>>I'm going to have to point something out here (in all fairness). It's not necessarily directed at you, although it was a few of your posts that demonstrate it so well :o) I've been to some of the poorest locations in this world and I've seen what real deprivation looks like. I've also had my own experience of having nothing more than a sleeping bag and a few small belongings that would fit in one bag to my name. I've gone days without food. I've seen what true malnutrition and shelters from rubbish look like. I am amazed when folks voice poor speak and worrying about the next job and income and yet they have a great (if not a castle to some people on this earth) home, multiple cars (where real poor don't even own a car), computers, laptops, HDTVs and iphones for all of their kids... the extra's never get sold or pawned for food money - life never gets that dire.
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>>If that is not "entitlement" ...
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>AMEN!..... If the welfare mindset here could actually see what real poverty is: people living in muddy squalor with a couple of 2x4's holding up a sheet of cardboard to keep the rain out, cooking from fetid water drawn from the local ponds and boiled to prevent disease, and then cooking whatever they could manage to catch. It's heartwrenching but I've seen it over and over and over.... the mindset there is to make due and get by one day at a time and be happy that you have something.
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>Here in America, the poor have cars, flat screen TV's, nice homes all at gov't expense. Here the mindset is: who can I sue to get more, how can I get more from the govt, how...how.. me... me... and they claim that there is no longer slavery (I'm singling out no particular race, just those on multis-generational welfare). They've been enslaved to the govt for decades and are to stupid to realize it.
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>Oh well, that felt good, but I doubt it will make zero difference to Mike. He'll still argue that govt should help those who want to leech of it for years...

It's always gratifying to be used as a straw man.