Cornel West and Tavis Smiley: Poverty in America threatens democracy

(CBS News) PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that poverty in America "threatens our very democracy," and that it threatens our national security.

Smiley and Princeton Professor Cornel West, co-authors of the new book The Rich and the Rest of Us (Smiley Books), talked to host Bob Schieffer about how half of Americans - 150 million people - are poor, which they defined as living one or two paychecks away from poverty.

"There seems to be a bipartisan consensus in this town - and you know how hard that is to do - but a bipartisan consensus that the poor just don't matter, that poverty is just not an important issue," Smiley said. "We cannot abide another campaign for the White House where the issue of poverty isn't raised higher on the American agenda."

West said the face of poverty is changing. "We've got a significant number of white brothers and sisters," he said, including those who were formerly middle class. "The public face now [is] white, more and more white middle class."

Smiley said poverty is not color-coded: "This is not a black problem or a brown problem," he said. "This is a societal crisis right now."

West said the political system is to blame: "We've got a political system that's broke and, you know, both parties tied to big money, and so the problem is we make our choices relative to those two parties, or we offer third party possibilities. . . . But most importantly we need a massive job program. We need an investment in education, quality jobs and housing. Do away with discourse about austerity, [and] focus on massive investment, research and development, infrastructure, and job creation."

"We've got to do something about this imbalance between public and private. Housing, schools and prisons now under private control basically. We are a better nation, we can do better, starting with a White House conference on the eradication of poverty in this country."

To watch the entire interview click on the video player above.

[montanatrace]

Smiley would prefer we replace capitalism with communism. Good bye America. Such extreme left speeches keep me away CBS and any manipulating "News Media."

[BWB2020]

Yet, you post here.

Go ahead, leave. You've nothing to add to a civilized discourse anyway, you won't be missed.

[mbjsolomon]

Poverty is the symptom of the real American illness. The real illness is corporatism which is overtaking capitalism. Pouring more and more money into the broke jobs and education system is not going to fix our problem. If everyone in America acquired a great education, this would not resolve our poverty issue. More education does not cause or create more jobs. Just ask those with masters degrees who are unable to get jobs, or who are working low scaled jobs. We need a real solution with real direction.

[BWB2020]

Corporatism is just a euphemism for fascism.

Some of us have known of this illness for decades.

[TJphoto]

And you think the Greedy One Percent (GOP)cares?

[r9119111]

aintfakin: A right wing attack dog.

[aintfakin]

biasliberalcbs4 April 22, 2012 10:43 PM EDT
If it is economically sound and advantageous to keep money in offshore LEGAL accounts, then I certainly want a person who is economically saavy in charge of our money.
----------------------------------
looney tunes and ultimate hypocrisy
the whole right wing thing is to be giving guys like robmee tax breaks cause his wealth is suppose to create jobs
Jobs in Switzerland? In the Caymans?
2 kinds of republcans
1. millionaires
2. dead brained suckers such as yourself.

I hope you can get a job waiting on robmee's table at the country club

[aintfakin]

biasliberalcbs4 April 22, 2012 10:43 PM EDT
If it is economically sound and advantageous to keep money in offshore LEGAL accounts, then I certainly want a person who is economically saavy in charge of our money.
--------------------------------------
saavy?
you are one of the biggest suckers on the planet

[zebra8835]

Many Americans consider themselves to be middle class. But what really is middle class? You can't buy much of a house these days for under $200,000, at least in the mid west. If you live on either coast it's easily double that. Throw in a car payment, insurance, taxes, maintenance, tuition, food and clothing and these are just everyday necessities! Then, there's the saving you're supposed to do. Save an emergency fund, save at least 10% of your earnings in your 401k, 403B. Save for the kids college education, save for a newer car or larger home. The real middle class probably begins around $100,000 a year.

[aintfakin]

you forgot the one of the most expensive things of all....health care.

[aintfakin]

alanrobisch April 22, 2012 7:44 PM EDT
I think what these two guys have said is a bunch of ho ha.
--------------------------------------
so did Marie Antoinette and the Czars in Russia.

Keep on thinking everyone in this country that is poor is also lazy and a deadbeat.

Unbelievable

And all you Obama "causers" what are you gonna do? Elect a guy that keeps his money in offshore accounts?

[Bryon_Evans]

These men are right. It comes down, in my opinion, to whether we are a kind group of people that share the same name "American" or are we a mean spirited money hording hateful group of two faced gangsters that believe in letting the entire project that we call the "United States of America" end as a complete failure? Rich people who have played the same game but played by a separate set of rules and who constantly point to those that they have stolen from and call "Losers, weak, parasites" need to get their facts straight. Any country, Empire or Kingdom which has ever gotten to this level of disparity has imploded. All of the technology, the education and other "advancements" that they may be relying upon to keep another such implosion from happening... won't. This is not a time for hate, for infighting, for drawing lines, for dividing ourselves in order to say "My team against yours". This is not a game on a table that might get lost by someone. This is THE TABLE ITSELF that we all might end up losing because of this crooked system which gives to the rich by default.

[vsmit]

And after 3 years of Obama, how much has changed? More food stamps, more welfare, unemployment, etc. Jobs will bring our economy into balance, something Obama is inept to bring.

[Pinnacl1]

how can we talk about poverty in America without addressing the negative impact of illegal immigration with billions spent on illegal aliens and zilth on needy citizens????

[alanrobisch]

i work at a social security office and regularly interview a whole range of people. Its interesting that one of the bills most often mentionned is the cable bill as one of the necessities.

I think what these two guys have said is a bunch of ho ha. If the democracy is threatened in this country it is by the elite who keep expanding the size of govt and the number of people dependent on it.

there is a famous saying about he who concerns the purse strings has the power and increasingly this has become the government. If all health care is provided by money from the govt what health care is provided will be decided by the govt.

They have expanded regulations on every aspect of our economic life and made it more and more difficult to start new businesses and profit from them.

It is interesting in a history book written by two englishmen they state that once the govt of that time took off their regulation the economy flourished. these are englishmen who live in a socialist state. they were talking about the year 1000 in england.

Apparently the basic laws of economics never change

[alanrobisch]

ps that it he who controls the purse strings