Spreading the wealth

[memoriesbymichelle]

I listened to this and I didn't hear the "bad word" or anything else that is described but I did find the information interesting.
I am not for wealth equality in this world because that defeats the whole purpose of being able to be successful and live the "american dream". I don't think it would work, nor is it fair either. Why should Mr. Rich be forced to give money to Mr.Poor lazy man? I mean I'm "semi-poor" but I don't blame it on anyone but myself and I don't think I "deserve" a piece of Mr.Rich's pie.

What do you think?
9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact

 

[dayhiker]

To me its not about giving to the poor ... its about the rich aren't paying the working stiff enough to have a life, to have the American dream. There are a whole LOT of working poor.

 

[Serendipity..]

That fixed it

 

[redblue22]

did you really just call the poor lazy?

 

[mjmcmillan]

I'm thinking Serendipity's post just drove the forum over the edge. I don't see the image, but I do see an enormous amount of code. I also see scroll bars for the horizontal, so whatever the image is it must be HUGE!!!.

I wonder if that can be fixed??

 

[Serendipity..]

I tried to post a picture and when I did all that code came out. when I tried to edit it on the computer i couldn't find the edit button. I just realised I could do it on the iphone, sorry OP that was so annoying.

 

[iambren]

If power could somehow be disconnected from money I wouldn't have a beef. Everyone could strive(or be lazy) as much as they wanted to with their God-given abilities.

BUT,one day I was driving down a street in the mansion district of my old hometown of Newport,RI. The wealth over whelmed me. I'm middle class and comfortable but the truly rich are SO far ahead of us that they have found ways to get advantage over resources such that they can oppress the rest of us. It's almost like a entrenched spiritual stronghold but they rule over us.

I don't have a solution;I suppose it's the little dirty secret of capitalism. You DO realize that if took all the wealth,distributed it evenly to every citizen that probably within 1-2 generations it would be distributed back like it is today. The wealthy have worked harder,been blessed in family with capital,they are smarter and more inventive --gifts God has given.

Maybe we can have a type of OT Jubilee system---every 100 years it's rolled back to all men equal monetarily. Would Bill Gates vote for that?

 

[exitstageright]

If power could somehow be disconnected from money I wouldn't have a beef. Everyone could strive(or be lazy) as much as they wanted to with their God-given abilities.

BUT,one day I was driving down a street in the mansion district of my old hometown of Newport,RI. The wealth over whelmed me. I'm middle class and comfortable but the truly rich are SO far ahead of us that they have found ways to get advantage over resources such that they can oppress the rest of us. It's almost like a entrenched spiritual stronghold but they rule over us.

I don't have a solution;I suppose it's the little dirty secret of capitalism. You DO realize that if took all the wealth,distributed it evenly to every citizen that probably within 1-2 generations it would be distributed back like it is today. The wealthy have worked harder,been blessed in family with capital,they are smarter and more inventive --gifts God has given.

Maybe we can have a type of OT Jubilee system---every 100 years it's rolled back to all men equal monetarily. Would Bill Gates vote for that?

In the Old Testament days,for every 50 years,the Hebrews had an"Year of Julbilee." All debts were cancelled.Everybody started out with a new credit slate. I do not think that Visa,Master Card,and American Express would go for that.

Also,the Hebrews only charged non - Hebrews interest. What a great system the Hebrews had in them days.

 

[miss-a]

I confess I did not listen to the mind-blowing fact. I'd have read it, but listening doesn't allow me the luxury of skimming.

However, in the Bible, God says that the poor are to be taken care of. It also says that if a man doesn't work he doesn't eat. They had a system of gleaning where the corners of the fields of food crops were left for the poor to come and glean. They didn't have to pay money for the food, but they did have to work to get it by harvesting it. If any of you garden, this time of year is harvest time and a reminder of how much work bringing in a garden can be. So our responsibility is to help them help themselves. Something our society is definitely missing the mark on, but that is the biblical standard. I'm not sure what the Bible says about those who are disabled and truly unable to help themselves, but I think we can figure that one out.

