gustava
11-05-2009, 10:17 PM
Poverty is a topic that we often hear about, yet I don't believe many of us have ever truly experienced it. I am writing about poverty based on my knowledge and without claiming that I have done research on actual statistics. No, I won't be telling you how many poor people are in the world and how many have died as a result of poverty. I will however give you my perspective on how poverty will affect us in the future.
First of all let me say that poverty is a very broad subject and I won't get very detailed because all I want to do is to get a point across without making you fall asleep. Poverty is directly influenced by politics and economics and reality is that poverty will always exist. It is very sad but the world is not perfect, had never been perfect, and it will never be perfect. You'll also find poverty to be different based on which part of the world you're in. If you go to Somalia you probably won't find the 350 pounds woman paying for her mountain full grocery cart with food stamps. Please don't think I have a problem with overweight people because I don't. My problem is with those that claim they're poor yet they have their own big plasma TV's, they're using prepaid cell phones, they buy lottery tickets on the first day of the month, and are not starving, for sure.
For now I will not discuss poverty in Somalia or Zimbabwe. There are however certain characteristics that are quite similar in all countries where poverty exists. One of the characteristics is the direct relation between poverty and education, or shall I say "lack of education". Now, lack of education does not mean necessarily that one is stupid but it provides an incredible avenue for others from a different class, a much higher class to exploit them. I hear all the time politicians, university professors, and "community organizers" saying that they're all fighting to extinguish poverty in the world. Fine, I'm all for it as long as they don't make me poor.
But let's go back to the correlation between poverty and the lack of education. I thought that when you give a man a fish you feed him for the day. And when you teach a man how to fish you feed him for life. But this is contrary to what our politicians are doing. They take and take from us, in form of taxes, to give and give to some in form of welfare, Section 8 housing subsidies, and food stamps. And don't forget they get FREE health care, too!
When I first arrived in America I was entitled to all these government "goodies". I was ashamed and embarrassed waiting in line for the welfare check the government was handing me, however I noticed that feeling was not quite predominant in the Welfare office. For many around me it was just a "usual" thing. After 2 months I decided I'd get any job available out there and I did. I just could not stand the humiliation. And even though I was making less money from my minimum hourly wage employment I was happy because dignity was something I grew up with.
Receiving something on a regular basis for just "existing in this world" is called "dependency". Contrary to being self-sufficient, dependency is like a deadly disease. Now, I am not referring to the elderly nor the disabled whose conditions are completely justified. I am referring to those that are able but not willing to work. Yes, generation after generation that depends on these kinds of govt. programs. Have you ever wondered WHY are our politicians feeding these folks on a daily basis rather than teaching them how to fish.
OK, you are educated, and many Americans are educated. Unfortunately there are many whose brains are so darn passive that nothing can make them think. Of course, when food and all the rest of the life's necessities are met by the surrogate government, why bother? Notice one thing with these folks? They have the right to VOTE. And who do you think they're going to vote for? Those politicians that would make them get off their behinds to go work for a living or those that promise them to not cut off the "umbilical cord"?
When a man is educated he is a threat to the government. He is a threat because his smart brain is able to figure out if the government is cheating him or if the government is lying to him. The smart man is able to distinguish between what's right and wrong. The smart man will challenge the corrupt politicians. The smart man is able to see through the pompous words that have no substance. The educated man will challenge the politician's position and consequently his lavish lifestyle. Now you'll understand WHY the "unfit" politician would rather keep generations of folks dependent on the government.
Don't you think it's about time to clean the House and the Senate in 2010?
First of all let me say that poverty is a very broad subject and I won't get very detailed because all I want to do is to get a point across without making you fall asleep. Poverty is directly influenced by politics and economics and reality is that poverty will always exist. It is very sad but the world is not perfect, had never been perfect, and it will never be perfect. You'll also find poverty to be different based on which part of the world you're in. If you go to Somalia you probably won't find the 350 pounds woman paying for her mountain full grocery cart with food stamps. Please don't think I have a problem with overweight people because I don't. My problem is with those that claim they're poor yet they have their own big plasma TV's, they're using prepaid cell phones, they buy lottery tickets on the first day of the month, and are not starving, for sure.
For now I will not discuss poverty in Somalia or Zimbabwe. There are however certain characteristics that are quite similar in all countries where poverty exists. One of the characteristics is the direct relation between poverty and education, or shall I say "lack of education". Now, lack of education does not mean necessarily that one is stupid but it provides an incredible avenue for others from a different class, a much higher class to exploit them. I hear all the time politicians, university professors, and "community organizers" saying that they're all fighting to extinguish poverty in the world. Fine, I'm all for it as long as they don't make me poor.
But let's go back to the correlation between poverty and the lack of education. I thought that when you give a man a fish you feed him for the day. And when you teach a man how to fish you feed him for life. But this is contrary to what our politicians are doing. They take and take from us, in form of taxes, to give and give to some in form of welfare, Section 8 housing subsidies, and food stamps. And don't forget they get FREE health care, too!
When I first arrived in America I was entitled to all these government "goodies". I was ashamed and embarrassed waiting in line for the welfare check the government was handing me, however I noticed that feeling was not quite predominant in the Welfare office. For many around me it was just a "usual" thing. After 2 months I decided I'd get any job available out there and I did. I just could not stand the humiliation. And even though I was making less money from my minimum hourly wage employment I was happy because dignity was something I grew up with.
Receiving something on a regular basis for just "existing in this world" is called "dependency". Contrary to being self-sufficient, dependency is like a deadly disease. Now, I am not referring to the elderly nor the disabled whose conditions are completely justified. I am referring to those that are able but not willing to work. Yes, generation after generation that depends on these kinds of govt. programs. Have you ever wondered WHY are our politicians feeding these folks on a daily basis rather than teaching them how to fish.
OK, you are educated, and many Americans are educated. Unfortunately there are many whose brains are so darn passive that nothing can make them think. Of course, when food and all the rest of the life's necessities are met by the surrogate government, why bother? Notice one thing with these folks? They have the right to VOTE. And who do you think they're going to vote for? Those politicians that would make them get off their behinds to go work for a living or those that promise them to not cut off the "umbilical cord"?
When a man is educated he is a threat to the government. He is a threat because his smart brain is able to figure out if the government is cheating him or if the government is lying to him. The smart man is able to distinguish between what's right and wrong. The smart man will challenge the corrupt politicians. The smart man is able to see through the pompous words that have no substance. The educated man will challenge the politician's position and consequently his lavish lifestyle. Now you'll understand WHY the "unfit" politician would rather keep generations of folks dependent on the government.
Don't you think it's about time to clean the House and the Senate in 2010?