Ms. Hutchison Testimony on Proposed Changes to the Poverty Line Calculation

I was thinking on this, in a broader sense, just the other day. I vote consistently Republican, consider myself a "Conservative", and have grave concerns about the expansion of "socialism" at the national level. However, I also think we have serious problems relating to true poverty in this country that could be addressed logically.

I think the first mistake we make, on either "side" of this debate, is stereotyping. Not everyone depending on "subsidies" has arrived there through irresponsibility...and not everyone earning millions of dollars a year are to blame. The second mistake is in failing to comprehend the scope of the U.S., if not the world economy, and how this relates to any proposed solution. Healthcare and education issues alone could represent vast amounts of money that if provided solely through increased taxation...may still be insufficient, or unsustainable. Finally, we err in presuming that all "cures" may not be worse than the "disease".

Personally, I think we are our brothers' keepers. How we fulfill that obligation is and should be a more complex process than mere taxation, wage setting, or distribution. We should be asking why someone working three jobs can't pay their rent, or why the average middle-class household may have more than $8,000 of unsecured debt.

If we want a truly non-partisan, non-political solution, I think we have to admit that there are ulterior motives behind much of the rhetoric. Someone in their 20s, with little to no experience, who has racked up high debts pursuing education in unemployable fields...is not the same as someone in their 40s, who has lost their career due to "consolidation", "downsizing", etc. Neither is someone in their 30s who has "social anxiety disorder" confronting the same challenges as someone in their 60s facing leukemia. The famous Conservative, Teddy Roosevelt, took on the "Trusts" for many of the same reasons today's Democrats challenge "Corporations"...and arguably, it has been the incorporation of America that has created firms large enough to support growing numbers of workers, and provide adequate pay and benefits.

The answer, as I see it...is not ideology, or "feelings", or "memes", but proactively reducing inflation, managing the balance between efficiency and sustainability in production, making business decisions from a "human" point of view, in addition to profit.

that's very power testimony. something i can absolutely relate with. i can still remember the days when i had to go to sleep hungry because my mother didn't have enough money to buy food. she worked 2 jobs just to make ends meet and the only time i saw her was on the weekend. maybe this is why i'm more a liberal, i see myself as successful with the help of socialized program that allowed me to achieved my goals based on my own merit. even with 2 or 3 jobs at minimum wage, you're barely making enough.

@1SG Mark Gomez more people need to hear this. I was there not too very long ago. Those in power to help and truly help, don't. Their actions help encourage dishonesty, drug dealing, and lying just to ensure poor kids can get Medicaid. Other countries do not respect anything we have to say about humanity and morality.