So, now someone, please, blow my mind with the mind-blowing fact.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

did you really just call the poor lazy?

I am poor and I'm not lazy but there are alot of people that just don't want to work and want everything handed to them. They don't make up a large percentage of the whole poor IMO, but usually those people (the ones that don't want to work hard) would not be helped by handouts of free money. I am poor because of my bad decisions and I don't judge people based on anything especially money or lack there of. Alot of times people that have money are alot poorer spiritually and humanly than the people who don't have money. But just because someone is rich, IMO, doesn't mean the government should make them give some of their wealth to those that haven't worked for it.

I agree dayhiker our whole system is out of balance. It's usually the ones at the top of the corporate ladder that get bonuses etc. that the lower WORKERS actually made happen and they don't get anything.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Another problem is that the people that actually have money and can afford to pay for things, often get them for free, while those of us that can't afford to pay attention, have to pay for every single thing and get no freebies. I don't mind people being rich. I don't think I could be one of them. I would feel bad paying SO much for stuff that IMO shouldn't cost that much. It's a waste. And I probably wouldn't be rich for very long because I would give to the poor alot more than I do now. I don't seek to be rich, but I would like to be a little bit richer than I am. Basically I just wish my debts were paid and I had a little bit bigger of a house. I wish we had a jubilee too!
Remember when the Y2K scare was going on? I didn't even owe that much back then, but I was SO hoping that the systems would crash so that the banks would lose their records and wouldn't know who owed them.

 

[dayhiker]

I agree that the lazy poor are a small percentage of the population. Others are just feed up working hard and not making any progress. In Eastern and Northern Maine people have been moving away from those areas since I was young. There are few jobs to be had. Even those who make crafts to sell find few have the money to buy them. No businesses are coming in from the outside and setting up a shop. So there is less hope all the time. The only entertainment is church, but even churches have a lot less money and are having to sell of parsonages and defer building maintenance.

From business' point of view they are out of the way, costs a lot to manage that far away and with so few people around they don't know if they can find good help. Few are looking out for his brother.

 

[blackribbon]

What is "poor" in America? Most people own a television and most people that I know on the lower income spectrum also have cable (definitely an expensive luxury). My brother is toward the lower economic bracket but feels like he "deserves" a vacation on his time off from work. It may be a simple vacation but he pays for it instead of paying off debt. I also know that most people who used gov't aid in buying for groceries appear to dress better than I do and often pull out smart phones (something I only dream about at this point in my life). Many own (or rent) a car.

Yes, the truly poor need and deserve help. However, around the world there are "middle class" people that only dream of having luxuries that our "poor" have.

Exit...if the "debt" that is erased is true needs, then I could see that a system that erases debt from time to time could be of value...but most people use credit to buy things that are not necessary to basic life...what kind of world would we live in if anyone could put whatever they want on a credit card and just assume it will go away every 7 years so they didn't need to be responsible with their finances?

 

[blackribbon]

I want to put forward that we all get paid what we are worth. An employer says "I have a job, I need someone who has certain skills or abilities and this is what I am willing to pay someone to do this job." The minute someone accepts that offer, the value of that job is determined. If no one takes it, the employer will have to increase the wages. That is why crappy and dangerous jobs often pay higher wages. That is also why education is important because it determines that you are qualified to consider jobs that require certain skills or a certain level of intelligence.

Does a doctor make too much money? How many of you are willing to spend over $100,000 and almost 10 years of your life to earn an MD?....along with taking the kind of mental and physical abuse that they get while still in the educational program? How many are you willing to bear the weight that many of your decisions could literally kill a person if you make the wrong one cause you had a bad day?

Most of the top wage earners didn't just luck into a position where anyone could replace them. They may not "work" hard by a laborers standard but most of the laborers are not qualified to actually do the job of their CEO even if they were given the opportunity to do so. Intelligence and talent isn't equitably divided...so because of that, some people DO make more money.

