New Poverty Puppet on Sesame Street

[Sorsha]

Of course! Haven't you heard? At the SBA, money just falls from the sky. And since you are a woman, you will need a wheelbarrow to cart away all the money they give you. The banks fall all over themselves to lend you money and there are tons of loans and grants that never have to be paid back! You just aren't looking hard enough! And the tax breaks, don't even get me started there. Seriously, I don't know why anyone in their right mind starts a business. I ask myself that every day since I started mine!

Do you have any clue how many small businesses fail EVERY year? Even in a good year its hard, now its even worse.

Besides the fact that opening a business today in no way equals actually receiving an income right away. My family has been self employed my whole life. I have seen the struggle, the hard work and the sacrifice and have done it all myself. Its not all the peaches and cream you think it is.

Not everyone can raise the capital or have the business idea that will succeed. To think that every single person that is poor or out of work can go into their own business is very unrealistic.

No, no, no. They're not smarter. It's totally all your fault that it took you 10years. If you had just "provided" yourself with the capital you would be mini Steve Jobs by now.

Im telling you, I'm taking that post to the bank TODAY. I've been working on my bakery business for a while and I realize I'm going about it all wrong. I never knew that all I had to do was walk up to the building owner and explain that I plan on working really, really hard so he should let me rent this building dirt cheap. I'm sure telling him I'm 'creating" my own destiny will count for a lot.

Really I feel so stupid for wasting all this time.

Don't we feel better, guys, for having it all explained to us this morning! I feel so much better informed! It amazing the things you can learn on the Dis!

I am going to go right out and tell all of the people in my little town who had small businesses but lost them when the economy tanked that it was all their fault! I mean really! Just because our town is so small and insular that when the real estate market imploded and rents went sky-high, and then the timber market imploded and everyone lost their jobs, and half the population moved away because they were either homeless or jobless - that's no reason to let yourself get snowed under like that, right? For heaven's sake people, pull yourself by your bootstraps and stop taking those nasty handouts (pssst they are an addiction you know...oooh that's a naughty word)! Just work HARDER and you can make everything work out ok!! That's why over half the storefronts in my town sit empty... because good, hard-working people, with good businesses, and good plans got overwhelmed by the circumstances around them... NOT because they gave up and went on the government dole for fun.

 

[luvmy3]

LOL. Peter, you have to understand the rules of the dis. Dis world is like the emerald city.
No one is in debt.
No one has a kid who is not a straight a honors student
No one has a kid who makes any type of irresponsible mistake whatsoever.
No one ever, ever needs help. They all walked 20 miles in the snow to get to school, grew up dirt poor but managed to go to college while working 12 jobs so no nned for student loans.
No one has a big house, they all have teeny tiny houses that they paid for.
AND my personal favorite....
They all know some one who is abusing their tax dollars by getting food stamps (amazingly it's always way more than possible) while living in a million dollar mansion while going to disney world.

I mean come on I'm surprised when people here say it actually rained in their town.

Reality has absolutely no basis here in Dis world.

So true, especially for the sanctimonous. These threads are a true lesson in the blind leading the blind, don't you guys have some protests you can join somewhere

 

[zstyles]

There it is! We solved it, right here on the Dis! Now all they have to do is come up with an idea that will generate ongoing income, obtain the capital to to purchase inventory or technological resources, market their idea, and collect the profits. Brilliant.

I'm a small business owner and it took us nearly 10 years to reach the point where we did not receive income from another job to meet our needs. Maybe these people will be smarter than us and get it done in 5 years. In the meantime, they will just have to suck it up.

So your saying, they should just suck from the government teet since its too much hard work to start a business with a skill they have or ideas they come up with?

I understand that some people don't have the mental capacity to do this and will need to keep getting welfare, but again, if people are out of work for over a year, its their own fault via lack of trying. I have been trying to hire 3-4 people recently and no one wants to work..they are on unemployment and would rather keep doing that that start at $10-$11.00 per hour.

 

[zstyles]

Do you have any clue how many small businesses fail EVERY year? Even in a good year its hard, now its even worse.

