Democratic Convention Party

[30A Skunkape]

Skunky, I understand that turning away from the dark side has been hard for you. I know being raised in the Country Club Estates, being enrolled in private schools since kindergarten, and basically never needing a safety net because your daddy gave you one himself, it's hard to really relate to people who have faced terrible obstacles. That's why I'm going to ignore your little free cheese comment, because I know your heart is in the right place. I am thankful for the time you spent working at Charity, and am glad you are spending your Sunday planning the pin the tail on the donkey activity for the party. I'm grateful you've seen the light.

FYI 'lady of the people', my butt was always clothed in hand me downs and Sears Roebuck couture growing up. We lived in a state of modesty imposed by my mom, and that is why we could afford to live in a nice neighborhood. Dad (or 'daddy' as a father is apparently dubbed if he earns more than the minimum wage) drove a 1976 Malibu classic until 1992 and then drove a chevy S-10 pickup that was manual and had an AM radio. I have lived in way more modest digs than you since then and you can't deny it. Was I lucky growing up? You bet. But I still think the 'dark side' has a good point in encouraging adults to get off their rumps and weave their own safety nets rather than offering a guilded piece of crap devised by the government.
And one more thing-the only reason I went to private school was because, as you know, mom was old school Catholic (and Democrat until the day she died) so Catholic schools it was. Dad would have loved me going to the public school but he didn't want to endure lectures on my soul dwelling in Purgatory or worse if I didn't receive my education at Our Lady of whatever.
Now if you will excuse me, this ass has to go plan a donkey pinning.:roll:

 

[Miss Critter]

Skunky, I understand that turning away from the dark side has been hard for you. I know being raised in the Country Club Estates, being enrolled in private schools since kindergarten, and basically never needing a safety net because your daddy gave you one himself, it's hard to really relate to people who have faced terrible obstacles. That's why I'm going to ignore your little free cheese comment, because I know your heart is in the right place. I am thankful for the time you spent working at Charity, and am glad you are spending your Sunday planning the pin the tail on the donkey activity for the party. I'm grateful you've seen the light.

FYI 'lady of the people', my butt was always clothed in hand me downs and Sears Roebuck couture growing up. We lived in a state of modesty imposed by my mom, and that is why we could afford to live in a nice neighborhood. Dad (or 'daddy' as a father is apparently dubbed if he earns more than the minimum wage) drove a 1976 Malibu classic until 1992 and then drove a chevy S-10 pickup that was manual and had an AM radio. I have lived in way more modest digs than you since then and you can't deny it. Was I lucky growing up? You bet. But I still think the 'dark side' has a good point in encouraging adults to get off their rumps and weave their own safety nets rather than offering a guilded piece of crap devised by the government.
And one more thing-the only reason I went to private school was because, as you know, mom was old school Catholic (and Democrat until the day she died) so Catholic schools it was. Dad would have loved me going to the public school but he didn't want to endure lectures on my soul dwelling in Purgatory or worse if I didn't receive my education at Our Lady of whatever.
Now if you will excuse me, this ass has to go plan a donkey pinning.:roll:

Do you two really live in the same house?? I'm guessing two computers, though.

 

[Miss Critter]

You two should have a show on 30A Radio. You're the Mary Matalin/James Carville of SoWal.

 

[rapunzel]

...now that is true bleu love! Is your work done with Skunky, or will you continue your lessons with me? Dare ya'!

My only bone to pick with is helping derail the Convention Watch Party thread, Miss Kitty.
I know Sarafunn is on the job, and has probably explained that contrary to R marketing campaigns, Democrats have supported work as the cornerstone of the social safety net since 1992, and have overseen the only declines in the federal deficit and welfare rolls despite Republican promises. Democrats today are focused on strengthening the middle class, which has grown drastically smaller and poorer over the last 8 years.

Free cheese is very vintage Republican rhetoric from 1990, back when Republicans stood for very different things....and Democrats, too, for that matter. Skunky was watching In Living Color last night and that Homey the Clown skit got stuck in his head, I guess.

