778/

Excerpt: "I wrote this book because I love this country, and I think America is a gift. Its greatest gift is this: people have come here from all over the world, and all they expected to do was work hard. And what they hoped was that their work would be rewarded. What they dreamed about was that their kids were going to do better than they were. That was the American Dream. And despite a civil war, two world wars, recessions, depressions, the American Dream has survived. Until now."

Comments

[merlyn4401.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, we aren't ignoring their problems. There are oh my god number of government programs in place to help families. Head Start, free breakfasts and lunches at school, free clinics exist in every medium to large city to help with vaccinations and basic medical care. The resources are THERE. Now, whether people know they exist or know to use them, or even want to use them, is another question altogether.

And how much do drugs, alcohol, crime, etc factor into the inability to get going? Drugs are rampant among the poor. What about not using birth control? And having babies right and left? Having 6 babies by 6 different men is not helpful either. The existence of poverty and the continuation of poverty go well beyond the availability and effeciency of government programs. I would suspect a lot of it has to do with people not having the capability to see the consequences of the decisions they make.

" It's unconscionable that CEOs are making hundreds of times more than their lowest-paid workers" No, it's not. Those CEOs provide thousands of jobs, and make our economy go. Not only do they provide thousands of jobs in their own companies, but they provide thousands more jobs in other businesses that they use. Walmart, for example, keeps who knows how many advertisers, truckers, paper supply companies, construction workers, environmentalists, etc in business. Capitalism is not about leveling the playing field - that's socialism. Capitalism is about people helping themselves, and using good work ethic, ingenuity, responsibility, and determination to get ahead.