Girls, 13 and 15, Charged With Murder After Armed Carjacking Near Nationals Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

And you can’t force anyone to practice birth control. I also find this line of thinking very insulting-that the solution to the problem is simply to make “less of them”. Awfully close to what the racist Margaret Sanger was in favor of.
The solution is reinforcing morality and responsibility in families. But that’s anathema these days.

Serious question — how do we address the issue of poverty and it’s very negative effects when we have people who don’t take financial responsibility into account and/or don’t have any financial literacy or responsibility? For example, the recent article in the Post about stimulus payments and whether they will actually help end poverty. The article focuses on a DC resident who (I think) says she rarely made more than $12,000 a year, struggled to pay her bills, relies on charities to help her. She is 32, has three kids (including 2 under 2).

I know plenty of people who make many, many multiples of what she earns who don’t think they have enough for three kids. It is likely impossible to get out of poverty and help your three kids have a better life and future on that kind of money. If we shouldn’t be saying “make less of them,” what’s a solution (and yes, I would prefer one that doesn’t rely on just continually taxing those who earn more for some form of wealth redistribution)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

Many want babies because babies come with benefits, and screw the babies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seeing how the Go Fund Me for this gentleman is about to surpass $1 million, mostly is small donations, the Mayor may want to revisit her public statements on this horrific and sadly now common crime.

Sadly donating to a cause like this because of the injustice shown towards the victim is the only way to protest without being labeled with a terrible label

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree 15 may be too late for some. And I also think that is tragic. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know what we’re doing with DCYRA isn’t working for most. And I think it could be a huge benefit to the children and society if there was a tactful and humane way to identify these kids when they’re like 8 and provide them with a boarding school scenario. And I don’t mean a juvie precursor, I mean stable, nourishing boarding education.
One way to identify the children for this would be to approach the younger siblings that exist in the families where the 15 year olds are doing terrible shit like car jacking, robbing, etc.
And let me just clarify that plenty of children who are not AA would also benefit and be involved in this program.
The problem is this program will never exist because we are a capitalist society that is not built to address these issues.

Society providing a healthy and safe living situation, and education for all children who need it should be a no-brainer.

maybe having kids should not be incentivized by public benefits, that would be a great start coupled with free and easily accessible birth control and abortions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

And you can’t force anyone to practice birth control. I also find this line of thinking very insulting-that the solution to the problem is simply to make “less of them”. Awfully close to what the racist Margaret Sanger was in favor of.
The solution is reinforcing morality and responsibility in families. But that’s anathema these days.

Serious question — how do we address the issue of poverty and it’s very negative effects when we have people who don’t take financial responsibility into account and/or don’t have any financial literacy or responsibility? For example, the recent article in the Post about stimulus payments and whether they will actually help end poverty. The article focuses on a DC resident who (I think) says she rarely made more than $12,000 a year, struggled to pay her bills, relies on charities to help her. She is 32, has three kids (including 2 under 2).

I know plenty of people who make many, many multiples of what she earns who don’t think they have enough for three kids. It is likely impossible to get out of poverty and help your three kids have a better life and future on that kind of money. If we shouldn’t be saying “make less of them,” what’s a solution (and yes, I would prefer one that doesn’t rely on just continually taxing those who earn more for some form of wealth redistribution)?

Blaming economics is a cop out and the easy thing to do - throw money at the problem and it’ll go away right? Life’s more difficult for poor people sure. But guess what? Values are free. I’m not saying don’t help people. Charity is great. The government providing assistance is great (if effective). But if looking at people through an economic lens you reduce them to simply material beings and rob them of their humanity and dignity. You simply make them a categorical statistic on a Excel spreadsheet. You’ll definitely hate what I’m saying but the old traditional values of faith, family, discipline, responsibility, hard work, patriotism, community, joy, etc. need to be inculcated and reinforced at all levels.
I feel horrible for those girls because so many failed them to make them so callous towards others (unless they’re psychopaths which is possible but not probable). The issue is that values take time to take root and often must fight against a popular culture which opposes traditional values and glorifies obscene materialism. Maybe I’m just naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree 15 may be too late for some. And I also think that is tragic. I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know what we’re doing with DCYRA isn’t working for most. And I think it could be a huge benefit to the children and society if there was a tactful and humane way to identify these kids when they’re like 8 and provide them with a boarding school scenario. And I don’t mean a juvie precursor, I mean stable, nourishing boarding education.
One way to identify the children for this would be to approach the younger siblings that exist in the families where the 15 year olds are doing terrible shit like car jacking, robbing, etc.
And let me just clarify that plenty of children who are not AA would also benefit and be involved in this program.
The problem is this program will never exist because we are a capitalist society that is not built to address these issues.