 

[Miss Kitty]

FYI 'lady of the people', my butt was always clothed in hand me downs and Sears Roebuck couture growing up. We lived in a state of modesty imposed by my mom, and that is why we could afford to live in a nice neighborhood. Dad (or 'daddy' as a father is apparently dubbed if he earns more than the minimum wage) drove a 1976 Malibu classic until 1992 and then drove a chevy S-10 pickup that was manual and had an AM radio. I have lived in way more modest digs than you since then and you can't deny it. Was I lucky growing up? You bet. But I still think the 'dark side' has a good point in encouraging adults to get off their rumps and weave their own safety nets rather than offering a guilded piece of crap devised by the government.
And one more thing-the only reason I went to private school was because, as you know, mom was old school Catholic (and Democrat until the day she died) so Catholic schools it was. Dad would have loved me going to the public school but he didn't want to endure lectures on my soul dwelling in Purgatory or worse if I didn't receive my education at Our Lady of whatever.
Now if you will excuse me, this ass has to go plan a donkey pinning.:roll:

I love you both. I read this memoir of Skunky's and it made me remember how "safe and secure"we were growing up. (read that as we didn't have the TV and computer media squaking at us 24/7 telling us we are all screwed) I hope I was able to impart some of the same values in spite of providing a "private" (read what you want) school education to my kids. Sorry to continue to derail this thread, punz, but think how important this dialogue is to those of us on the picket (ouch) fence.

 

[rapunzel]

Well, it's a very tongue and cheek dialogue. I hope it came through that I was teasing Skunky about something he's very careful to not convey -- he grew up in a very comfortable setting. It's funny, all his brothers are the same way. To hear them talk, they grew up poor. His mom was a Depression baby, so I know she was frugal about some things. Still, the changes in the economy didn't effect his life fundamentally, and I do think that creates a different perspective.

I also think it's cute that he gives the impression I'm all cha-cha, when I'm the one from a modest background. My dad had a shoe store, my mom was a social worker. When the economy was bad we felt it. I saw the innocent children who didn't ask or deserve to be born into poverty that my mom was able to help via that safety net, and know that even though there are people who abuse any system, it's better for society to have programs that prevent the least among us from starving in the streets. I know that the answer isn't in pouring money into welfare, nor is it in defunding the programs and telling people to buck up. I know that simplifying the issue to that degree is the work of people that look at politics and elections as marketing campaigns. That's why I try to look at policies and plans. Both candidates have useful websites with their specific plans and policies.

I think if you look at Barack Obama's position, it would have been called ultra conservative back in 1988. He talks about responsibility and the role of the community in ending the cycle of poverty, and says many of the things Bill Cosby was attacked for saying a few years ago. That's why I'm all about policy over rhetoric.

Expand Access to Jobs

• Help Americans Grab a Hold of and Climb the Job Ladder: Obama will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans succeed in the workforce.
• Create a Green Jobs Corps: Obama will create a program to directly engage disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities, while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career field.
• Improve Transportation Access to Jobs: As president, Obama will work to ensure that low-income Americans have transportation access to jobs. Obama will double the federal Jobs Access and Reverse Commute program to ensure that additional federal public transportation dollars flow to the highest-need communities and that urban planning initiatives take this aspect of transportation policy into account.

Make Work Pay for All Americans

• Create a Living Wage: Obama will raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing.
• Provide Tax Relief: Obama will provide all low and middle-income workers a $500 Making Work Pay tax credit to offset the payroll tax those workers pay in every paycheck. Obama will also eliminate taxes for seniors making under $50,000 per year.
  Strengthen Families
• Promote Responsible Fatherhood: Obama will sign into law his Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act to remove some of the government penalties on married families, crack down on men avoiding child support payments, and ensure that payments go to families instead of state bureaucracies.
• Support Parents with Young Children: Obama will expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year. The Nurse-Family Partnership provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families.
• Expand Paid Sick Days: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick days. Obama supports guaranteeing workers seven paid sick days per year.
  Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing
• Create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Obama will create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing in mixed-income neighborhoods.
• Fully Fund the Community Development Block Grant: Obama will fully fund the Community Development Block Grant program and engage with urban leaders across the country to increase resources to the highest-need Americans.

