How do we eliminate poverty?

[Avatar4321]

I guess part of that is how do we define poverty. Id like to see the ideas people come up with.

 

[JBeukema]

There will always be those who choose to be without wealth and those unwilling to work cooperatively or competitively to acquire and create wealth.

 

[eots]

Eat the bankers

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Work ethics and self reliance have to be taught in the home as well as in schools.

 

[Madeline]

Defining poverty ain't easy to do, Avatar. I am a HGTV slut and have a fascination with "House Hunters International". It is beyond shocking to me to see the teeny-weeny apartments in Japan and elsewhere that are considered desirable, presumably by upper middle class folks.

It isn't that I think the Japanese are wrong to "accept" such small living quarters; its the contrast to American standards. This same network has dozens of shows in which the "suitable" bathroom is as big as a bowling alley and full of acroutrements such as tvs, waterfalls and fireplaces.

When I was a kid, air conditioning was very uncommon. I think I probably only experienced it in movie theaters. Now I can't face a summer without it, and I fret over my older neighbors who don't have it. We "need" stuff we never did before, and we see those who don't have these things as poor...but is that true?

It's so easy to say poverty begins where hunger starts....but is the abandoned wife with three kids in a million dollar house but no food actually "poor"? We can use the federal guidelines, but as of 2010, for a family of four that figure is $22,050. I know people in exactly that situation and I wouldn't call them "poor". You can't be middle class one month and "poor" the next.

It seems to me that poverty has to have a hopelessness to it. Not just $22,050 this year, but last year and no hope of doing better next year. Not just insecure about housing, but also about food.

Whatever it might actually be, "poverty" ain't about a lack of air conditioners -- or big bathrooms.

 

[chanel]

Easy. Just change the numbers.

And I'm with you Madeline. It's difficult to say what "poor" looks like. Every year I argue with my colleagues who insist that the dept. buy notebooks, calculators, and other school supplies for the students. They not only want to provide them to the "poor" kids; they want to provide them for all - so the "poor kids" aren't recognized. It costs thousands of dollars.

My argument is 99% of these kids have cell phones. A calculator costs 10 bucks; a notebook is a dollar. Sorry. The taxpayers should not have to pick up the cost of this so the student can spend class time texting their friends.

 

[Mini 14]

There is only one way to get rid of poverty:

Get rid of people.

That isn't a joke. As long as there are people on this planet, there will be poverty.

 

[editec]

I guess part of that is how do we define poverty. Id like to see the ideas people come up with.

The root cause of entrenched poverty is a lack on money in the first place.

Now before you start telling me to get serious consider the fact that:

IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY in a society based on the system we call CAPITALISM.​

Note that we do not call our system WORKISM, or PRODUCTIVISM, or LABORISM?​

That's kinda a CLUE about what bullshit walks and what bullshit talks in this society, is it not?​

Of course, there will always be the cases of the po' boy who through luck and pluck made it big, but those are the exceptions to the normal human condition, not the rule.

Remember, if we could ALL be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet there would be no Bill Gates or Warren Buffets.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

I guess part of that is how do we define poverty. Id like to see the ideas people come up with.

The root cause of entrenched poverty is a lack on money in the first place.

Now before you start telling me to get serious consider the fact that:

IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY in a society based on the system we call CAPITALISM.​

Note that we do not call our system WORKISM, or PRODUCTIVISM, or LABORISM?​

That's kinda a CLUE about what bullshit walks and what bullshit talks in this society, is it not?​

Of course, there will always be the cases of the po' boy who through luck and pluck made it big, but those are the exceptions to the normal human condition, not the rule.

Remember, if we could ALL be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet there would be no Bill Gates or Warren Buffets.

and remember they were taught good habits, working hard, getting an education etc....they are self made men who started out with nothing but an idea.

 

[editec]

I guess part of that is how do we define poverty. Id like to see the ideas people come up with.

The root cause of entrenched poverty is a lack on money in the first place.

Now before you start telling me to get serious consider the fact that:

IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY in a society based on the system we call CAPITALISM.​

Note that we do not call our system WORKISM, or PRODUCTIVISM, or LABORISM?​

That's kinda a CLUE about what bullshit walks and what bullshit talks in this society, is it not?​

Of course, there will always be the cases of the po' boy who through luck and pluck made it big, but those are the exceptions to the normal human condition, not the rule.

Remember, if we could ALL be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet there would be no Bill Gates or Warren Buffets.

and remember they were taught good habits, working hard, getting an education etc....they are self made men who started out with nothing but an idea.