Yes and many more succeed...

Besides the fact that opening a business today in no way equals actually receiving an income right away. My family has been self employed my whole life. I have seen the struggle, the hard work and the sacrifice and have done it all myself. Its not all the peaches and cream you think it is.

Well your basically saying that people want peaches and cream, rather than hard work, who said its instant..I never did.

Not everyone can raise the capital or have the business idea that will succeed. To think that every single person that is poor or out of work can go into their own business is very unrealistic.

Capitol? I took one loan out 10 years ago and have been debt free after the first year funding my company with the revenue generated, yes it takes time but it can happen, with hard work and dedication.

Now I shall go back to eating my caviar....

 

[zstyles]

Don't we feel better, guys, for having it all explained to us this morning! I feel so much better informed! It amazing the things you can learn on the Dis!

I am going to go right out and tell all of the people in my little town who had small businesses but lost them when the economy tanked that it was all their fault! I mean really! Just because our town is so small and insular that when the real estate market imploded and rents went sky-high, and then the timber market imploded and everyone lost their jobs, and half the population moved away because they were either homeless or jobless - that's no reason to let yourself get snowed under like that, right? For heaven's sake people, pull yourself by your bootstraps and stop taking those nasty handouts (pssst they are an addiction you know...oooh that's a naughty word)! Just work HARDER and you can make everything work out ok!! That's why over half the storefronts in my town sit empty... because good, hard-working people, with good businesses, and good plans got overwhelmed by the circumstances around them... NOT because they gave up and went on the government dole for fun.

Retail, Real Estate & Restaurants are all very hard business's to own, it can be done, yes with hard work....but everyone choose what business they decided to open, its their decision..I don't know why this is so hard to understand..if your business fails, yes its your fault in some way..if it succeeds, its your fault also...

 

[eliza61]

So your saying, they should just suck from the government teet since its too much hard work to start a business with a skill they have or ideas they come up with?

I understand that some people don't have the mental capacity to do this and will need to keep getting welfare, but again, if people are out of work for over a year, its their own fault via lack of trying. I have been trying to hire 3-4 people recently and no one wants to work..they are on unemployment and would rather keep doing that that start at $10-$11.00 per hour.

Nope, we're laughing at these 1950 Mccarthy era, one fix solutions to a multi faceted problem.
So basically you're saying that 100,000 people or so are all unemployed because its totally their fault and that they rather be on welfare. and you believe it...
That is on a SNL level of hilarity....

They sound as ridiculous as "if we just keep Gays from marrying our society would be wonderful" or "if we just kick all the people off of medicare, magically we'd be fine" or "if we stop letting all the Jews control business, things would be better". Like all uninsured folks would magically disappear and never have a another illness that had to be treated.

Personally, if I couldn't get some one to work for me after looking for a while, I start questioning how bad of an job must it be that people would rather run the other way.

 

[luvsJack]

Now I shall go back to eating my caviar....

Over 50% of all small businesses fail in the first 5 years. So, no "many more" do not succeed.

And its not just about hard work. Most small business owners work hard, long hours and give up just about everything else in their life to try and make a go of it and still fail.

Small restaurants can take up to 10 years to make a profit. Child care centers (very popular small businesses for women) rarely make enough profit for the owner to actually live on. Any type of retail is going to depend heavily on the economy in the area.

And besides, you admit its not immediate. What you suggest that all these new small business owners LIVE on? I mean here we go, get off government assistance, open a business and receive $0 income for a few years???? really?

 

[kaytieeldr]

So your saying, they should just suck from the government teet since its too much hard work to start a business with a skill they have or ideas they come up with?

I understand that some people don't have the mental capacity to do this and will need to keep getting welfare, but again, if people are out of work for over a year, its their own fault via lack of trying. I have been trying to hire 3-4 people recently and no one wants to work..they are on unemployment and would rather keep doing that that start at $10-$11.00 per hour.

