President Donald Trump

[GwynnInTheHall]

Wow. It's not the House website, it's a partisan site maintained by the House Budget Committee. The "war on poverty" figures, so far as I can tell, are just a grab-bag of numbers and programs which someone decided to include in the total. The $779B includes all kinds of stuff. All of federal Medicaid. Tons of tax credits and deductions, many classified as "cash aid". Job programs, including Americorp. HIV programs. Education programs of all types. Nutrition programs. Seniors programs. Veterans Disaility. Veterans health care. Federal Public Defenders. Legal Servies Corporations. For the most part, if it looks like something a rich white kid wouldn't use, they put it in the pile.

So you can't just google 'war on poverty' unless you have an accepted definition of what the war on poverty means. Everything which could, conceivably, benefit a poor person somewhere is not welfare, despite what they say in DC. It's a GOP bogey man, just like 'foreign aid'. If you listen to my local rep, foreign aid is driving the country bankrupt, while in fact it takes up about 1% of our budget, while helping us maintain diplomatic status and soft power all over the globe.

Wish I'd have said something like this..............

[nots]

A quick search and you'll find that number includes Medicaid, Educational grants, tax credits, SSI, adoption assistance, TANF, Food Stamps, Section 8, Vocational training and on and on.

Of these I've listed, what do you object to and why?

I've also read numbers that indicate we spend a Trillion a year on National Security, how do you think that's worked out?

My point of view is very simple. Not all social programs included in your total of 20T are actual "welfare"or like programs, in fact only a quarter of what you've stated is actually considered that (and that's also including tax credits and SSI which I don;t consider--welfare)

My answer to you would be, if the National Security exists to prevent loss of American lives and to safeguard our quality of life and that we don't qualify our fiscal support for those programs by asking--how has that worked out, then why should we do it for social programs who's intent is to do exactly the same thing--Prevent loss of life and safeguard the quality of the lives of our citizens.

Is either program free from abuse or corruption? No. Could they both be more efficient? yes, but until you treat BOTH budgets with the same scrutiny, to look at one without the other is disingenuous.

I'm not saying that's what you're doing, but it IS being done.

I'm sure you are aware that I am a strong critic of what we spend on defense. I fully agree that we should be scrutinizing our expenditures there even more closely. I don't expect that will happen though.

[nots]

Wow. It's not the House website, it's a partisan site maintained by the House Budget Committee. The "war on poverty" figures, so far as I can tell, are just a grab-bag of numbers and programs which someone decided to include in the total. The $779B includes all kinds of stuff. All of federal Medicaid. Tons of tax credits and deductions, many classified as "cash aid". Job programs, including Americorp. HIV programs. Education programs of all types. Nutrition programs. Seniors programs. Veterans Disaility. Veterans health care. Federal Public Defenders. Legal Servies Corporations. For the most part, if it looks like something a rich white kid wouldn't use, they put it in the pile.

So you can't just google 'war on poverty' unless you have an accepted definition of what the war on poverty means. Everything which could, conceivably, benefit a poor person somewhere is not welfare, despite what they say in DC. It's a GOP bogey man, just like 'foreign aid'. If you listen to my local rep, foreign aid is driving the country bankrupt, while in fact it takes up about 1% of our budget, while helping us maintain diplomatic status and soft power all over the globe.

My mistake on the site...I took the .gov to indicate it was official. As I said, I don't want to get caught up in the total dollars. The poverty rate is 14%, which, given the large number of dollars we have spent since 1964, seems to be really ineffective. I am not calling for the abolition of anything right now, but I fully believe we should be analyzing where we spend our money, including every program you listed above.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I'm sure you are aware that I am a strong critic of what we spend on defense. I fully agree that we should be scrutinizing our expenditures there even more closely. I don't expect that will happen though.

The real issue is this. Over the decades, there have been moves made, laws enacted, regulations rolled back,etc, etc. These things, in concert, have allowed corporations and the wealthy to exacerbate the working classes dependence on these programs. To really deal with them requires not only digging into the programs to minimize abuse and raise efficiency or even study if they're actually necessary. but remedying one of the root causes of the dependency in the first place. the Wealthy and corporations have to either support making less profit for themselves and passing that money on to the working class in the form of livable wages and benefits, or they have to support sustaining these programs and expanding for what they really are, someone else doing what they should have done in the first place.

It's really not a simple issue and until we can come to some realistic solution, we, as a humane society, must soldier on and protect these people. It might be a bitter pill, but the alternative is morally unacceptable.