Society providing a healthy and safe living situation, and education for all children who need it should be a no-brainer.

maybe having kids should not be incentivized by public benefits, that would be a great start coupled with free and easily accessible birth control and abortions

+1. Maybe we should start paying people to finish school and NOT have kids before they are in a emotionally mature and financially stable point in their lives.

[Anonymous]

maybe we need to invest more seriously in MS and HS vocational/mentoring paths.

[Anonymous]

I've worked in social services in DC. Every societally helpful act should be accompanied by a work/school/counseling/treatment (whichever of those is the priority) requirement. And those services should be provided in an accountable way. Not only accountability on the vendor's end, but follow up that clients are completing the requirements. Welfare reform was a good move--but it didn't go far enough. People should receive support, and they should also always have something asked of them.
Why do we have litter in the city when we could have that be the first tier/ non-conventional entry point to a santitation worker jobs program? Why are the bathrooms in Union Station dirty?
What work/study/treatment requirements are being levied on the adult residents of the 8 new city-wide housing shelters? What support is being provided?
We need to give and also ask. That is what moves people to independence and family health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This is when the death penalty needs to be put to use.

Wtf? That’s a 13 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

And you can’t force anyone to practice birth control. I also find this line of thinking very insulting-that the solution to the problem is simply to make “less of them”. Awfully close to what the racist Margaret Sanger was in favor of.
The solution is reinforcing morality and responsibility in families. But that’s anathema these days.

Serious question — how do we address the issue of poverty and it’s very negative effects when we have people who don’t take financial responsibility into account and/or don’t have any financial literacy or responsibility? For example, the recent article in the Post about stimulus payments and whether they will actually help end poverty. The article focuses on a DC resident who (I think) says she rarely made more than $12,000 a year, struggled to pay her bills, relies on charities to help her. She is 32, has three kids (including 2 under 2).

I know plenty of people who make many, many multiples of what she earns who don’t think they have enough for three kids. It is likely impossible to get out of poverty and help your three kids have a better life and future on that kind of money. If we shouldn’t be saying “make less of them,” what’s a solution (and yes, I would prefer one that doesn’t rely on just continually taxing those who earn more for some form of wealth redistribution)?

There is no American citizen with children who lives on $12,000 a year.

Washington DC Package for a single mom with two kids (2018):
Total welfare benefits package: $43,099
Pre-tax wage equivalent: $50,820
Hourly wage equivalent: $24.43
State hourly minimum wage for 2017: $12.50
Washington, D.C., is no stranger to financial “best of” and “worst of” lists. With such a high cost of living, its welfare package for a single mom with two children is one of the top in the country. But when accounting for the difference between the welfare and minimum-wage payouts, those receiving public assistance can earn nearly $12 more than those working full-time, minimum-wage jobs.

Although many benefits are not unrestricted cash, they are providing services for which other people have to earn money, so they count as income. It is not impossible to receive subsidized child care to attend community college or receive GED training. Lots of nonprofits will provide this for women as well. There is an entire industry created for this very situation. Once she works, she will receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, plus new unrestricted child credits.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t read the whole thread so maybe I’ve missed it, but WHY is there so much sympathy for the perpetrators? Just because they’re under 18? If they were both 19 would everyone be going on about how sorry they feel for them? Why or why not? Do we know what their home lives are like or is everyone just assuming?

I’m no expert, but I assume any rehabilitation efforts are wasted on human beings who are so damaged and/or monstrous that it would even occur to them to commit such a heinous act at such a young age...

[Anonymous]

I believe there is a court hearing today but I doubt there will be any information given it is in juvenile court.

I worked in Section 8 housing in Baltimore & DC for 20 years. It is a falsehood that people have children just for more benefits. Please stop spreading welfare mommy conspiracy theories that Reagan tried to spread back in the 80s. There are many reasons why people on social services may have multiple children but it is naive to assume and say that it is for the money. This also goes in line with the falsehood that if you drug tested every month people in Section 8 housing or receiving food stamps that you would catch many people on drugs and could save money by disqualifying people who test positive and only give the benefits to the drugfree people who deserve it. These theories that are pushed and pushed over the last several decades have been debunked. Just hard stop.