You know it takes money to make money, right? When you're barely scraping by on unemployment, having used whatever savings (and investments) you might have had just to keep your roof over your head and feed your family and pay utilities and bills and search for a job... you just plain haven't got the resources to start a business.

It's great that yours started being profitable after a year; that's not common. And I have to agree with a PP - what are your job requirements and expectations that people would turn down $20,000+ per year?

 

[mpls_mm]

Now I shall go back to eating my caviar....

I think that is an amazing success story, I can't think of anyone else running a business that made enough capital the first year to pay off all debt and has never needed another loan. I assume it can't be too small if you are adding 3-4 employees to your workforce. I would love to hear more about it. I am not being sarcastic, I mentor several businesses and belong to a bunch of entrepreneurial groups in addition to the 6 websites and retail store I own and I love success stories. I have given people here business advice privately and I am always one to have ideas and help people and I love it when others help business owners that are struggling.

 

[zstyles]

It's great that yours started being profitable after a year; that's not common. And I have to agree with a PP - what are your job requirements and expectations that people would turn down $20,000+ per year?

It is great, my business plan worked it up for being that way. I worked hard before stating out to have a plan to make money..my requirements are. Work Hard, Show Up, Self Manage yourself, Get the Job Done...They are just too lazy in the end even before they start a day of work, they just aren't hungry enough for money when they have a monthly welfare/unemployment check coming in...this is why someone would turn down 20k to stick with unemployment/welfare...I know more successful self employed people than I know corporately employed people...I guess the answer must be to go sit in a park in New York and complain about how private companies are making too much money though...guess I am to blame too...right?

So yes I do still blame poor people for being poor and out of work. Always have, always will. Its America..that's how the standards once were..should still be today, perhaps this country would look alot different.

 

[Sorsha]

I understand that some people don't have the mental capacity to do this and will need to keep getting welfare, but again, if people are out of work for over a year, its their own fault via lack of trying. I have been trying to hire 3-4 people recently and no one wants to work..they are on unemployment and would rather keep doing that that start at $10-$11.00 per hour.

..my requirements are. Work Hard, Show Up, Self Manage yourself, Get the Job Done...They are just too lazy in the end even before they start a day of work, they just aren't hungry enough for money when they have a monthly welfare/unemployment check coming in...this is why someone would turn down 20k to stick with unemployment/welfare...So yes I do still blame poor people for being poor and out of work. Always have, always will. Its America..that's how the standards once were..should still be today, perhaps this country would look alot different.

OK, let me just do a little bit of math for you, in regards to how things work where I live. Maybe things are different where you live, or maybe you have been successful for so long that you no longer are in touch with how things work.

JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY... my friend works for the state of Montana, and she and I were sitting around one day juggling numbers. Now, neither one of us even remotely qualifies for food assistance, our families have too much income/assets and not enough deductions (in Montana, things like childcare costs, etc can be deducted from your wages to come up with your total allowable amount of money you can make and still receive assistance). We figured out that for a family of 5, with all kids in school (no daycare deductions) and using all other standard deductions (for example no one in the house is adopted or has huge medical issues, etc) about the max you can make is $2100 a month. And its going to go down at the beginning of next year she says, funding is going to get cut. And the rates are lower for families with fewer kids, I just happen to have 5 in my house so we were figuring for 5.

SO, WE WILL USE THOSE FIGURES.

Now, lets say you have a single parent with 2 or 3 kids, and all of those kids are in school. PHEW. Finally, she doesn't have to worry about child care anymore so she can get back into the work force and get off public assistance. She comes to fill out an application for you and sees that you offer $11 an hour. She goes home and does some figuring. $11 an hour times 40 hours a week times 4 weeks a month = $1760. Great! Ok, now she looks at her bills.