[cardboardbox]

Read some more and you'll discover his wife and child rarely stay anywhere else.

I dont think anyone would refer to it as one of two White House, as Lucky did, if the President doesnt spend much time there.

[Hodor]

I dont think anyone would refer to it as one of two White House, as Lucky did, if the President doesnt spend much time there.

Jesus dude, follow along.

Lucky was using the term white house to refer to the residences used by the president and his family as the cost of securing any presidential family member is exorbitant.

So, and I can't believe I have to explain this, it's the fact Melina won't live in the white house but rather lives in New York at Trump Tower and the fact that they all vacation at Mar a Lago, that creates the THREE white houses.

[Hornsby]

Jesus dude, follow along.

Lucky was using the term white house to refer to the residences used by the president and his family as the cost of securing any presidential family member is exorbitant.

So, and I can't believe I have to explain this, it's the fact Melina won't live in the white house but rather lives in New York at Trump Tower and the fact that they all vacation at Mar a Lago, that creates the THREE white houses.

Trump himself calls it the "Southern White House"...and the problem is he spends FAR too much time there.

President Trump is spending so much time at his posh Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that he’s started to call it “The Southern White House.”

“Will be having many meetings this weekend at The Southern White House,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter Saturday morning.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/18/trump-calls-mar-lago-resort-southern-white-house/

[Hodor]

And the Trump kids will be vacationing in aspen soon which only requires 100 or so secret service agents.

[cardboardbox]

Jesus dude, follow along.

Lucky was using the term white house to refer to the residences used by the president and his family as the cost of securing any presidential family member is exorbitant.

So, and I can't believe I have to explain this, it's the fact Melina won't live in the white house but rather lives in New York at Trump Tower and the fact that they all vacation at Mar a Lago, that creates the THREE white houses.

If the President isnt there, its not the White House. Melania and Barron Trump are getting secret service protection as all his family gets.

[Hodor]

If the President isnt there, its not the White House. Melania and Barron Trump are getting secret service protection as all his family gets.

Well if you want to parse words and use semantics rather than stay on topic, there's really only one white house isn't there.
.
But that's not the issue we're discussing here now is it.

[Hornsby]

If the President isnt there, its not the White House. Melania and Barron Trump are getting secret service protection as all his family gets.

As they should, except every First lady and their non-adult children in recent memory all lived at the White House. Thereby cutting the cost of Secret Service protection by an exponential number. The cost of protecting Trump Tower is enormous, and is borne not only by the US taxpayers, but the City of NY as well. NYPD estimates that it costs the city between $127,000 and $146,000 PER DAY to protect Mrs. Trump and their son. Add in the Secret Service and it may be as much as $200,000 per day for the NY and US taxpayers for Security for two people.

http://www.snopes.com/melania-trump-nyc-costs/

[Hodor]

As they should, except every First lady and their non-adult children in recent memory all lived at the White House. Thereby cutting the cost of Secret Service protection by an exponential number. The cost of protecting Trump Tower is enormous, and is borne not only by the US taxpayers, but the City of NY as well. NYPD estimates that it costs the city between $127,000 and $146,000 PER DAY to protect Mrs. Trump and their son. Add in the Secret Service and it may be as much as $200,000 per day for the NY and US taxpayers for Security for two people.

http://www.snopes.com/melania-trump-nyc-costs/

But it's NOT the White House!!

[Hornsby]

But it's NOT the White House!!

Doesn't matter, you get to pay for it anyway! Lucky bastard...

[GwynnInTheHall]

Doesn't matter, you get to pay for it anyway! Lucky bastard...

well if Hodor can't contribute to the Hat pass, at least he's a funny guy...........and I am NOT Lucky!!

[cardboardbox]

As they should, except every First lady and their non-adult children in recent memory all lived at the White House. Thereby cutting the cost of Secret Service protection by an exponential number. The cost of protecting Trump Tower is enormous, and is borne not only by the US taxpayers, but the City of NY as well. NYPD estimates that it costs the city between $127,000 and $146,000 PER DAY to protect Mrs. Trump and their son. Add in the Secret Service and it may be as much as $200,000 per day for the NY and US taxpayers for Security for two people.

http://www.snopes.com/melania-trump-nyc-costs/

I understand the concern, but its what we do for our presidents and their families. I think Melania and Barron will move to Washington over the summer, get back to me in Sept if they havent.