Tackle Concentrated Poverty

• Establish 20 Promise Neighborhoods: Obama will create 20 Promise Neighborhoods in areas that have high levels of poverty and crime and low levels of student academic achievement in cities across the nation. The Promise Neighborhoods will be modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone, which provides a full network of services, including early childhood education, youth violence prevention efforts and after-school activities, to an entire neighborhood from birth to college.
• Ensure Community-Based Investment Resources in Every Urban Community: Obama will work with community and business leaders to identify and address the unique economic development barriers of every major metropolitan area. Obama will provide additional resources to the federal Community Development Financial Institution Fund, the Small Business Administration and other federal agencies, especially to their local branch offices, to address community needs.
• Invest in Rural Areas: Obama will invest in rural small businesses and fight to expand high-speed Internet access. He will improve rural schools and attract more doctors to rural areas.

 

[CPort]

Don't forget "Free" Lunch!

and free breakfast.......pencils,paper,rulers,backbacks,workbooks and free summer school. And lets not forget the free meals during the summer for any child off the street between the age 5 and 18 resident or non resident of the school district.:roll:
All the above was provided during the Clinton admin. if your district meet the guidlines.

 

[CPort]

Well, it's a very tongue and cheek dialogue. I hope it came through that I was teasing Skunky about something he's very careful to not convey -- he grew up in a very comfortable setting. It's funny, all his brothers are the same way. To hear them talk, they grew up poor. His mom was a Depression baby, so I know she was frugal about some things. Still, the changes in the economy didn't effect his life fundamentally, and I do think that creates a different perspective.

I also think it's cute that he gives the impression I'm all cha-cha, when I'm the one from a modest background. My dad had a shoe store, my mom was a social worker. When the economy was bad we felt it. I saw the innocent children who didn't ask or deserve to be born into poverty that my mom was able to help via that safety net, and know that even though there are people who abuse any system, it's better for society to have programs that prevent the least among us from starving in the streets. I know that the answer isn't in pouring money into welfare, nor is it in defunding the programs and telling people to buck up. I know that simplifying the issue to that degree is the work of people that look at politics and elections as marketing campaigns. That's why I try to look at policies and plans. Both candidates have useful websites with their specific plans and policies.

I think if you look at Barack Obama's position, it would have been called ultra conservative back in 1988. He talks about responsibility and the role of the community in ending the cycle of poverty, and says many of the things Bill Cosby was attacked for saying a few years ago. That's why I'm all about policy over rhetoric.

I like the way Bill Cosby thinks,I think.

I realize its not as simple as pouring money in to social programs. And I hope your man Obama feels the same Punzy.

 

[Miss Kitty]

and free breakfast.......pencils,paper,rulers,backbacks,workbooks and free summer school. And lets not forget the free meals during the summer for any child off the street between the age 5 and 18 resident or non resident of the school district.:roll:
All the above was provided during the Clinton admin. if your district meet the guidlines.

Wow, I missed that boat! When I taught school starting in 1976 ALL of those supplies and more came out of my $9,300 salary. Believe me when I tell you, I would have qualified for free lunch.

 

[Romeosmydog]

For some reason I can't give any more rep to you Rapunzel. Thanks for the tongue in cheek response to Skunky. I know that he didn't mean anything by it. I personally would Never underestimate the glory of government cheese. Grandma stood in line with the best of them to get our share of commodities. And the WIC foods, yummy! I ate everything but the freaky cereal that colored the toilet water neon. Once I even tried to buy a skor bar with food stamps at the DAYCO in Freeport.