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So much for the War on Poverty

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    Report: Poverty rate may hit 15.7 percent

  • Duration 7:28
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Watch for the war on poverty and percent up poor Americans reportedly now on track to hit the highest level since right after LBJ declared his war on poverty.

And that's after spending fifteen trillion tax dollars trying to defeat it.

Well now some folks at Forbes asking where the congressional hearings over the massive spending on this war.

Everybody I'm David has been welcomed of Forbes on FOX let's go in focus with Steve forbes' Elizabeth MacDonald a rich -- guard Michael Zabian.

Rick -- and bill ball.

Steve should there be congressional hearings on this.

That's the least of it spending on these -- tested program 69 than David.

Now come to nearly a trillion dollars a year what are we getting for it all it does I think -- in many ways perpetuate poverty.

And the best cure for poverty is pro growth economic policies not handouts from the government Rick -- is -- spend money wasted.

Now I mean look you're not gonna get these hearings -- very simple reason if you really want to take on poverty you have to address what the real causes and the real cries.

Is that people don't have jobs.

If we wanna deal with poverty we do with jobs and the only way we -- -- jobs is if -- Republicans in congress stop stonewalling the jobs bill.

Started using it as a way to defeat Barack Obama and.

Facing Barack Obama has said that for years to solve this problem two of those years -- Democrats in congress in the senate and he keeps putting forward jobs bills and they keep.

Be -- -- -- -- oil rich rich -- I gotta agree with one -- isn't lack of morals really one of the worst things for those in poverty when you don't have a growing economy as we clearly found out we don't.

Right now you have more poor people.

Well sure I mean if we had a 4% GDP growth economy unemployment would be below 5% not around 8%.

As it is now I would love to get that fifteen trillion back you have that's exactly the size of our national debt.

It's gone down a -- open -- sure why we are afraid to discuss poverty.

Because inevitably is wrapped up in values issue the number one creator of poverty.

Is single motherhood because it irresponsible.

Young male.

Males and you know unless we address that issue head on I think pat Moines -- hand was the last Democrat willing to talk about that.

He's been in the grave for years but alas we talk about that -- on we're gonna get nowhere.

Bill ball when it was a another Democrat Bill Clinton who sort of revise our welfare system to make it -- -- system that seemed to work pretty well -- both Democrats Republicans agreed on.

Now the Obama administration is reversing that going back to more pure welfare.

David you're totally right about that conservatives should spend a lot less time -- you about new excuses for cutting needy families off.

And more time thinking about how to improve the lives of these -- in particular to improve their incentives number one let's bring back the workfare requirement Steve Forbes should be all over that.

Mistake of the Obama administration and a there's a second one.

The health care bill has perverse incentives and it.

It basically punishes middle class families who work harder witch hunt 100% plus tax rates that can be fixed let's focus on those ranks well -- Mac there was another Democrat from long ago who talked about the dependency the this sort of evil dependency that welfare too much welfare and genders in the people.

He said it continued dependence on release induces a spiritual.

And moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber to dole out relief welfare in this way is to administer a narcotic.

A subtle destroyer of the human spirit that was none other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt back in 1935.

At JFK's so the best former welfare is a job people want.

An opportunity they don't want a government lifeline.

But there also needs to be I think some honesty needs to be injected into this debate a lot of these statistics are taken at face value.

We do want to help the poor but what's not counted in the poverty rate.

What's only count of the -- -- the cash assistance meaning cash money that goes out the door Medicare and Medicaid hospital health was not kind of food stamps is not counted.

And you know -- OECD and then people in Europe always criticized the United States for having a really high poverty rate.

The numbers are really bad in this debate we need to get better numbers and it -- -- debates get a more honest debate going.

-- Mike goes Andy let's let's name another Democrat which it which was JFK who said a rising tide lifts all boats maybe that's what we need my feeling on this issue David is that the reason why the war on poverty has failed to fuels because it's not a war on poverty anymore.

It was initially started to help people because of no fault of their own -- a very bad financial situation.

Temporarily and it's become now -- program where we get more and more Americans dependent on government it's very dangerous because.

People don't realize their whole lives they're paying into this program one way or another and it's really detracting from there and -- -- -- -- and you know it's interesting you're talking about increasing the growth in the country because it was a couple of weeks ago when you are telling us.

That the economy -- turnaround that everything was going great remember that what happened I never said it you certainly did chastise us for saying that the economy wasn't growing -- I remember exactly what I said I think you're being a little bit too negative things -- you worse -- you -- -- fireworks shrug and say -- didn't let -- controllers -- -- -- -- -- -- arm and get serious even if you -- I'm actually glad that you -- some of those Democrats because there are more Democrats including myself by the way.

That really do think that we need to take -- much close to work out how the welfare system looks look.

We understand I understand.

That there are too many people taking advantage of the system why don't we spend some time developing a system that weeds out the cheaters.

From the people that Stevie or.

We did that we did that in the -- with a Republican congress and a democratic president and we had tremendous welfare reform.

Not only -- we get a lot of people off the dependency well for but we saved.

Billions of dollars yeah and since then now whether -- numerous programs David there's 69 means tested programs on the federal level a lot of them duplicative they never put him in an omnibus bill so people don't have the thing up.

It's 940 billion dollars a year.

And what what good does not feel a lot of it and -- -- Got to reform at least tax should understand sends those reforms that nice -- now advertising food stamps on television saying it's a great thing it helps it helps your diet -- -- -- this isn't right.

Here to say -- about the -- -- initiative is to is that we can we're a country that is very generous we do take care of our pour.

The issue is is with -- Foster the novelist said when he spool feed people -- it's teach them -- it was bone.

You wanna teach them how to get a job it's about economic growth in this country and the policies created off and not -- governments.

-- rich program I don't wanna get too biblical here but it it was a famous guy wants said hey after all if you wanna help a poor person you don't get -- -- you teach you how to fish.

You not only teach them how to fish that you teach them about fish distribution channels fish marketing all of those kinds of things he says that Americans are generous.

But we're taxpayers are pretty darn tired of funding dysfunctional behavior all right that's got to be the last word on the saga while this dismal.

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