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		<title>gdp's Comments</title>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<link>https://www.intensedebate.com/users/371620</link>
		<description>Comments by LostnTexas</description>
<item>
<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18198062</link>
<description>Write your comment here... </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 5 Apr 2009 11:29:18 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18198062</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18028327</link>
<description>Yes and the BA and BS absolutely deserve more than the HS grad. To start. One of my sons recently earned his degree in computer programming. He started at $55,000. Most HS grads around here will start at $16,000. to $20,000.  Work is no different than anything else in life. In order to have people take part you have to make it worthwhile for them. If we want everyone to work we have to offer everyone at the very least a living. Offer less that that and why should anyone work. No matter how far we advance we will need the services provided by unskilled workers to support the lifestyle of the middle and upper class and we need to pay them a living. </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 17:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18028327</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027668</link>
<description>If its all that simple why has it not been fixed? </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:41:02 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027668</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027433</link>
<description>I agree on that point. The minimum is plenty for teens or young adults living at home. </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:34:32 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027433</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027366</link>
<description>No Darrin I can&amp;rsquo;t see where I&amp;rsquo;m arguing for a tax increase? Tell you what all I really want to do is find a way to get rid of welfare. Nothing else just get government out of the welfare business.   Are you trying to link me Obama?   Tell you what do you know what the  Earned Income Tax Credit is?    It was slipped into the tax code by Ford and Reagan years ago. check it out.  It does exactly the same thing that Obamas &amp;ldquo;spread the wealth&amp;rdquo; does. It redistributes money from the middle and upper income worker directly into the pockets of the low income worker regardless if the recipient paid any income tax or not. Ronald Reagan used the EITC for one reason and one reason only and that reason is to allow his big business buddy&amp;rsquo;s to keep wages low and get rich off of tax payer money.  Both parties are as corrupt as hell and they will both use welfare to their own advantage until the people wake up and say enough is enough.   Now read the principals and values that everyone here claims they support?  And you tell me how you would end welfare without raising wages.   You tell me how you would cut welfare payments to working people without an increase in wages? </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 16:32:19 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18027366</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18018752</link>
<description>If it&amp;rsquo;s all about &amp;ldquo;You&amp;rdquo; what are you doing here? I thought we were talking about America. If you give your employees $2. an hour more and it gets them off welfare America has gained. I ran a small business for 35 years if my employees didn&amp;rsquo;t want to work I showed them the door. Pay a man and treat him with respect and he&amp;rsquo;ll work his heart out for you. Maybe you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself why your people don&amp;rsquo;t seem to want to work.   </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 14:11:53 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18018752</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18018344</link>
<description>Wal-mart and Target is entry level? Sure they are, a check out clerk will be making about 8.00 an hour after 10 years on the job. You tell me, why should the single mom leave her job? She&amp;rsquo;s doing just fine with what she&amp;rsquo;s earning from wal-mart and welfare? And why should wal-mart give her a raise? They know she&amp;rsquo;ll show up everyday ready to work as long as the government helps them out with her wages.  I understand your frustrations with people inferior to you.  But yes people are guaranteed something. They are guaranteed the equal opportunity. If a person is willing to work full time, is qualified and able to hold a job he absolutely deserves to earn a living above poverty.  If the free market system can&amp;rsquo;t do that can&amp;rsquo;t provide for that then what good are they?    </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 14:03:14 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18018344</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009421</link>
<description>Only a damn fool wants to do a job that don&amp;#039;t pay a living. If you expect some one to take &amp;#039;em why don&amp;#039;t you lead the way. </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:07:43 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009421</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009313</link>
<description>I doubt that it will matter at all to you but here it is.  In 1968 the minimum wage was $3,200. By 2007 it had increased by a factor of 3.65 to $11,700.  In 1968 the poverty threshold was $1,748. By 2007 it had increased by a factor of 5.8 to $10,210.  In 1968 the average wage was $5,571. By 2007 it had increased by a factor  of 7.25 to$40,405.  As you can see the average wage increased at almost double the rate as the minimum wage. It is the increase in the average of all wages that effect inflation not just an increase in the minimum.  I don&amp;rsquo;t get it? If a mother of two works at wal-marts earning $8.00 an hour and it takes $10.00 an hour for her to make it without depending on welfare why on earth would anyone object to her getting a $2.00 an hour raise?  We both know that if wal-mart don&amp;rsquo;t pay her the extra  $2.00 an hour that welfare will. If wel-fare pays her it cost the tax payer about $6.00 an hour. How does that make any sense to you?   Welfare is a no win situation, the wal-mart mom has no incentive to find a better job. Her kids are less likely to do well in school and are 7 times more likely than the average kid to be on welfare we they grow up and start their family.   Where is the logic? </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:02:20 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009313</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009284</link>