It won't solve the problem and as a society we won't get better if you keep distracting people with that kind of garbage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:maybe we need to invest more seriously in MS and HS vocational/mentoring paths.

+1 Would help tremendously across our country! We have too many kids who really aren't capable of the academic work put before them, yet they could be very successful in other vocational areas. It's absurd to say that most kids?can esrn s college degree. Although most probably have?a college degree, there's a reason that not all DCUM posters can graduate from MIT and Stanford; and it's not just due to a lack of motivation, parental support, and financial resources. Cognitive skills and the ability to process and apply various types of information also matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

And you can’t force anyone to practice birth control. I also find this line of thinking very insulting-that the solution to the problem is simply to make “less of them”. Awfully close to what the racist Margaret Sanger was in favor of.
The solution is reinforcing morality and responsibility in families. But that’s anathema these days.

Serious question — how do we address the issue of poverty and it’s very negative effects when we have people who don’t take financial responsibility into account and/or don’t have any financial literacy or responsibility? For example, the recent article in the Post about stimulus payments and whether they will actually help end poverty. The article focuses on a DC resident who (I think) says she rarely made more than $12,000 a year, struggled to pay her bills, relies on charities to help her. She is 32, has three kids (including 2 under 2).

I know plenty of people who make many, many multiples of what she earns who don’t think they have enough for three kids. It is likely impossible to get out of poverty and help your three kids have a better life and future on that kind of money. If we shouldn’t be saying “make less of them,” what’s a solution (and yes, I would prefer one that doesn’t rely on just continually taxing those who earn more for some form of wealth redistribution)?

There is no American citizen with children who lives on $12,000 a year.

Washington DC Package for a single mom with two kids (2018):
Total welfare benefits package: $43,099
Pre-tax wage equivalent: $50,820
Hourly wage equivalent: $24.43
State hourly minimum wage for 2017: $12.50
Washington, D.C., is no stranger to financial “best of” and “worst of” lists. With such a high cost of living, its welfare package for a single mom with two children is one of the top in the country. But when accounting for the difference between the welfare and minimum-wage payouts, those receiving public assistance can earn nearly $12 more than those working full-time, minimum-wage jobs.

Although many benefits are not unrestricted cash, they are providing services for which other people have to earn money, so they count as income. It is not impossible to receive subsidized child care to attend community college or receive GED training. Lots of nonprofits will provide this for women as well. There is an entire industry created for this very situation. Once she works, she will receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, plus new unrestricted child credits.

Wow. I feel even worse for you DC taxpayers. That is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Birth control must be free and actively offered to families in crisis levels of poverty. How different things would be.

Uhhh... you don't know much about birth control, do you? It is free for poor people.

And you can’t force anyone to practice birth control. I also find this line of thinking very insulting-that the solution to the problem is simply to make “less of them”. Awfully close to what the racist Margaret Sanger was in favor of.
The solution is reinforcing morality and responsibility in families. But that’s anathema these days.

Serious question — how do we address the issue of poverty and it’s very negative effects when we have people who don’t take financial responsibility into account and/or don’t have any financial literacy or responsibility? For example, the recent article in the Post about stimulus payments and whether they will actually help end poverty. The article focuses on a DC resident who (I think) says she rarely made more than $12,000 a year, struggled to pay her bills, relies on charities to help her. She is 32, has three kids (including 2 under 2).

I know plenty of people who make many, many multiples of what she earns who don’t think they have enough for three kids. It is likely impossible to get out of poverty and help your three kids have a better life and future on that kind of money. If we shouldn’t be saying “make less of them,” what’s a solution (and yes, I would prefer one that doesn’t rely on just continually taxing those who earn more for some form of wealth redistribution)?

No its not "free" for all poor people. Can all women get an IUD for free and the follow up visits? are their clinics located close to their homes. Has medical provider or social worker actually asked poor people about birth or suggested it? It seems like a forbidden to tell people to use birth control or else you will be labled racist. Trust me I don;t think the white meth heads in the rust belt should be having babies either.