and what if i told you i was black? would my opinion therefore be more valid?

you cant deny a simple observation of my own community. do you live here? no. don't be so naive.

you tell me this than, since you seem to be so in touch with people. you honestly think you could go into a lower class housing district in a major city, and receive a majority legitimate opinions on the current state of America and the views of the candidates? you honestly think you could spend a day in the projects and not see an addict or a deal? you think you could spend a night there without being judged by the color of YOUR skin? you think they don't have "racist" opinions of "rich white folk"?

oh that's right, you don't have an opinion. because you're too afraid to offend someone. youre just dead.

segregation is wrong. i would only be racist if i believed that we should drink from different water fountains, or if i wouldn't hire someone simply because they are black.

it's occurring to me that some of you don't get out from behind your computer too much.

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You can spend a day in any part of any city in the country and have a good chance to see an addict. You just won't know it.

what planet are you from? you've obviously never hung around an inner city. you can spot an addict from a mile away. and there is quite a difference between a meth addict and a housewife addicted to valium, so don't try to play that "addicts are everywhere" bullshit.

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that doesn't make your opinion "illegitimate". Neither does a lack of education. What matters is whether you care. And poor people care.

i'd love to visit this planet of yours.. where people who shoot eachother for drugs "care"? aww thats sweet.

now go watch barney and keep pretending you know how the lower class lives, mmk?

Quote:Original post by Way Walker

Quote:Original post by LessBread

Quote:Original post by trzy

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That conservatives have taken up the message of "you're on your own" marks their departure from traditional American values. Have you forgotten about barn raisings? It seems that you have.

A barn raising is an example of a closely-knit community coming together, without the help of unseen people and governments, and providing a fellow member of the community with something that they will need to earn a living. This is quite different than subsidizing ever-increasing parts of a person's life and interfering with their ability to invest, as with the European system.

The principle is the same only scaled for larger populations and vastly different economies.

What an interesting thought. Why isn't the government seen as an organic part of the community? Why isn't it seen as something of, by, and for the people? Why is there such an us vs. them situation when thinking of the government?

Because that's the very nature of government. Government is about providing public order and security. To accomplish this, it must hold a monopoly on the legitimate use of force and represents interests other than your own. Although you can be a part of the government, and the government is theoretically there to serve you, it also has a disproportionate amount of power over you and if history is anything to go by, power (especially in the hands of people who disagree with you) is a dangerous thing. Hence the sometimes adversarial relationship between government in America and its people.

In other words: the government isn't a social club or a friend because if it wants, it has the authority to strip you of your possessions, your freedom, and even your life. You can't opt out.

Government must be accepted for it to function but it must also be subjected to continuous scrutiny. I don't think there's much hope in modern times, when populations are so large and diverse, and when interests transcend national boundaries, for the vision you're conjuring up in my mind.

Be careful what you wish for when you wish for a government that is more integrated in our daily life. How is it that the same people who decry nationalism, the Iraq War, and government espionage can call for expanded government? It boggles the mind.

Quote:Original post by Samith
So pull your head out of your ass and stop conflating poverty and drugs with race and class.

Growing up without a father probably has more to do with that, and according to the US Census Bureau, 2 out of every 3 black children live in father-absent homes, compared to 1 out of every 3 white and/or hispanic children.

Quote:Original post by Chris Reynolds
what planet are you from? you've obviously never hung around an inner city. you can spot an addict from a mile away. and there is quite a difference between a meth addict and a housewife addicted to valium, so don't try to play that "addicts are everywhere" bullshit.

Yeah, I can spot dozens on junkies in the city, however, there's also shitloads of invisible junkies that you don't notice coz they're wearing suits.
There's a successful barrister in my family who's Heroin addiction between him and his partner has gone as high as $2k per week at some points. We don't have much to do with them because we know what they're like, but seeing how successful they are I'm guessing their colleagues are clueless. Also, within my office I know a couple of cocaine users (one of which is an executive) and a couple of amphetamine users.

The only difference between these people and a homeless meth addict is that these people can currently afford their addiction whereas the homeless guy can't.
Addiction is an illness not a crime, but if you don't treat it then it sure can cause crime.

Addicts are everywhere, deal with it.

Quote:Original post by Silvermyst
Growing up without a father probably has more to do with that, and according to the US Census Bureau, 2 out of every 3 black children live in father-absent homes, compared to 1 out of every 3 white and/or hispanic children.

So you're saying that growing up without a father causes children to become drug addicts, criminals, etc?

Quote:Original post by Terlenth

Quote:Original post by Silvermyst
Growing up without a father probably has more to do with that, and according to the US Census Bureau, 2 out of every 3 black children live in father-absent homes, compared to 1 out of every 3 white and/or hispanic children.

So you're saying that growing up without a father causes children to become drug addicts, criminals, etc?

No, they just have a dramatically higher chance of becoming these things. Appealing to anecdotal evidence or emotions is no good if we want to learn anything about society.

Quote:Original post by Terlenth
So you're saying that growing up without a father causes children to become drug addicts, criminals, etc?

From the link:
-Children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor.
-Teens in single mother households are at a 30% higher risk [of drug use] than those in two-parent households.
-Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school. -A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father.

Effect, not cause.