Around here, you cannot and I mean CAN NOT find a house, to rent or to buy, for less than about $1000 a month. The housing crash killed any cheap rents we had, and everyone is scrambling to keep abovewater. Now she has to heat it. Not so bad in the summer, but it can be ugly in the winter. Let's assume she's smart and has budget billing set up, but that's still probably about $100 a month. Now she probably has basic TV and basic phone, probably another $100 or so a month. For the sake of argument we can assume she owns her car, but you do have to have one, we have NO public transportation. You have to insure it - another probably $100 a month and put gas in it - for the sake of simplicity its an economy car, maybe $50 a month, and another $50 or so for basic maintenance like oil changes, tires, repairs, etc - these things happen. Now, not sure how your city works, but around here we have city services we have to pay, and its all rolled into one bill - water, sewer, trash. It comes every three months, but if you break it down its about $100 a month. Are you going to pay her health insurance and that of her children? If not, she'll have to pay for that too, and that's VERY expensive - probably another $200 a month out of pocket - maybe more if she was uninsured before she was hired by you.

Ok, now let's add it up. You have hired her - and she is very happy to have the job. And she is making about $1760 before taxes. Now she pays her bills and she pays out about $1700. Once you take out taxes she's already in the red and she HAS NOT BOUGHT FOOD YET or anything for her children like clothes or school supplies. And, oh yeah, by the way, she just lost all her benefits.

And that, my friend, is why people won't take a job for $11 an hour.

 

[eliza61]

So yes I do still blame poor people for being poor and out of work. Always have, always will. Its America..that's how the standards once were..should still be today, perhaps this country would look alot different.

Where are you getting your american history? Mad magazine. Was it during the depression when we think almost 24% of the work force was unemployed. I guess that was all their fault too?

Was it during slavery? When a large portion of our citizen weren't even considered citizens. Oh I forgot that must have been the slaves fault also, darn it, the shouldn't have been hanging out in Africa waiting to get captured.

Now don't get me wrong I am the first to admit some of my citizen lack a distinct responsibilty jean.

But you are definitely going to have to tell me exactly when in our period we had the attitude, "its your fault for being poor, screw you".

In fact I think the opposite is true, Americans were know for their generosity to those less fortunate. That's how the word "charities" came into existence. We generally give very generously to those less fortunate.

 

[arminnie]

Yes I believe that food insecurity exists for children. It is very, very real and pathetic beyond belief. And I know it FIRST HAND from my childhood.

But I will put 99.99% of the blame on the parents. It may not be drugs, alcohol,cigarettes etc. - but it does boil down to parents who just don't give a damn if their kids are hungry. Quite often the price of a fancy hairdo and nails would feed a kid at least rice and beans for a month.

NEVER EVER EVER give money to those begging for food for their kids. The kids will almost never see it. Put some real food in the kids' hands and watch them eat it before the evil parent tries to sell it.

Parents here on the DIS are normal people who literally cannot fathom people treating their children like this. But it does exist.

 

[mpls_mm]

It is great, my business plan worked it up for being that way. I worked hard before stating out to have a plan to make money.. .

Everyone's business plan works so it looks like they will make money. That's the point of a business plan, if you show how you plan to lose money, banks don't get excited. Projecting making money and actually making money are two different things. I was profitable my first year too, but I certainly didn't pay off every loan and line of credit I had, but we are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. I think it is amazing and and a great accomplishment.

 

[beachlover9395]

I hope the poverty puppet gets beat up at least once or twice for being poor..his parents should get beat up too...don't you know its a choice to be poor? Bad move on their part...had it coming...

Really??


I mean, really????


Is this a tongue-in-cheek post, with implied sarcasm, or are you *truly* advocating a puppet to get beat up....because the parent(s) of the puppet must be poor if they can't afford food? Really???


So is there anything to stop the puppet from getting beat up for having, say, brown eyes? Or having ears that stick out a little too far?


And that's what you want to happen to a puppet on Sesame Street?

 

[crashbb]

Really??


I mean, really????


Is this a tongue-in-cheek post, with implied sarcasm, or are you *truly* advocating a puppet to get beat up....because the parent(s) of the puppet must be poor if they can't afford food? Really???


So is there anything to stop the puppet from getting beat up for having, say, brown eyes? Or having ears that stick out a little too far?


And that's what you want to happen to a puppet on Sesame Street?

