TONIGHT ON FRONTLINE: Gunned down

[Neutron Monster]

You are probable right Neutron, but I have kids today I hear what they talk about. I am plugged into youth support groups and hear what they talk about. Might not be totally right but you cannot tell me in some parts of the country TV is not a roll model for teens who have absent or disengaged parents? I could be wrong for sure.

I don't think it has zero impact, I just think it's heavily overstated.

For instance, the teen mom tv show on MTV - the teen mother birth rate started declining faster after the show came on the air. Maybe the show makes being a teen mom look horrible? I've never seen it.

I think the environment you grow up in is vastly more important. That's a personal opinion, not a factual statement. I think there's a lot to be said for the day to day expectations and examples of those around you.

 

[bullitpdq68]

I don't think it has zero impact, I just think it's heavily overstated.

For instance, the teen mom tv show on MTV - the teen mother birth rate started declining faster after the show came on the air. Maybe the show makes being a teen mom look horrible? I've never seen it.

I think the environment you grow up in is vastly more important. That's a personal opinion, not a factual statement. I think there's a lot to be said for the day to day expectations and examples of those around you.

Totally agree with that statement and that is why I mentioned absent or disengaged parents. I think nothing can be overstated by the environment with which you are raised.

 

[Scout 4u]

Kenny we are friends on facebook don't even go there and tell me you cannot afford this or that I see how you live.

You are totally right it is not realistic for every family to adopt and that is my point how are you going to come up with all the extra resources for these extra kids that are going to be dumped into an already broken system? It is okay to have an opinion but an opinion and offering an actual solution to your opinion is another. I don't post here very often because alot of these guys I feel are smarter and better informed than me on several subjects this is just close to my heart. Just like gun control opinions not only are they against it and have an opinion but they are trying to offer solutions not just yelling ban guns. Sure stopping abortions is a noble idea but what is the solution to all the unwanted children once you do it and all those unwanted children start flooding the foster system and those that will need care for life!! Who pays for those high risk pregnancy that can cost over $100,000 dollars?

I too had my own kids and when I was called upon I did it and never look backed again we are friends on facebook you can see my kids. I had an opinion and I am offering a small very very small drop in the bucket what I can do solution to what I see as a problem. You only live once so make your mark while you can on as many lives as possible.

You say that but you know the state of Missouri has several times tried to cut funding to the current foster system that is currently under funded now!! Write you congress man and ask them to please increase funding for all those children in the system now that is a start if you want to help!!

68 your post was well thought out and written. No need to apologize for your opinion or lack of knowledge.
No one on this board including myself are experts at anything .

It's just for "fun "!!!
Keep posting, I'll read....

 

[Scout 4u]

I agree, although I do believe it is now illegal to buy a gun and ship it in the mail. Not sure on that point. And I have said before, there are so many millions of guns out there now that it will take decades for any kind of law meant to limit the accessability of guns to make any difference. Do we just throw our hands up and say we can't do anything about it? Yes, criminals and lunatics will always find a way to get a gun. But can't we try to make it harder without having to fight the battle with the NRA types and their rhetoric about "the government taking our guns away". We all know that is nonsense and not going to happen, and only meant to inflame public opinion.

Think we agreed on just about everything concerning the control of gun sales.
As for the buying guns through the mail...
I was referring to "Ads in News Papers" where people simply meet at undisclosed locations and trade, sell, or buy anything they want.

There are also web sites out in cyber land that use the same format.
Not sure if "any" law would affect a criminal from doing this.
What do you think?

 

[Bogey Man]

Kenny we are friends on facebook don't even go there and tell me you cannot afford this or that I see how you live.

You are totally right it is not realistic for every family to adopt and that is my point how are you going to come up with all the extra resources for these extra kids that are going to be dumped into an already broken system? It is okay to have an opinion but an opinion and offering an actual solution to your opinion is another. I don't post here very often because alot of these guys I feel are smarter and better informed than me on several subjects this is just close to my heart. Just like gun control opinions not only are they against it and have an opinion but they are trying to offer solutions not just yelling ban guns. Sure stopping abortions is a noble idea but what is the solution to all the unwanted children once you do it and all those unwanted children start flooding the foster system and those that will need care for life!! Who pays for those high risk pregnancy that can cost over $100,000 dollars?

