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Herman Cain on Welfare & Poverty
Republican Businessman & Talk-Show Host; 2011 GOP frontrunner
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Change entitlement to empowerment programs
Q: How to address the 72 entitlement programs?CAIN: We need to change entitlement to empowerment programs. You need to prove you are looking for a job or are taking classes to get a better job. Means testing will help but you need to make people
take ownership and WANT to get off those programs. I would block grant all entitlement programs back to the states and give them the flexibility on how to modify the programs and stretch those dollars.
Source: Head-to-head debate between Herman Cain & Newt Gingrich
, Nov 5, 2011
I connect with pain because I was po' before I was poor
Q: Over the last 30 years, the income of the wealthiest 1% of Americans has grown by more than 300%. And yet, we have more people living in poverty in this country than at any time in the last 50 years. Is this acceptable? A:
I can connect with people's pain because I was po' before I was poor. My dad worked three jobs. I understand what that means. But more importantly, with my career and with my record,
I understand that leaders are supposed to make sure we're working on the right problems, we assign the right priority; surround yourself with the right people, which will allow you to put together
the right plans--and yes, sometimes those plans will be bold plans, because this economy is on life support. We don't need to trim around the edges. We need a bold plan.
Source: 2011 GOP debate at Dartmouth College, NH
, Oct 11, 2011
Safety net has become dependency on the government
Big government enthusiasts designed social programs to provide a financial safety net, but, in turn, dependency on the government for the most vulnerable in society became an expected entitlement. Decades since their inception, far too many
Americans have shifted their expectations from government assistance to entitlement. Too many people have exchanged their freedom for a false sense of security that these programs are supposed to provide.Ever-expanding social programs are compromising
the current and future financial stability of this great country. The federal government has imposed expensive and often counter-productive social and welfare programs on the states and the people. It is time to admit the mistakes, and get the federal
government out of the way. This will allow states, cities, churches, charities and businesses to offer a helping hand instead of a handout where they live. People closest to the problems are the best ones to solve the problems effectively.
Source: Presidential campaign website, www.hermancain.com, "Issues"
, May 21, 2011
Help poor by helping everybody; not by hurting rich
Abraham Lincoln said, "You don't help the poor by hurting the rich." I might add that you help the poor by helping everybody. I believe that the 3 great divides--the party divide, the racial divide, & the economic divide--polarize our nation. The liberal
political ideology seeks to enact policies that divide us and attempts to control all aspects of society. Liberal politicians seek to herd the public into groups and pit those groups against each other, as if as citizens we do not all share the dream of
educational and economic success. Liberal politicians do not share your dreams of success because your success and the success of your children and grandchildren spell the end to their reign of power over your life.Many citizens have come to believe
that as Americans they do not have to shoulder the responsibilities of individual achievement and participation in the political arena. For too many years, liberals have usurped our individual responsibilities and made our most important decisions for us
Source: They Think You're Stupid, by Herman Cain, p. 51
, Jun 14, 2005
Page last updated: Oct 01, 2016