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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Open Thread:

"If you live in the United States, you are rich."
- Ray Comfort, 2008

Now that we have solved poverty in the United States, what do you think the United State's next biggest challenge will be?
Posted by at

29 comments:

  1. WhatevermanOctober 12, 2008 at 1:25 PM

    Keepin them terrurists from takin ovur teh White House!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debunkey MonkeyOctober 12, 2008 at 1:49 PM

    I would have said energy independence, but okay.

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  3. CynthiaOctober 12, 2008 at 2:47 PM

    Electing the right man for president.

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  4. fourkidOctober 12, 2008 at 2:56 PM

    Spend some time in a 3rd world country and then decide if the level of American poverty compares. You won't even get close.
    Blessings,
    Patti

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  5. nonmagicOctober 12, 2008 at 3:31 PM

    Patti,

    Too bad your invisible sky daddy is letting all those kids in poverty stricken countries die of lack of food, clean water and disease.

    I'm so glad to see that he is on his toes these days and doing such a bang up job.

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  6. FroggieOctober 12, 2008 at 3:32 PM

    "...what do you think the United State's next biggest challenge will be?"

    1- Annex Canada- Now
    2- Legalize Mary Jane

    Oooorrrrr, maybe we should find some country in which our oil happens to be underneath their soil and go occupy them for five years and bankrupt the country to the point where a market correction will become a major crisis because we don't have the money to bail ourselves out of......

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  7. CraigOctober 12, 2008 at 4:22 PM

    patti,

    I love the way compassionate christians like to compare people living in poverty in the U.S. to people living in abject poverty in the third world. Somehow that makes it all better. By that standard, all you middle class christians are obscenely wealthy materialists. Can't have it both ways.

    To illustrate my point. Because someone can say something dumber than Ray doesn't mean that what Ray says isn't dumb.

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  8. WhatevermanOctober 12, 2008 at 4:54 PM

    Energy indepence is a good guess, Kaitlyn. I myself think needing to deal with being surpassed by China is going to happen sooner, but that's only an opinion

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  9. fourkidOctober 12, 2008 at 5:11 PM

    {{{Craig said:
    patti,
    I love the way compassionate christians like to compare people living in poverty in the U.S. to people living in abject poverty in the third world. Somehow that makes it all better.}}}

    [Reply]
    No, it doesn't make it all better - for either group. I was just pointing out that by world standards, even the poorest in our country are not at the horrid level of the poor in 3rd world countries.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    {{{ By that standard, all you middle class christians are obscenely wealthy materialists. Can't have it both ways.}}}

    [Reply]
    Yes, we are. And you are correct, we cannot. It grieves me how wasteful and spoiled middle class Americans are - me included. Our family has begun a more fruagal and debt free lifestyle (with the extra saved dollars going to missionaries we know will use it wisely), but I won't deny that it is an uphill battle.

    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  10. WeemaryanneOctober 12, 2008 at 5:55 PM

    Dale, I know I've explained this to you before. You do not want to annex Canada.

    Why?

    Two reasons.

    1) We have oil, but you have to drill through glaciers to get it.

    And

    2) chomps on carrot and glares Of course you realize dis means war.

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  11. nonmagicOctober 12, 2008 at 6:12 PM

    Wee, but you also have snow. I just want to annex your snow.

    I am willing to go to war for it. I think it is a just cause.

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  12. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 6:13 PM

    I think we should focus now on fundamentalism, since we got that whole starving, homeless, poverty stricken thing out of the way (which I would like to thank Ray for informing me because I had no idea we had that taken care of)!

    Oh and Froggie:
    I have no opinion on 1, but I'm in complete support of 2!

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  13. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 6:15 PM

    NM
    you can have some of NY's snow if you want...although I'm sure the amount doesn't even compare to Canada's!

    ReplyDelete
  14. ChrisOctober 12, 2008 at 6:35 PM

    @ Patti

    Well I for one think you are putting your money where your mouth is! Well done.
    P.S. Don't forget the Fred Hollows Foundation. [It's an organisation which porforms eye operations on te poorest of the poor].

    Once again well done.

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  15. nonmagicOctober 12, 2008 at 6:46 PM

    Revenant,

    Please ship as much as possible to Nevada. I will pay postage. This also avoids war, for now.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ChrisOctober 12, 2008 at 7:05 PM

    @ Patti

    Well I for one think you are putting your money where your mouth is! Well done.
    P.S. Don't forget the Fred Hollows Foundation. [It's an organisation which porforms eye operations on te poorest of the poor].

    Once again well done.

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 10:07 PM

    NM
    I will get right on that!...I'm glad I could play my hand in appeasement!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 10:08 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 10:49 PM

    Care to send some of that snow to florida? I miss snow :(

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  20. AnonymousOctober 12, 2008 at 11:18 PM

    Muffin
    Sure! It's not like there is any shortage up here in Snowsville....O but you'll all have to wait until it actually starts to snow. It is only October, and has been unseasonably warm!
    You and NM can expect it around December!

    ReplyDelete
  21. ChrisOctober 13, 2008 at 3:27 AM

    @ freed

    I should add that I don't want to damage your faith in any way, shape or form. So please forgive me if I have. Gaining evidence such as I have meantioned only increases the probability that someone is correct. So does that mean that your interpretation could still be correct? Yep. But until you can support your statement with evidence it remains just a statement with no evidence to support it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. CraigOctober 13, 2008 at 5:42 AM

    patti,

    Good for you, really. I've never been one for conspicuous consumption but being economically secure isn't a sin.

