Forum Post: You are not Poor!
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 31, 2011, 11:07 p.m. EST by moving69china
(10)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
You are not poor.
Sorry. I know you think you are, but you are not.
If you can turn a handle in your home and water comes out, you are richer than billions of people.
If you are reading this, you are better educated than Billions of people. Chances are you are reading this on a computer, listening to your iPod or watching TV while drinking Coca-Cola or coffee.
If you are not working 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, you are not poor.
If you were not sold into prostitution by your family, you are not poor.
Do not call yourself poor. You are insulting the real poor in the world.
First do what you can do for those below you, before you ask those above you help YOU out!
That doesn't mean that banks can use OUR FDIC insured funds to recklessly gamble with. It costs all of us money and jobs that so many financial resources are used for bets and not real goods and services that we as a country need.
Excellent, Moving69china. These people live in LaLa Land
I owe more money than any one who has nothing.
Do you have electricity, appliances, a car, a home, a computer? Internet connection... no you are not poor.
No, I rent.
I also don't declare war on my neighbours and burn down the infrastructure every 5 or so years.
Just sayin'
It depends on your definition of poor - mine would be struggling to make ends meet, struggling to pay for the essentials, food, rent, clothing etc. If you are scared to open the bills then you could be poor. There are people who will always be worse of than you most definitely. There will always be people who have less but are happier because they are not facing the pressures of a capitalist society (take a trip to Nepal) But are you saying that these people have nothing to complain about and no right to protest? Are you saying that they should wait until they turn the faucet and no water comes out before they can protest? Are you saying that they should wait until things get so bad that they are working 16hr days 6 days a week, then they can protest? Are you saying they should wait until their family is forced to sell them or their children into prostitution before they can protest? All you have done is state a couple of examples of how the system worldwide is broken and why this protest movement has spread around the entire world.
Before you school someone below you ensure you have walked a mile in their shoes...
It depends on your definition of poor - mine would be struggling to make ends meet, struggling to pay for the essentials, food, rent, clothing etc. If you are scared to open the bills then you could be poor. There are people who will always be worse of than you most definitely. There will always be people who have less but are happier because they are not facing the pressures of a capitalist society (take a trip to Nepal) But are you saying that these people have nothing to complain about and no right to protest? Are you saying that they should wait until they turn the faucet and no water comes out before they can protest? Are you saying that they should wait until things get so bad that they are working 16hr days 6 days a week, then they can protest? Are you saying they should wait until their family is forced to sell them or their children into prostitution before they can protest? All you have done is state a couple of examples of how the system worldwide is broken and why this protest movement has spread around the entire world.
Before you school someone below you ensure you have walked a mile in their shoes...
I am saying that if the OWS wants to protest, you need to do all you can for those below you, BEFORE you demand those above you to give you a handout. It is simple. It is easy to ask for things, but make sure you are willing to give.
Yes, but who sucked the wealth out of the hundreds of nations whose people are starving now??
Hypocrisy is the greatest disease the 1% has.
I thought it was just me....I posted 'fact....people in prison here are better treated than people in third world country's 'and every felon on here jump my a--.......lol
Yes. Prisoners in the US are treated much better than many hard working and honest people in third world countries.
That is why I have no sympathy for prisoners. Other prisoners are the ones that give them the most grief.
(TO OCCPUPIER)
We are rich but poor. we are poor but RICH.
Is that an excuse for the wealthy to justify their conduct? Is that what this is all about? Sorry, but I don't buy that race to the bottom crap. You are an enabler and you can go F**K yourself!
Americans aren't poor in any respect. They have so many things and a wealth of information. People in the Peoples Rupublic of China are denied information and wealth by their government, so we are very fortunate.
These points are all valid except for the last line which is utter crap. One injustice doesn't exclude another from scrutiny. Also, the profound injustice within the developed world (where the cost of living is much higher) isn't even mentioned. Or the reckless population growth within the third world. Of course, there will always be many even less fortunate than poor Americans. But one injustice does not exclude another from scrutiny or those who cause it.
In other words, the richest one percent are still pigs. I for one have no intention to shut up about it anytime soon. Say that reminds me...