I too had my own kids and when I was called upon I did it and never look backed again we are friends on facebook you can see my kids. I had an opinion and I am offering a small very very small drop in the bucket what I can do solution to what I see as a problem. You only live once so make your mark while you can on as many lives as possible.

You say that but you know the state of Missouri has several times tried to cut funding to the current foster system that is currently under funded now!! Write you congress man and ask them to please increase funding for all those children in the system now that is a start if you want to help!!

Nice, honest post, bullit, and my sentiments exactly. I believe abortion to be morally wrong, but I would feel like a hypocrite, (and see others as a hypocrites), to preach and condemn to hell someone who has an abortion when I am not willing to adopt or take in foster children myself, nor do I want to see any unwanted child dumped into a system with no love or stability in their life. It's easy to give lip service, but I, too, believe that if you are not part of the solution and willing to do something about the problem, then you have no right to preach the bible and tell someone else how they should live.

I appaud you, sir, for taking in foster kids. To me, you are the only one on here who has earned the right to lecture anyone on abortion.

 

[Scout 4u]

Nice, honest post, bullit, and my sentiments exactly. I believe abortion to be morally wrong, but I would feel like a hypocrite, (and see others as a hypocrites), to preach and condemn to hell someone who has an abortion when I am not willing to adopt or take in foster children myself, nor do I want to see any unwanted child dumped into a system with no love or stability in their life. It's easy to give lip service, but I, too, believe that if you are not part of the solution and willing to do something about the problem, then you have no right to preach the bible and tell someone else how they should live.

I appaud you, sir, for taking in foster kids. To me, you are the only one on here who has earned the right to lecture anyone on abortion.

Can one be for abortions under extreme circumstances yet against partial birth/late term abortions?

 

[Kenny56]

I need to clean my Facebook friends list up lol.

 

[Scout 4u]

I need to clean my Facebook friends list up lol.

Sorry, just thought it was an interesting topic.

 

[Kenny56]

Nice, honest post, bullit, and my sentiments exactly. I believe abortion to be morally wrong, but I would feel like a hypocrite, (and see others as a hypocrites), to preach and condemn to hell someone who has an abortion when I am not willing to adopt or take in foster children myself, nor do I want to see any unwanted child dumped into a system with no love or stability in their life. It's easy to give lip service, but I, too, believe that if you are not part of the solution and willing to do something about the problem, then you have no right to preach the bible and tell someone else how they should live.

I appaud you, sir, for taking in foster kids. To me, you are the only one on here who has earned the right to lecture anyone on abortion.

Since you have zero idea about the functionality of guns, don't lecture me on what I do or don't need. Just saying.

 

[Bogey Man]

Since you have zero idea about the functionality of guns, don't lecture me on what I do or don't need. Just saying.

Let's see... put bullet in chamber, close chamber. aim gun, pull the trigger, blow brains out of another living creature.

Not a complicated concept, Kenny.

 

[Sleepless_in_Jefferson_County]

Can one be for abortions under extreme circumstances yet against partial birth/late term abortions?

Can you show ANYWHERE where someone on this board advocated for partial birth or late term abortions? Please do everyone a favor and stick to things that are actually pertinent to the discussion.

 

[Black&Gold82]

There are barely 1 M abortions per year in the US, there certainly haven't been 1 M YTD.

Year cycle.

 

[Black&Gold82]

Are you actually saying there is no outrage over abortion? Francis Gerald Grady was apparently outraged in Wisconsin when he planted a bomb at a Planned Parenthood location. Here's a question you should ask, from 2000 to 2006 Republicans who win elections on this issue were in control of the House, Senate, Presidency, and the Supreme Court leaned right. Why do we still have legal abortion? Simple answer, as long as abortion is legal it wins them elections by having a topic to be outraged about, then it is ignored by these same politicians until the next election cycle.

I don't give a flip about dumb ass politicians.

 

[Black&Gold82]

Let's see... put bullet in chamber, close chamber. aim gun, pull the trigger, blow brains out of another living creature.

Not a complicated concept, Kenny.

See you got it wrong. Nobody shoots a trophy in the head.

 

[Black&Gold82]

Were is the outrage for all the children who don't have a home. In the U.S. 397,122 children are living without permanent families in the foster care system. 101,666 of these children are eligible for adoption, but nearly 32% of these children will wait over three years in foster care before being adopted. So you want to add 1,000,000 more children to a messed up system already. What have you done to help? How many foster kids do you take in per year how many have you adopted?