    I just get tired of people, mostly on the right, saying those in poverty here should shut up and be grateful because people are poorer somewhere else. We've been in a race to the bottom for 30 years. The captains of industry and politicians have chased the cheapest means of production with maximum profit the only consideration and everyone has suffered.

    If you're up for a little eye-opener, google Tom Delay Saipan.

    Sorry it took so long to reply. I wanted to ask you how your son is doing. I hope alls well.

    ReplyDelete
  23. fourkidOctober 13, 2008 at 8:02 AM

    {{{patti,
    Good for you, really. I've never been one for conspicuous consumption but being economically secure isn't a sin.}}}

    Reply
    Thanks - only 2(relatively)small tax bills, one small credit card bill, and one moderate low interest mortgage and we will be free! All but the mortgage should be paid off in just a couple months.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    {{{I just get tired of people, mostly on the right, saying those in poverty here should shut up and be grateful because people are poorer somewhere else.}}}

    Reply
    I have not had the impression that anyone was telling those in poverty to shut up - but there does need to be a great deal of re-education as to what is really poor.

    Yes, we do have poor in this country - but many that "think" they are really poor aren't - they just have to do without what our society seems to think are necessities.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    {{{We've been in a race to the bottom for 30 years. The captains of industry and politicians have chased the cheapest means of production with maximum profit the only consideration and everyone has suffered. }}}

    Reply
    I totally agree - I see this as a major shift in history - on par with the industrial revolution. With computers and a world economy our entire planet has changed. There is no going back and wishing for yesterday - we must deal with today.

    It is nice to sit and read about something like the industrial revolution from our history books - it was another thing to live it. We are living a huge shift on par with that era - and it isn't fun when you are the one caught in the negative end of the shift.

    #2 son worked for a time for Direct TV in satellite installation. All - as in all - work scheduling and accountability is routed by phone through India. It is impossible to solve problems easily because of the global go betweens.

    We need over the counter access to antibiotics - this is the rule in every other country that I know of - but we (USA) have to jump through (expensive) hoops to solve easy fix problems, becuase we might use them "incorrectly" - blah!

    Those are just two of my peeves.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    {{{If you're up for a little eye-opener, google Tom Delay Saipan.}}}

    Reply
    I will look at it later - no time this morning - but I never take one source at its word (excluding God.)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    {{{Sorry it took so long to reply. I wanted to ask you how your son is doing. I hope alls well. }}}

    Reply
    Yes, all is well here. I am glad you gave me this opening - #2 son went for his final 3 week training here in FL (they had a few weeks in TX and leave for Iraq from there). This is with only a few weeks to go before deployment - not sure if you are familar with how it works, but they have been preparing for this for something like 9 or 10 months. When he got there he was informed that he would be remaining stateside with his regular NG duties.

    We don't really know why - #2 son tends to not ask questions - but there were several that had this happen. So he set up chairs and parked cars for the deploynent ceremony and then came home. That doesn't mean he won't go later - but we just take it a day at a time. Meanwhile - he had his wisdom teeth removed at government expense and is protected against anthrax, smallpox, typhoid and other such plagues -- and now needs a job again! But we are very happy he is here - just some major adjusting in focus now.

    Thanks for asking,
    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  24. CraigOctober 13, 2008 at 8:10 AM

    patti,

    That's good news. I'm happy for you and #2. Thanks for the update.

    ReplyDelete
  25. fourkidOctober 13, 2008 at 8:12 AM

    {{{Chris said...
    @ Patti
    Well I for one think you are putting your money where your mouth is! Well done.
    P.S. Don't forget the Fred Hollows Foundation. [It's an organisation which porforms eye operations on te poorest of the poor].
    Once again well done.}}}
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Reply
    Thank you - I will look into it - but we tend to send our dollars to missionaries we meet and know their ministry. One family we have supported for over 30 years I knew from my college days. They do a great work with Navajo people.

    And this year we are giving extra to the yong lady we met that is working with the Paupau New Guinea tribal people - they will be bringing writen language to the triabal folks - which also entails education and medical help. The infant mortality rate is horrendous there - and simple fixes will greatly help survial.

    We also help a man in South Africa - our church bought him a commercial grade water purifier. He works in the poorest sections of South Africa - the parts you don't see on the news.

    Must get on to chores and Dd schoolwork.
    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  26. fourkidOctober 13, 2008 at 8:16 AM

    Sorry for the massive amount of typos - you can tell I am rushing.......I am just so excited to go clean my bathroom :)
    Patti

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  27. fourkidOctober 13, 2008 at 8:17 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  28. FroggieOctober 13, 2008 at 8:17 AM

    Wee,

    "2) chomps on carrot and glares Of course you realize dis means war."

    That still cracks me up!

    ReplyDelete
  29. fourkidOctober 15, 2008 at 7:08 AM

    {{{If you're up for a little eye-opener, google Tom Delay Saipan.}}}
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Reply
    Even keeping in mind source bias - that is despicable. There is no doubt that Delay is a crook - just because he claims morality doesn't make it so. He also was taken down.

    We will always have such happenings in this world. There is no sign of mankind improving - greed, lust and power reign. I don't think there is anything left that could surprise me at this point - really, I have seen a lot. It only strengthens my faith in the truth of Scripture.

    I cannot fix all the world - just try to do my littel part as I can.
    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete

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