In the words of Oscar Wilde

[Samantha]

"To recommend thrift to the poor is both grotesque and insulting. It is like advising a man who is starving to eat less." Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man under Socialism.

And that is exactly the equivalent of what Republicans today suggest. And even more inconceivable is the fact that some Democrats agree.

But a former Democratic President still speaks to us in these words he left behind: "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." That Democrat was John F. Kennedy, who made this comment in his 1961 inaugural address.

Food for thought in these trying times.

The above is reposted from a thread I submitted July 08, 2011. Here we are almost five years later but what has changed? I think it is important not to lose sight of those thoughts. As you might already know, Oscar Wilde was a socialist. Today we have a Democratic candidate championing the needs of the poor. In case you missed it, listen to Bernie Sanders in a recent interview by Rachel Maddow saying, "Hopeless Poverty Threatens Democracy."

http://crooksandliars.com/2015/12/bernie-sanders-hopeless-poverty-threatens

Bernie also states "we should not lead the world in childhood poverty:"

We should not be the country that has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country and more wealth and income inequality than any other country. We should not be the only major country on Earth that does not guarantee health care to all of our people as a right of citizenship and we should not be the only major country that does not provide medical and parental leave.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Bernie_Sanders_Welfare_+_Poverty.htm

This Country needs a leader who will attack these problems today rather than tomorrow. That person is Bernie Sanders. Seldom have we had a chance to undo some of the wrongs that have been thrust upon our society the last 40 plus years. But that chance is coming in the contest for the 2016 Presidential race. I hope we don't squander it.

Sam

[tecelote]

1. Great quote...

"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." That Democrat was John F. Kennedy, who made this comment in his 1961 inaugural address.

[Samantha]

2. Those classic words should be thought-provoking for everyone at this particular time

What a tragedy we lost him so soon.

Thanks for posting on my thread.

Sam

[lewebley3]

6. The only ones that are over looking the poor are the GOP

LbJ: said "vote for the people on this" the rich
can take of themselves they always have and always
will (when speaking to get congress people about
helping the poor).

I a very crafty politician that got things done for
the poor

Like Hillary and FDR

[CharlotteVale]

3. K&R

[SoLeftIAmRight]

4. WOW - many thanks for this post - post like this keep me here

...

[Samantha]

5. And I am very glad you are here, SoLeftIAmRight

We need some serious uplifting about now. We do have some good things going for us. Perhaps we need to talk about them more.

Thank you for posting on my thread. I am so happy you enjoyed it.

Sam

[Ed Suspicious]

7. That is one of my favorite pieces of writing ever. Thanks

for that.

[Samantha]

16. I am glad you liked it, Ed Suspicious

I started thinking recently it would be a good thing to try to elevate the discourse around DU to discuss the true issues at stake in this election. And the first subject I came up with I wanted to discuss was poverty in this Country. As Bernie Sanders says, this is the richest country in the world. There is no excuse why anyone should be hungry or poor, Ed Suspicious, so I am going to work as hard as I can to talk about what exactly is at stake here.

Thank you so much for posting on my thread.

Sam

[pangaia]

8. Bernie Sanders understands everything on such a deeper level

than all the rest, including Hillary Clinton.


It is like the difference between the violinist Clara-Jumi Kang and all the rest.

[Samantha]

17. Perhaps it is because he rose from humble roots

and he has such a deep sense of empathy for the disadvantaged. We really need this man to win the Oval Office.

Thanks for posting on my thread.

Sam

[pangaia]

18. Agreed 1000%.

My great pleasure.

[stupidicus]

9. yep, that's why I find HC's opposition to single-payer so offensive

the dems need to take some negotiating lessons from the rightwingnuts....

[Samantha]

19. The health insurance giants and the pharmaceutical companies would lose a bundle of money

I too support single payer, but I believe the fight to get it is going to be really ugly. All major changes we want will be like that, I guess.

Thank you, stupidicus, for posting on my thread.

Sam

[Octafish]

10. JFK Battled Wall Street and Big Business

In the short time he had, President Kennedy did what he could to balance the interests of concentrated wealth with the interests of the average American -- necessary for the good of the country.

Professor Donald Gibson detailed the issues in his 1994 book, Battling Wall Street: The Kennedy Presidency.

