Replying to a message of Bob Klahn to Tom Walker:

 BK>>>>  In the American political lexicon welfare has *ALWAYS* been a
 BK>>>>  dirty word.

 BA>>> Not *always*, only for a bit over half a century.  That's when
 BA>>> politicians discovered they could buy peoples' votes with their own
 BA>>> money.

 TW>> That6 is correct. Adn the Stupid Fols in charge of

 BK>  Not true. Welfare has existed as long as this country existed.

Except that back then it was called 'charity,' not 'welfare.'  Government care
of the poor up until some time in the 20th century was handled by 'poor farms'
in the midwest.  The poor lived and worked on those farms, which were generally
owned by the county, thus producing their own food and generating the money to
provide for utilities and clothing.  IOW, the poor in the midwest were very nearly
self supporting.

 TW>> Washington right not are spending BILLIONS of Yorr and MY
 TW>> Money to assure they stay in power. The Bail Out is a total

 BK>  Republicans have done that all along, only they did it the truly 
 BK> dirty way, sending billions to their supporters in contracts,  and
 BK> cutting their taxes.

 BK>  Bread and circuses on a level that would make the Roman emporers 
 BK> proud.

 TW>> FRAUD, like the limiting of some projects to UNION labor
 TW>> Only as an example, and is nothign more then Bribery to get
 TW>> the Votes i nthe next election. ---

 BK>  Where is any project limited to UNION labor?

There is a proposed law in the Iowa legislature right now that requires 
contractors to pay the 'prevailing wage' on any state funded jobs the
contractors bid on.  'Prevailing wage' is code for union scale, and takes
the price advantage away from non-union contractors; union labor generally
cannot compete in the open marketplace.  Unions have for years been trying
to get such 'prevailing wage' legislation passed in the states and by the
congress.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+