If you want to help the poor, you should read this










What is important it what really helps them.



Know your audience

Arthur Brooks made a great point in his Wall Street Journal opinion piece yesterday, Republicans and Their Faulty Moral Arithmetic.



That reminds me. I have made headway with liberal friends on the subject of school choice by doing exactly what Brooks suggests, making it about the kids and the parents who need the most help.

I pointed out that middle-income and wealthy folks already have school choice because they can afford to live in an area with a good public school district or pay to send their kids to private school. That may contribute to why these schools are successful.

I then asked why low-income parents shouldn’t be given more choice, too.

Several told me that changed their mind about school choice and they became supporters of it.

Learned Helplessness











Arthur Brooks: Earned Success vs. Learned Helplessness




Dennis Miller Show Podcasts

Here are two quotes from the Dennis Miller show last week.  The first came in an interview with Michelle Malkin and it was in reference to Malkin’s new book title, Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks and Cronies.

While reading the title, after “Tax Cheats” Miller inserts this:

People say, ‘oh that’s such an incendiary title’.  Geithner DID NOT PAY TAXES.  We live in a time when you can point out an accuracy and be deemed to be incendiary.

I agree. I often find that the other side doesn’t mind being incendiary.  They often drop bombs not based on reason or fact and they want to be able to get away with that without a response.  When I start to respond, usually by simply asking them  the reasons or facts behind their statement, they shut down the conversation with something like,  “Oh, I don’t feel like talking about that,” “I just know,” or “that’s just how I feel and you aren’t going to change that.”

Miller also interviewed author Arthur C. Brooks, who made some excellent points.  Here are a couple of those.

In regards to Greece and the U.S.:

Here’s the great contrast [between Greece and the U.S.].  And the question is, what are their protesters protesting?  They’re burning down their own buildings because they want more lavish pensions, they retire at…what do they retire at, like age 21?   They want to have their salaries paid by their fellow Greeks in the worst recession in 50 years.

In the United States we have protesters too.  The tea party guys who are protesting against exactly what the Greeks are demanding.  That’s an example of what’s best about America as far as I’m concerned.

Miller then went on to say:

It amazes me, all the old hippies who warned you about The Man, the Jerry Browns, the Bill Ayers, now they’re perpetually on the government teat all the way to the death rattle.  It’s unbelievable.  Do they not see the irony that they have become an insipid version of the man they so decried in their fiery youth.  It’s unbelievable, isn’t it Arthur?

Brooks’ great response:

Actually, it’s kind of believable.  People who love liberty, love liberty all the way through.  But people who simply [protest] because somebody has power and they don’t, you know that pretty soon they’re going to be able to get their hands on the reins and things are going to be even worse than they were when they were protesting.