I assumed that it was sarcastic - until I read more that that PP's posts.

 

[C.Ann]

I hope the poverty puppet gets beat up at least once or twice for being poor..his parents should get beat up too...don't you know its a choice to be poor? Bad move on their part...had it coming...

Pray for what? The agenda that everyone should have their money given to them? Sorry but its pretty clear(at least to me) that if you need help from others you weren't raised right. If your poor, its your fault(not you personally, just in general), what are you going to do about it should be what your talking about..or suggesting how they can fix it. Start a business, get two other jobs, network with people around you who are NOT poor, motivate yourself to get out of the slums...15 years ago I was in college, looking at the corporate world and thinking "is this what I want to do?" nope..I started my own company, it has grown from hard work, endless hours of working 6 days a week, 16 hours+ days..and here we are..I made my way, worked hard, didn't sit around and complain about being poor or take the easy way out with welfare/(which is an addiction)..so if someone is poor it is their fault..Blame yourself.."Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks -- if you don't have a job and you are not rich, blame yourself" - HC

Now I shall go back to eating my caviar....

Ouch! Enjoy it while you can.. That's going to be quite an adjustment - switching from caviar to cat food - when karma comes back to bite you in the butt..

 

[beachlover9395]

I assumed that it was sarcastic - until I read more that that PP's posts.

^^Ditto


So basically, a child puppet should get beat up one or two times, on air, for children to see - as a "lesson" to them - don't be born to the "wrong" kind of parents now!! (Sarcasm implied)

After seeing what's posted on this thread, and on the OWS thread, I won't be the least bit surprised when people start advocating for child labor laws to be repealed or severely softened. Gotta have those elementary and middle-school kids go back to work and earn an income -- no slackers allowed! And I know they'd gladly drive them there with the appropriate bumper sticker on their car about how their young child works a 40 hr. workweek AND is an honor roll student!

 

[beachlover9395]

Now I realize this won't interest some people, but for the ones who care, this came out yesterday:

Older Americans face cuts to gov't food aid

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/10/eveningnews/main20118323.shtml


"He's one of 600,000 seniors nationwide who take part in what's called the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. To qualify, seniors must earn less than $14,300 a year.

But, the program is in jeopardy, as Congress is looking at cutting some of its funding.

"I can think of things that Congress could probably cut back on," Coleman says. "But this is not one of them. People have to eat."

Food banks report surge in first timers

In the latest federal budget, the House proposed $800,000 in cuts to federal nutrition programs. If those cuts pass Congress later this year,150,000 food-box receipients would be dropped.

"I ask you, how would you make a decision around which elderly person would get a food box?" Vicki Escarra asks. "Who gets one and who doesn't? How do you make those kinds of decisions?""


Hey, maybe Sesame Street can do a story about an elderly muppet having food insecurity issues and maybe get beat up a few times. Awesome!!! After all, the elderly muppet obviously made poor choices and deserves to get beaten up for it. Way to go, Grandpa!!!

:::extreme sarcasm:::

 

[luvsJack]

Yes I believe that food insecurity exists for children. It is very, very real and pathetic beyond belief. And I know it FIRST HAND from my childhood.

But I will put 99.99% of the blame on the parents. It may not be drugs, alcohol,cigarettes etc. - but it does boil down to parents who just don't give a damn if their kids are hungry. Quite often the price of a fancy hairdo and nails would feed a kid at least rice and beans for a month.

NEVER EVER EVER give money to those begging for food for their kids. The kids will almost never see it. Put some real food in the kids' hands and watch them eat it before the evil parent tries to sell it.

Parents here on the DIS are normal people who literally cannot fathom people treating their children like this. But it does exist.

Are there parents that don't care about their kids? Sure, and those parents come rich and poor. But 99.9%? No. There is a minority that could not get the nails done and buy food. But there is a much larger group that have never had their nails done or their hair cut professionally or buy new clothes and they still don't have enough to buy food.

Everyone see what a few do and assume that it is all poor people. Its not.