<description>Hi plcarl,  Everyone has a story. I started out with a tenth grade education worked my way up. Started my own business, sent my four kids to collage, I did just fine. Now for my moms story. My dad came home from the war to her my brother and sister with a drinking problem. By the late 1940s he was not only a hopeless alcoholic he was beating her when he was drinking. She was left to raise 5 kids alone. Not easy working two jobs or going to school with five kids. She went to work checking peoples groceries at a supper market. We were poor but she was able to support herself and all five kids with no help from anyone. As a grocery checker she earned around 60% to 65% of what the average wage was back then. Someone in her situation today working the same job would be earning about 30% to 35% of what the average worker earns.    My mom worked hard and made it on her own. You and I did the same. I&amp;rsquo;d like everyone to have an opportunity to that. Fact is a single mom with 2 kids would need to work 64 hours a week just to reach the poverty threshold.  I know everyone doesn&amp;rsquo;t try as hard as I did or you did, but it is clearly in every ones best interest to lift them up rather than resent them for not being as self sufficient as we&amp;rsquo;d like.  You are just flat wrong to blame the price increases over the past forty years on low wage workers. They lost over 30% of their buying power and prices went up. it&amp;rsquo;s the total money in circulation that drives prices, don&amp;rsquo;t matter what income group is getting the raise. I never hear anyone bitch about a raise in pay unless it goes to the low income worker. I wish someone would explain the logic.  Yes some people are lazy, yes and some want nothing more than a handout but you can&amp;rsquo;t paint everyone with the same brush.  Everyone is going to receive enough to live on regardless of what you and I want. The people made that decision in 1965. I&amp;rsquo;d like people to be able to do it without the involvement of a corrupt welfare system.  The only way to do that is through better wages.    </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 2 Apr 2009 10:00:52 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment18009284</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : 3/29/09 - 4/1/09</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=840#IDComment17965013</link>
<description>My logic is the concept of equal justice under the law. If the killing of one human being is a crime, the killing of all human beings should be a crime.  Regardless of terminology or what stage of development you talk about the fact is that at the moment the human sperm and egg join together you have a human being under development.  Under the law how do you distinguish between the stages of development of a human being.  You could argue for a different law for the killing of a 10 year old as opposed to the killing of an eighty year old on the grounds that the 10 year old would have a longer life expectancy and therefore his life had more value that that of the eighty year old.   A nine year old human being under development  a nine month old  human being under development  or a nine minute old human being under development, they are all the same thing. Life begins when the process is set into motion.  To equate life with self awareness is another question. At what point does a human being become aware that he/she is alive? Your guess is as good as mine?   </description>
<pubDate>Wed, 1 Apr 2009 13:45:05 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=840#IDComment17965013</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17958165</link>
<description>Plenty of angry people with plenty of complaints, but very few reasonable, workable solutions to our problems. Everyone wants to cut spending but no one can agree where or how to cut.  I&amp;#039;ll suggest one area that must be corrected before we can even start to dig our way out of the hole we are now in.  Welfare is a big problem around 8.29 trillion had been spent by the year 2000 (in 2000 dollars) since the war on poverty begin in 1965. Even in full employment years welfare cost continues to increase. Why? Simple welfare pays better than work. Welfare benefits are determined by the poverty threshold and it moves up each year with the cost of living and wages are not.   When we talk about low wage earners we tend to blame them for working for so little, we say well they can get some kind of training and make more money. Well that&amp;rsquo;s true but that doesn&amp;rsquo;t solve the welfare problem because if one moves to a better job, someone else takes the job he left behind. If we retrained every low wage earner in America who would do all the unskilled labor jobs? Import more illegal&amp;rsquo;s?  Next argument is inflation, if the low wage earner make more money I will pay more at wal marts. Yes but all wages affect your cost of goods at wal mart. No ones cries when the CEO gets his raise or the computer programmer gets his.  This in real terms is what has happened with wages from 1968 to 2007.  In 1968 a low wage earner could work for I hour and buy himself 3 big mac hamburgers.  By 2007 he could work for one hour and by only 2, a loss of around 33% in earning power.  In 1968 the average wage earner could work for one hour and buy himself 5 big mac hamburgers. By 2007 he could work for one hour  and buy himself 7, a gain of around 40% in earning power.  Over the same time span welfare spending increased by more than 10 fold. The Cato Institute estimates that only 30 cents of every welfare dollar reaches the recipient in need of assistance, the other 70 cents is used to feed the growing welfare system.  This is bad economics, bad government policy, and a big contributing factor to the economic mess we are in today.  This country can not survive long term unless we find a way to get all wages above the poverty threshold. 20% of all American families are now on welfare assistance and the numbers continue to rise. We have to make work pay. The only other option is full fledged socialism.     </description>