From the book:

"What (J.F.K. tried) to do with everything from global investment patterns to tax breaks for individuals was to re-shape laws and policies so that the power of property and the search for profit would not end up destroying rather than creating economic prosperity for the country."

-- Donald Gibson, Battling Wall Street. The Kennedy Presidency

More on the book, by two great Americans:

"Gibson captures what I believe to be the most essential and enduring aspect of the Kennedy presidency. He not only sets the historical record straight, but his work speaks volumes against today's burgeoning cynicism and in support of the vision, ideal, and practical reality embodied in the presidency of John F. Kennedy - that every one of us can make a difference." -- Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez, Chair, House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs

"Professor Gibson has written a unique and important book. It is undoubtedly the most complete and profound analysis of the economic policies of President Kennedy. From here on in, anyone who states that Kennedy was timid or status quo or traditional in that field will immediately reveal himself ignorant of Battling Wall Street. It is that convincing." -- James DiEugenio, author, Destiny Betrayed. JFK, Cuba, and the Garrison Case --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Had he lived to serve a second term, I'd bet on JFK and American Labor over The Fed and Wall Street.

[Samantha]

21. An invaluable contribution to this thread, Octafish

Thank you so much.

John Kennedy was very much an independent thinker. He had developed plans of his own which he kept secret from the military industrial complex, plans which would have greatly benefited this Country. He wanted to get us out of Vietnam and following the Cuban Missile Crisis, he privately resolved to improve the relationship between the United States and the then Soviet Union. This Country would be a different place today if only he had lived.

Sam

[Octafish]

29. Money

"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is." -- Oscar Wilde



Thank you for the kind words and grokking, Samantha. Thank you for a most important OP and thread about what really matters.

Please allow me to add that I don't for a minute believe Mr. Wilde -- or you and the good people on DU and the sources mentioned in this thread --would ever consider money or property or things at all to trump peace, even for all the money in the world.

[valerief]

11. The rich will replace us all with robots eventually. "The masses" will become obsolete. nt

[Proserpina]

25. They will certainly try

but I predict a total failure on their part. The economics are not there, nor the creativity. And to tell the truth, if not for the adoring, envious masses, what would be the point of being in the 1%?

[valerief]

27. They don't need the masses. They can compete with each other.

As for creativity, brilliant scientists will build the robots who can build and repair more robots, and those scientists will die out.

And the day will come when the robots will kill the humans. It has been ordained.

[Punx]

12. Just Today

Here's Jeb recommending ending food stamps.

My opinion of this and him at the moment is so nasty I don't want to put it down here.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/obama-rips-nra-for-peddling-fiction-at-town-hall-on-guns-2016-01-08?link=TDheadline_1

[Samantha]

22. Did you hear him say (I think it was the day before yesterday) that he is going to have

George W. Bush* start campaigning for him because he is still popular.

He also said he would phase out Medicare and replace it with something else. I am sure that was good news for Floridians to hear, since many of them are retirees.

Jeb Bush has no sense of reality. I guess I should stop at that.

Thank you for posting on my thread.

Sam

[Punx]

24. Your Welcome

I know that he was also talking about reducing Social Security benefits last year, the specifics of which escape me at the moment and don't really matter as any idea he has can't possibly be good for the average person.

Made sure that my Republican parents (on both Medicare and Social Security) heard about it, which of course they hadn't from the MSM at the time.

Take care.

[randys1]

26. They despise poor people and think they are a drag on their existence.

All that matters to the rightwing mind is self, and the closest family member.

Nothing else, environment or whatever, nobody else, matters.

[Paka]

13. K&R

The inner feeling of sheer joy that I get from supporting this moral and honorable man for President cannot be put into words. I've been voting for 52 years and I'm just grateful that I lived long enough for this moment.

[pangaia]

20. Beautifully spoken.

[Samantha]

23. Wonderful comment, Paka

It is almost too good to be true that we have a chance to have Bernie Sanders as our President.

Thanks for posting on my thread.

Sam

[KoKo]

14. Nice, Sam!

[myrna minx]

15. Thank you for bringing Oscar Wilde into the conversation. K&R!

[catrose]

28. Yes!

Oscar is so on target so much of the time.