We have been mislead by Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and nearly every other public figure. Economic growth, job creation, and actual prosperity are not necessarily a package deal. In fact, the first two are horribly misunderstood. Economic growth/loss (GDP) is little more than a measure of wealth changing hands. A transfer of currency from one party to another. The rate at which it is traded. This was up until mid ’07′ however, has never been a measure of actual prosperity. Neither has job creation. The phrase itself has been thrown around so often, and in such a generic politicali manner, that it has come to mean nothing. Of course, we need to have certain things done for the benefit of society as a whole. We need farmers, builders, manufacturers, transporters, teachers, cops, firefighters, soldiers, mechanics, sanitationi workers, doctors, managers, and visionaries. Their work is vital. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that we need politicians, attorneys, bankers, investors, and entertainers. In order to keep them productive, we must provide reasonable incentives. We need to compensate each by a fair measure for their actual contributions to society. We need to provide a reasonable scale of income opportunity for every independent adult, every provider, and share responsibility for those who have a legitimate need for aid. In order to achieve and sustain this, we must also address the cost of living and the distribution of wealth. Here, we have failed miserably. The majority have already lost their home equity, their financial security, and their relative buying power. The middle class have actually lost much of their ability to make ends meet, re-pay loans, pay taxes, and support their own economy. The lower class have gone nearly bankrupt. In all, its a multi-trillion dollar loss taken over about 30 years. Millions are under the impression that we need to create more jobs simply to provide more opportunity. as if that would solve the problem. It won’t. Not by a longshot. Jobs don’t necessarily create wealth. In fact, they almost never do. For the mostpart, they only transfer wealth from one party to another. A gain here. A loss there. Appreciation in one community. Depreciation in another. In order to create net wealth, you must harvest a new resource or make more efficient use of one. Either way you must have a reliable and ethical system in place to distribute that newly created wealth in order to benefit society as a whole and prevent a lagging downside. The ‘free market’ just doesn’t cut it. Its a farce. Many of the jobs created are nothing but filler. The promises empty. Sure, unemployment reached an all-time low under Bush. GDP reached an all-time high. But those are both shallow and misleading indicators. In order to gauge actual prosperity, you must consider the economy in human terms. As of ’08′ the average American was working more hours than the previous generation with far less equity to show for it. Consumer debt, forclosure, and bankruptcy were also at all-time highs. As of ’08′, every major American city was riddled with depressed communities, neglected neighborhoods, failing infrastructures, lost revenue, and gang activity. All of this has coincided with massive economic growth and job creation. Meanwhile, the rich have been getting richer and richer and richer even after taxes. Our nation’s wealth has been concentrated. Again, this represents a multi-trillion dollar loss taken by the majority. Its an absolute deal breaker. Bottom line: With or without economic growth or job creation, you must have a system in place to prevent too much wealth from being concentrated at the top. Unfortunately, we don’t. Our economy has become nothing but a giant game of Monopoly. The richest one percent already own nearly 1/2 of all United States wealth. More than double their share before Reagan took office. Still, they want more. They absolutely will not stop. Now, our society as a whole is in serious jeapordy. Greed kills.
Oh so you don't believe you should take care of those below you? Great. So go home.
Wrong. I don't believe in making excuses for those at the very top.
Why use a bank then? Banks have always been this way
No one here has claimed to be poor .. but it will soon happen.. this situation will get worse and worse. poverty will become a way of life for the many not just the few.
Poor is relative!
CEO's and Bankers keep taking money that is owned by the government.
Haha. Right on. A bunch of spoiled brats typing on their Macs how poor they are.
mac? i can just afford a old pc.
Not even Kraft?
nah. i'm old and like real food.
Red herring. The issue is not that Americans are poor, but that the government and the banks are corrupted and this needs to be fixed. It's not because there's a problem with the economics of other countries that we can't improve upon the economics of our own.
you are right. people in each nation need to fix their own nation. i can't fix problems in nigeria or laos or suriname. i don't live there. fix your own country. we are trying to fix ours.
I feel really bad now. I think I need another glass of expensive wine.