What's the biggest reason people are poor?

[MessiahDecoy123]

Can you blame the poor themselves or the outside factors.

 

[SuperFerret]

Broken condoms.


Seriously, overpopulation.

 

[-Arya-]

Broken condoms.


Seriously, overpopulation.

We have a winner.

 

[SuperFerret]

Yay! I win! What do I get? A vasectomy to help curb the population?

 

[-Arya-]

If you want. You can freeze your sperm incase you change your mind about not having kids.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Other: Lack of money.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Broken condoms.


Seriously, overpopulation.

But in the land of opportunity can't you escape poverty with hard work?

Isn't there enough money for everybody?

 

[-Arya-]

But in the land of opportunity can't you escape poverty with hard work?

Isn't there enough money for everybody?

Sure, but the rest of the world is left in the dark....

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Other: Lack of money.

Lack of money available?

 

[Majic Walrus]

There isn't enough money for everyone. Not because of the amount of money but because who has it. The poor exist because the rich exist. I truly believe some people are poor and will always be poor because going from poor to wealthy takes more than just "hard work".

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Sure, but the rest of the world is left in the dark....

But many Americans are poor too.

 

[Gilpesh]

But in the land of opportunity can't you escape poverty with hard work?

 

[-Arya-]

But many Americans are poor too.

When compared to countries in Africa and parts of India, they are in better shape.

 

[SuperFerret]

If you want. You can freeze your sperm incase you change your mind about not having kids.

Oh, I plan on having kids. I just support other people not having them. And apocalyptic events that reduce the population.

Other: Lack of money.

This goes hand in hand with what I said.

But in the land of opportunity can't you escape poverty with hard work?

Isn't there enough money for everybody?

Unfortunately, money has actual value, and the more we print, the less value each individual dollar has (an eerie concept considering that I'm also talking about overpopulation).

 

[Majic Walrus]

SF is right, over population does a great deal of damage to the social classing meaning far fewer rich and far more poor.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

There isn't enough money for everyone. Not because of the amount of money but because who has it. The poor exist because the rich exist. I truly believe some people are poor and will always be poor because going from poor to wealthy takes more than just "hard work".

In the US the top 10% own 71 percent of the wealth. The bottom 40% own less than 1 percent.
So the rich are "safekeeping" most of the wealth. Doesn't that qualify as actively oppressing the poor.

 

[SuperFerret]

SF is right, over population does a great deal of damage to the social classing meaning far fewer rich and far more poor.

I've always maintained that a lot of the world's problems can be seen as stemming from the fact that there are 6-7 billion of us wandering around out there.

 

[Majic Walrus]

In the US the top 10% own 71 percent of the wealth. The bottom 40% own less than 1 percent.
So the rich are "safekeeping" most of the wealth. Doesn't that qualify as actively oppressing the poor.

Depends on your definition of "oppressing". Are you oppressive starving children in Ethiopia because you've got lots of food? Nah you're just eating because you've got lots of food.

Not sharing =/= oppressing.

I've always maintained that a lot of the world's problems can be seen as stemming from the fact that there are 6-7 billion of us wandering around out there.

It's true. Time for a moon colony.

 

[katie_girl09]

The big one is lack of opportunity. I remember chewing someone out on Y!A because they insinuated that everyone who is poor is poor due to laziness. I think it's a touch naive to think that everyone has access to the same opportunity for success as everyone else. This is immediately proven wrong by the fact that some people are born to parents who have more money and connections than other parents. Look at George Bush Jr. Do you think he ever would have gone to Yale let alone have been president of the USA if it weren't for his father's influence? More than likely not.

 

[SuperFerret]

Depends on your definition of "oppressing". Are you oppressive starving children in Ethiopia because you've got lots of food? Nah you're just eating because you've got lots of food.

Not sharing =/= oppressing.

However, in a society with a population of a few hundred, you would be considered an oppressor. It's all about scale.

It's true. Time for a moon colony.

Or a mass genocide, though I don't seriously support one.

 

[Majic Walrus]

The big one is lack of opportunity. I remember chewing someone out on Y!A because they insinuated that everyone who is poor is poor due to laziness. I think it's a touch naive to think that everyone has access to the same opportunity for success as everyone else. This is immediately proven wrong by the fact that some people are born to parents who have more money and connections than other parents. Look at George Bush Jr. Do you think he ever would have gone to Yale let alone have been president of the USA if it weren't for his father's influence? More than likely not.

I don't disagree, but just because someone has a greater opportunity doesn't mean that everyone else has no opportunity.

It's a matter of perspective. Most people are going to have to work a lot harder than say... George W. Bush, but that doesn't mean anything really. If it takes harder work then you work harder.

However, in a society with a population of a few hundred, you would be considered an oppressor. It's all about scale.

That's true I suppose, but I don't really think that you would be an oppressor.

If we all lived on an island and I'm the only one with cigarettes I could very well become an oppressor because of my power and wealth, but just having a lot does not make one an oppressor.

Or a mass genocide, though I don't seriously support one.

Well it would work and it's probably a lot more conceivable knowing NASA's speed these days.

 

[Sawyer]

There's too many people in the world.

I say we hold a lottery....

 

[SuperFerret]

That's true I suppose, but I don't really think that you would be an oppressor.

If we all lived on an island and I'm the only one with cigarettes I could very well become an oppressor because of my power and wealth, but just having a lot does not make one an oppressor.

It's really more of an issue at how at lower population numbers, socialism works better than capitalism as it's more about the survival of the group as a whole. The greatest irony is that the more people that exist the more we're just a bunch of individuals and less of a unit.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

The big one is lack of opportunity. I remember chewing someone out on Y!A because they insinuated that everyone who is poor is poor due to laziness. I think it's a touch naive to think that everyone has access to the same opportunity for success as everyone else. This is immediately proven wrong by the fact that some people are born to parents who have more money and connections than other parents. Look at George Bush Jr. Do you think he ever would have gone to Yale let alone have been president of the USA if it weren't for his father's influence? More than likely not.

Alot of people live paycheck to paycheck. If you can't save money and must work to pay your bills leaving little time for school, how can you be expected to escape poverty?

 

[Majic Walrus]

It's really more of an issue at how at lower population numbers, socialism works better than capitalism as it's more about the survival of the group as a whole. The greatest irony is that the more people that exist the more we're just a bunch of individuals and less of a unit.

Interesting points. When I was younger I was a full-blown socialist, but as I've grown up my political views have shifted to the Libertarian category so I am mostly conservative about economic issues. Do you think that socialism is good most of the time, some of the time, never, or all of the time?