orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (11/15/85)
Dave Olson certainly presents slippery and inconsistent arguments. When you refute his contentions in one area, he then slips to another and denies claiming he ever made the contentions refuted. For example, now Dave claims: > I have NEVER said that "social spending = money spent on alleviating > poverty". It is precisely my point that it doesn't. > Yet earlier Dave engaged in a long and protracted argument that Social Security *indeed* went to the poor. > > >>Forgive me if I am incorrect, but in one of your previous articles, you > >>claimed that some of the recipients of SS were too poor to live without > >>it. Yet, you also keep claiming that SS is not for poor people. Which > >>is it? > This certainly sounds to me like Dave is saying that Social Security is some sort of handout to the poor. Later Dave said: > > But, Tim kept claiming that SS does't go to poor people. > Dave also said: > >>That leaves about > >>$416 billion of social welfare money without SS. That still means that > >>for every poor person (man, woman, and child), over $13,000 of *social > >>welfare money* was spent on something in just that year. For every poor > >>family of four, over $52,000 of *social welfare money* was spent on > >>something. WHY ARE THEY STILL POOR! > Dave certainly seems to be implying here that all government programs either are or should be targetted for the poor. Of course they are not. Which *IS* precisely the point, Dave. These programs benefit *everybody*: they are for you and me. If you get disabled you will thank your lucky stars that you have some kind of help from the government. If your family owns a house it is very likely that they are able to own that house because the government helped people to own their own homes with the FHA. If you went to public schools then you can thank the government for that. Even if you did not you can be thankful that other people can now hold skilled jobs they would never have been able to hold without the benefits of free public education. You can *certainly* be thankful that the government provided loans and assistance for my own college education so that I can now provide you the benefits of my classes in Economics and Sociology!!! I am providing you with free education!! thank Uncle Sam!! tim sevener whuxn!orb