 

[exitstageright]

What is "poor" in America? Most people own a television and most people that I know on the lower income spectrum also have cable (definitely an expensive luxury). My brother is toward the lower economic bracket but feels like he "deserves" a vacation on his time off from work. It may be a simple vacation but he pays for it instead of paying off debt. I also know that most people who used gov't aid in buying for groceries appear to dress better than I do and often pull out smart phones (something I only dream about at this point in my life). Many own (or rent) a car.

Yes, the truly poor need and deserve help. However, around the world there are "middle class" people that only dream of having luxuries that our "poor" have.

Exit...if the "debt" that is erased is true needs, then I could see that a system that erases debt from time to time could be of value...but most people use credit to buy things that are not necessary to basic life...what kind of world would we live in if anyone could put whatever they want on a credit card and just assume it will go away every 7 years so they didn't need to be responsible with their finances?

The Jubilee that I was talking about is the big Jubilee that happens once every 50 yerars,not 7 years.

 

[blackribbon]

The Jubilee that I was talking about is the big Jubilee that happens once every 50 yerars,not 7 years.

Well, we kind of have that in that debt can not be inherited by our children. Your debt is erased at your death.

 

[Serendipity..]

What is "poor" in America? Most people own a television and most people that I know on the lower income spectrum also have cable (definitely an expensive luxury). My brother is toward the lower economic bracket but feels like he "deserves" a vacation on his time off from work. It may be a simple vacation but he pays for it instead of paying off debt

That's not good management because debt eradication is priority. I spent most if my adult life camping for free to save money because I like camping best and the

One overseas Holliday I ever took to a resort island place wasn't much different to places a few hours drive from my home. Debt eradication via denial of luxuries is an effective way of doing it.

 

[blackribbon]

That's not good management because debt eradication is priority. I spent most if my adult life camping for free to save money because I like camping best and the

One overseas Holliday I ever took to a resort island place wasn't much different to places a few hours drive from my home. Debt eradication via denial of luxuries is an effective way of doing it.

First of all, you can't camp for free here...and you have to buy the supplies (like a tent and basic supplies) before you go. I camp with my kids and it still cost more than staying at home and just hitting a few local sites. His "vacations" are never luxurious but they are splurges that don't feel as nice and being debt free would. The debt is the result of an immature spending spree many years ago. Nothing but debt to show for it now.

 

[Serendipity..]

First of all, you can't camp for free here...and you have to buy the supplies (like a tent and basic supplies) before you go. I camp with my kids and it still cost more than staying at home and just hitting a few local sites. His "vacations" are never luxurious but they are splurges that don't feel as nice and being debt free would. The debt is the result of an immature spending spree many years ago. Nothing but debt to show for it now.

your right staying at home is cheaper. I invested 15 years ago in camping stuff instead of wasting money on a motel one year. Another year I did the same. For the remainder of the time I can camp for free or $35 a night beachside or lakeside with amenities. Camping for holidays helped me get debt free. At some time in the year your family needs a Holliday. There is no way I would ever pay $5000 for the family to go overseas again for a week. It's a ludicrous waste of money. I have done that once only after I paid for my house as a treat.

 

[blackribbon]

your right staying at home is cheaper. I invested 15 years ago in camping stuff instead of wasting money on a motel one year. Another year I did the same. For the remainder of the time I can camp for free or $35 a night beachside or lakeside with amenities. Camping for holidays helped me get debt free. At some time in the year your family needs a Holliday. There is no way I would ever pay $5000 for the family to go overseas again for a week. It's a ludicrous waste of money. I have done that once only after I paid for my house as a treat.

Sorry to tell you but NO, a family does not NEED a "holiday". We don't take "holidays"...they are a luxury we can't afford...either in money or in time. Families need to spend time together...but that does not require taking a holiday.