<pubDate>Wed, 1 Apr 2009 11:39:45 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17958165</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17800515</link>
<description>Sorry AuntieJ,  Reagan is no hero of mine. He got the ball rolling by declaring war on wages with the air traffic controllers. He thought he could control inflation by lowering wages. Inflation was not his problem, it was for the federal reserve to fight by reducing the money supply. Never trust a politician to manage the economy they will screw it up 100% of the time.  Check out the Ford-Reagan (earned income tax credit) and tell me how it doesn&amp;rsquo;t do the exact same thing Osama&amp;rsquo;s &amp;ldquo;spread the wealth&amp;rdquo; tax refund does. Same game different name.   I don&amp;#039;t doubt that Reagan meant well but he sure slanted the truth. Government was big but  manageable before Reagan and &amp;quot;trickle down&amp;quot; came along, look at it now.  Check out my thread at politico.com   Is Glen Beck for real?   &lt;a href=&quot;http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm?catid=2&amp;amp;subcatid=9&amp;amp;threadid=2236598&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm...&lt;/a&gt;  </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:19:41 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17800515</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17795545</link>
<description>The truth is the conservative caused this problem, they abandoned their ethics and values out of self interest or some would say personal greed.  Fact is that the real earnings of low income workers fell by more than 30% within the past 40 years. Up to 20% of the American workforce is now on welfare assistance. This is an age old recipe for class warfare and that&amp;rsquo;s where we are right now in America. All of this has happened with the conservative politicians blessing.  We need an American solution and that&amp;rsquo;s what everyone should be concerned with. We need to revive the American work ethic, and pay a man his living at the job rather than let welfare take care of him. </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:36:55 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17795545</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17794462</link>
<description>Consider the facts;  In the 40 year time span 1968 - 2008 real earnings of the low income worker has fallen by more than 30%.   Cato Institute estimates that only 30 cents of every welfare dollar reaches the recipient in need of assistance the other 70 cents is used to support the government bureaucrats and workers who serve the poor.      Unless we find a way to fix the welfare problem in the workforce we will continue to go deeper and deeper in debt.  </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:56:27 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17794462</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17791621</link>
<description>Do the people here really want to be HONEST and try to offer commonsense solutions the problems that now threaten to destroy the America we all say we love.   We have a big problem when 20% of all American working family&amp;rsquo;s can not earn a living on their own and must rely on the welfare system for assistance.   This problem has been building for years now and no one should be happy with the outcome.  Why do we continue to argue about the living wage? We&amp;rsquo;ve always had a living wage and as long as America is good, we always will.   The only question we need to answer is, should we be honest with ourselves and others or do we continue down the same dead end road.   A real workable living wage is the only road back to a healthy free market economy. </description>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17791621</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17738560</link>
<description>It&amp;rsquo;s a little late to cry about The Socialist States Of American now. Many of you have cheered every step of the way for the last forty years and are still unwilling to call for real solutions that might get the country back on the right track.  America was built on the work ethic. This was a new world, and in the new world, success would not be a product of birthright, entitlement, or exploitation. Success would be a direct product of ingenuity, determination, and above all else, hard, honest work.   (Above all else, hard, honest work) was discarded in the late 1960s.   During the fifteen year span 1956 thru 1970 the unskilled worker was earning 60% of  the national average wage of all workers.  During the fifteen year span 1993 thru 2007 the unskilled worker was earning 30% of  the national average wage of all workers.  Over the years more and more working family&amp;rsquo;s fell below the poverty line and were added to the welfare system. Education starts at home, by the time a welfare kid is enrolled into school it&amp;rsquo;s to late. Welfare kids do not do well in school. A Cato study found that a welfare kid was 7 times more likely to become a welfare parent as the average kid growing up in America.  25 to 30% of all jobs created over the last 40 are jobs that only a student living at home or a second job hold could fill without falling below the poverty line. The vast majority of those jobs are filled with head of household workers with family&amp;rsquo;s to support.  For years we&amp;rsquo;ve had 20% of all working family&amp;rsquo;s in America on welfare. When you allow government to supplement the wages of 20% of your workforce you are giving them an open invitation to control the entire free market system.  Every one willing, able and qualified to hold a full time job in the American free market system, must be able to earn 100% of what it cost him to live in the area he is employed. Anything less invites government intervention. It&amp;rsquo;s as simple as that.  </description>
<pubDate>Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:36:11 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=820#IDComment17738560</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : The 9/12</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/9principles12values/#IDComment17683772</link>