Absolutely no doubt, PP. And they deserve their great wealth without doubt.

But as to those bromides you offer?

Tens of millions of people follow that regiment you proscribe who are NOT wealthy, nor will they ever be wealthy.

When it comes to making great wealth in this nation?

Many are called to great wealth, but few are chosen.

Good work habits, working hard, and getting an education is sound policy under every circumstance.

But those good habits do NOT NECESSARILY lead to great wealth, and all to often, they don't even lead the poor out of poverty.

 

[Big Black Dog]

If there was no poverty, at Christmas time there would be no Salvation Army bell ringers down at Wal-Mart. How sad would that be?

 

[topspin]

I love the lack of money is the root cause.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

The root cause of entrenched poverty is a lack on money in the first place.

Now before you start telling me to get serious consider the fact that:

IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY in a society based on the system we call CAPITALISM.​

Note that we do not call our system WORKISM, or PRODUCTIVISM, or LABORISM?​

That's kinda a CLUE about what bullshit walks and what bullshit talks in this society, is it not?​

Of course, there will always be the cases of the po' boy who through luck and pluck made it big, but those are the exceptions to the normal human condition, not the rule.

Remember, if we could ALL be Bill Gates or Warren Buffet there would be no Bill Gates or Warren Buffets.

and remember they were taught good habits, working hard, getting an education etc....they are self made men who started out with nothing but an idea.

Absolutely no doubt, PP. And they deserve their great wealth without doubt.

But as to those bromides you offer?

Tens of millions of people follow that regiment you proscribe who are NOT wealthy, nor will they ever be wealthy.

When it comes to making great wealth in this nation?

Many are called to great wealth, but few are chosen.

Good work habits, working hard, and getting an education is sound policy under every circumstance.

But those good habits do NOT NECESSARILY lead to great wealth, and all to often, they don't even lead the poor out of poverty.

I'm sorry....I just don't buy this.....I'm NOT saying if you work hard you will be Bill Gates...that's just a one in a billion shot. But with hard work and an education you can rise above poverty. THAT'S what I'm saying. There are literally thousands of programs out there for impoverished people to take advantage of yet they still remain in poverty. A lack of motivation brought on by a nanny government doesn't help in many instances either.

 

[chanel]

Education is the key. But too many kids spit on their opportunities.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

This kinda shit doesn't help either.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZ-Etb0k0Q]YouTube - Obama Money - Where Did it Come From?[/ame]

 

[Mr Natural]

There will always be those who choose to be without wealth and those unwilling to work cooperatively or competitively to acquire and create wealth.

And then there are those who, for whatever reason, just don't know how.

 

[Greenbeard]

Just a note to those suggesting things like work ethic and education (which are valuable, no doubt): you're offering suggestions for how an individual can make the jump from poverty. But unless your assumption is that if everyone were a hard worker and well-educated, there would be no poverty (i.e. no low wage work to be done), then there are large structural components missing here.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Just a note to those suggesting things like work ethic and education (which are valuable, no doubt): you're offering suggestions for how an individual can make the jump from poverty. But unless your assumption is that if everyone were a hard worker and well-educated, there would be no poverty (i.e. no low wage work to be done), then there are large structural components missing here.

Wrong assumption...what I'm suggesting is that parents aren't parenting....they're leaving that up to the State.

 

[topspin]

tax potheads

 

[Granny]

"All men are born equal" does not mean that everyone stays equal - for a variety of reasons. The way I understand today's thinking, it's to say that a post-hole digger is "entitled" to all the same things a lawyer, engineer or whatever has. In other words, "redistribution of wealth" means that those who "have" need to divvy up the wealth so that those who "have not" live on the same monetary/material level so that all things are "equal."

There has always been, and always will be, poverty among us. There will never be absolute equality in anything. I don't care how much money a person has, if they get Alzheimer's, MS, cancer or whatever, they're going to be affected the same way as someone who is poor. Money won't buy everything.

And what is "wealth" anyway? The poorest soul on the planet can have wealth in a loving, caring family, be healthy as a horse, be the most well-respected man in town because of his character or his out-look on life ... and someone who is filthy rich can be miserable every day of his life because he dwells on material things and fears losing them, always needs "more" and "better," can have multiple spouses all of whom are bitches from hell, rotten kids, and have health problems that can't be cured with any amount of money, and has no one's respect because he's a SOB devil to the core.

Who's "wealthier?"

All things are not equal and sometimes that's a good thing. It's what people do with their lives that matters.