Bullit I'm single working 3 jobs. I doubt that I would be able to adequately mentor and take care of foster kids right now. I do support the youth advocacy center in our area and will be supplying a good chunk of their budget this year. Some of the meals it supplies are the only meals they get during the evening. If I could adopt I would love to. My 3 kids are out of the house. Not sure they need to be raised by a single parent although I did that with my 2 boys and they came out ok. We have 5 adopted kids in our family now. Another brother and his wife had foster kids for years. Another brother donated the land and built a children's center and drives a fund raiser each year to support it. Although, it may not seem like much to you we are doing what we can as we can.

 

[oldroundballer]

The real difference is that Americans who don't go to college and who make a below median income don't get married the way they used to. That's not driven by TV; that's driven by the reality of where they live. Their role models (parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) are much less likely to be married or even in a committed relationship with the parent of their children.

And that's a huge problem. Too many kids are running wild in the streets of the inner cities and getting into trouble. Can you see any end in sight? The current "Dads" who knock up every girl they can are never going to take responsibility. We need to start with the young girls and try to convince them to not get pregnant. Maybe in another generation the problem might start slowing down.

 

[Neutron Monster]

And that's a huge problem. Too many kids are running wild in the streets of the inner cities and getting into trouble. Can you see any end in sight? The current "Dads" who knock up every girl they can are never going to take responsibility. We need to start with the young girls and try to convince them to not get pregnant. Maybe in another generation the problem might start slowing down.

The trends are the same across all locations and races in the US. Calling it an inner city problem is a distraction from the real issue.

About half of the children born in the US are born out of wedlock. That's driven by the birthrate of unmarried non-college educated 20 somethings of all races. For perspective, about 90% of the first births to college educated women occur in wedlock. For those with a HS diploma/some college - it's about 50%. For those with no HS diploma, it's under 40%.

It's not really a teen birth problem anymore - as much as anything, it's a problem of unstable 20 somethings. Many don't see matrimony as a requirement to raising a kid, especially when they think the other parent of their child isn't anything special. Many don't have educations that give them the opportunity to find a good paying job that supports a family (the women don't have much to gain from a lot of the men, and vice versa.) Etc.

How do you break that cycle? It's a very tough question to answer.

 

[Sleepless_in_Jefferson_County]

http://thefederalist.com/2014/05/22/five-reasons-america-needs-more-dads/

 

[Bogey Man]

See you got it wrong. Nobody shoots a trophy in the head.

Dang I was so close.

 

[Neutron Monster]

http://thefederalist.com/2014/05/22/five-reasons-america-needs-more-dads/

That article is hot garbage. Notably, why didn't single parent households start declining when we cut welfare in the 1990s? Why didn't it decline when the benefits went down 30% in the 1970s? And, the % of single moms on welfare is not that high - nowhere near high enough to explain the change.

Not every societal change can be blamed on government programs no matter how hard some people try to do so.

The changes in the labor market and in societal expectations drive this, not welfare.

 

[Stevedangos]

Let's see... put bullet in chamber, close chamber. aim gun, pull the trigger, blow brains out of another living creature.

Not a complicated concept, Kenny.

it wont go boom with just a bullet in the chamber

 

[wcowherd]

Were is the outrage for all the children who don't have a home. In the U.S. 397,122 children are living without permanent families in the foster care system. 101,666 of these children are eligible for adoption, but nearly 32% of these children will wait over three years in foster care before being adopted. So you want to add 1,000,000 more children to a messed up system already. What have you done to help? How many foster kids do you take in per year how many have you adopted?

I applaud you for taking foster kids. My family adopted a girl from China. That was not an easy or inexpensive proposition, but no amount of money would've been too much for my sister.

 

[Sleepless_in_Jefferson_County]

That article is hot garbage. Notably, why didn't single parent households start declining when we cut welfare in the 1990s? Why didn't it decline when the benefits went down 30% in the 1970s? And, the % of single moms on welfare is not that high - nowhere near high enough to explain the change.

Not every societal change can be blamed on government programs no matter how hard some people try to do so.

The changes in the labor market and in societal expectations drive this, not welfare.

Did you even read the article? Because it talks about all the things you're arguing.