<description>What really upsets me with my conservative friends such as Glen is the reason behind their opposition to paying a man a living wage.  Plain old Greed! They fear higher prices and that&amp;rsquo;s it.  Everyone else can get a cost of living raise every year and that don&amp;rsquo;t effect prices, the CEO can take a hundred million dollar bonus and no harm done but raise the minimum wage by 50 cents every 10 years and the whole damn world is coming to an end.  No conservative is willing to have a point by point honest and open debate on the issue, it always comes down to the price they pay at walmart.  The same people who say they want big government out of the free market, encourage welfare to subsidize low cost labor to the tune of hundreds of billions a year.  The same people who bitch about our failing school system, encourage more and more welfare families each year knowing that education begins at home. By the time a welfare kid reaches school age its already to late for many of them, most will drop out before they graduate high school.  The conservative seems quite content to spend ten dollars in tax just to save one at the walmart check out. Maybe its an ego trip, maybe they need to feel somehow superior to the poor lazy unskilled worker. I don&amp;rsquo;t get it?      </description>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:39:21 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/9principles12values/#IDComment17683772</guid>
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<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : America&#039;s Wish List Pt. I</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=738#IDComment17658963</link>
<description>Guess I&amp;rsquo;m the one and only conservative left living today that believes as Pope Leo III did more than three hundred years ago, that the living wage is a (moral christen concept) just as the issue of abortion is a (moral christen concept) and has nothing to do with capitalism or communism.   I won&amp;rsquo;t waste mine or your time asking for agreement on that matter because I know you believe a living wage might cost you a buck or two at the walmart checkout.  Can we all at least agree on this.   A man or woman who works a full time job should not be placed on welfare, no ifs, buts or ands. If your able and willing to work you don&amp;rsquo;t deserve to do it on the tax pays dime period.  CAN WE AGREE?  WELFARE DOES NOT BELONG IN THE WORKFORCE. </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:49:50 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/?page_id=738#IDComment17658963</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Glenn Beck - The 912 Project : The 9/12</title>
<link>http://theglennbeck912project.com/9principles12values/#IDComment17632669</link>
<description>Regarding principle number 3 - Honesty  I love Glen Beck but I.M.H.O. he needs to do a little research on this one.  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiyXmkMXkkY&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiyXmkMXkkY&lt;/a&gt;  To be Honest up to 20% of all American working families are receiving welfare benefits.  Cato institute study states; (Children raised in families on welfare are seven times more likely to become dependent on welfare than are other children.)  Why or so many families on welfare? Answer is (America is good) America doesn&amp;rsquo;t allow it&amp;rsquo;s working families to go homeless and hungry.  Why does a working family need to be on welfare?  I was one of five kids growing up in the 50s and 60s, being supported by a single Mom working the check out counter in a supper market and we made it just fine without welfare?  I turned off the radio and TV and did a little research on my own.  And I believe the honest answer is;   As measured in constant 1996 dollars. In 1968 The CPI was 153.45 - by 2006 it remained almost unchanged at 150.45  As measured in constant 1996 dollars. The average wage for all workers in 1968 was $25,072.00 - by 2006 the average workers wage had increased to $29,143.00. Its just a guess but I&amp;rsquo;d bet that 80 to 90% of that increase went to those in the upper middle to rich classes. Those below $50.000.00 stayed very close to even with the CPI  or lost purchasing power.  As measured in constant 1996 dollars. In 1968 minimum wage workers earned $14,400.00 - by 2006 they earned $7,766.00. Within a 38 span of time the bottom 20% of our workforce lost almost 50% of their  purchasing power.  I didn&amp;#039;t check on the increased cost of welfare over that same time span but I do know that the total cost was over $3 trillion with a T and in 1968 it was under 50 billion.  Now regarding small business.  To be Honest a 30% increase in the minimum wage would not kill the family owned bakery or any other small business. If so how in Gods name could they cope with a 100% increase in the cost of flour?  I owned and operated a small service business for over 35 years and I can tell you from first hand experience that my customers number one concern was a quality service at a fair price. Offer the American consumer, honesty and quality at a fair price and your business will survive any competition on a level playing field. The minimum wage provides a level playing field for the small business only as long as welfare is keep out of the workforce.     To be Honest it is the 40 old conservative republican policy of opposing any increase in minimum wage while at the same time encouraging the welfare system to enslave more and more hard working American families in jobs with no future that has tilted the playing field in favor of big business.  To be Honest the conservative republican party has used welfare as a stealth subsidy for big business such as walmart.  To be Honest walmart and the conservative republican party has been the true killers of small family owned business in the US.  We didn&amp;#039;t have class warfare in the 50s and 60s. Today the poor are lazy and the rich are greedy and both groups hate the other with a passion. What happened in forty short years?   We may not agree on the minimum wage but I do agree with you that (America is good) and I want to keep it a good place for all of us to live.  I also want to be more honest today than I was yesterday and if anyone can prove me wrong about the truth of anything I&amp;rsquo;ve written here today, please point me to the data that I can research for myself and I&amp;rsquo;d be more than happy to do so and report back as to what I find.  Thanks for the opportunity to express my opinion.        </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:50:15 +0000</pubDate>
<guid>http://theglennbeck912project.com/9principles12values/#IDComment17632669</guid>
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