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Obama came from a well-educated family with a caring mother and grandparents. Most kids born into poverty aren't so fortunate. Sure they may have affection lavished on them but it often doesn't translate into the type of focused attention that Obama received.
I have no dog in this fight. We can't begin to close the gap between rich and poor until we look at the root causes. They are pervasive and persistent enough that it's unrealistic to think the average poor boy can pull himself up by his bootstraps. But then they are also pervasive and persistent enough many most social programs may not have a substantial remedial impact. Our political system is too divided to make the kind of committed effort that might make a difference.
There are some who still decry the New Deal pointing out that it was only ww2 that pulled us out of the depression. This forgets that in the interim New Deal programs probably kept folks from starving. The War on Poverty is the poster child of social programs that do not work say some. Granted it did not alleviate poverty but it raised living standards among the poor above a level that would be unsustainable in today's world where an expose is but one YouTube video away.
The many pages of this thread are primarily devoted to defending our system. In the end, what we have may well be the best "fit" for Americans. But it is interesting that so few appear to grasp why many Europeans look at America in askance and thank God they have a European passport. Life in a social democracy may not be the wealthiest way to live but it can make for a better overall lifestyle.
The new crop of young progressive Democrats aside, I don't see that happening here.
Whose fault that is when someone is born into a lousy family? The parents, the society or the taxpayers?
The income gap is not an issue at all. It’s made up to stir jealousy from those who can’t or unwilling to work for it.
The upward mobility is the issue. The real question should be asked is how we can help the poor to become rich quickly? Today, though not perfect, the American society has the highest mobility with 80% of millionaires being self made and first generation rich. Think Warreb Buffet, Bill Gates, Schultz, Jobs, Bezo etc. etc. etc. interestingly the rich can’t hold on to their rich status with 70% of them losing their wealth by the third generation and 90% by the fourth.
Poverty in America, there’s no real poverty in america, is a cultural thing. People who value frugality and education particularly in STEM and finance rise up to the top; those value sports, gangster/celebrity lifestyle, and ignoring education mostly remain poor.
Whose fault that is when someone is born into a lousy family? The parents, the society or the taxpayers?
The income gap is not an issue at all. It’s made up to stir jealousy from those who can’t or unwilling to work for it.
The upward mobility is the issue. The real question should be asked is how we can help the poor to become rich quickly? Today, though not perfect, the American society has the highest mobility with 80% of millionaires being self made and first generation rich. Think Warreb Buffet, Bill Gates, Schultz, Jobs, Bezo etc. etc. etc. interestingly the rich can’t hold on to their rich status with 70% of them losing their wealth by the third generation and 90% by the fourth.
Poverty in America, there’s no real poverty in america, is a cultural thing. People who value frugality and education particularly in STEM and finance rise up to the top; those value sports, gangster/celebrity lifestyle, and ignoring education mostly remain poor.
Statistics prove you wrong, there are many countries with higher social mobility.
Haven't you read the past couple of pages where people have posted links to statistics?
No tax breaks, flat tax, no corporate tax incentives, and no bailouts. Eliminate the Fed while your at it too.
Frankly government regulations are the root cause. Get the government out of life and we will flourish.
For example, why can I start my own bank? People who trust me can deposit their money with me and I in return give them interest. Except the amount of government regulations for operating a bank is so burdensome that only the rich can afford.
America could adopt a socialist government like Venezuela, the type of government Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez have been advocating.
By Correo del Orinoco International
Jul 31st 2011 at 8.33am
Venezuela: Lowest Percentage of Social Inequality in Latin America
Venezuela has the lowest percentage (0.38 percent) of social inequality in Latin America, according a report released by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The President of the National Institute of Statistics, Elias Eljuri, said on Monday that the ECLAC report shows that extreme poverty in Venezuela was reduced from 21 percent in 1999, when the Bolivarian Revolution began, to 6.9 percent, with a tendency to continue decreasing.
Of course, after adopting socialism, the citizens are starving in Venezuela 8 years later and the government has recently been taken over by a violent dictator.....but, there is no income inequality! everyone is living in poverty in Venezuela now.
Last edited by texan2yankee; 02-23-2019 at 10:30 AM..
We encourage the hoarding of wealth with our tax code. There's little incentive to invest in one's own workforce, when it's so easy to just keep it all.
What, exactly, do you think investing is? Do you mistakenly think the wealthy just hoard their wealth in cash under their mattresses, or something like that?
What, exactly, do you think investing is? Do you mistakenly think the wealthy just horde their wealth in cash under their mattresses, or something like that?
No, but the "investments" you speak of are to enrich themselves, and others like themselves. It's a shell game, and only the people at the top truly benefit. There is no trickle down, there is no great reward for the hard work at the bottom.
Whose fault that is when someone is born into a lousy family? The parents, the society or the taxpayers?
The income gap is not an issue at all. It’s made up to stir jealousy from those who can’t or unwilling to work for it.
The upward mobility is the issue. The real question should be asked is how we can help the poor to become rich quickly? Today, though not perfect, the American society has the highest mobility with 80% of millionaires being self made and first generation rich. Think Warreb Buffet, Bill Gates, Schultz, Jobs, Bezo etc. etc. etc. interestingly the rich can’t hold on to their rich status with 70% of them losing their wealth by the third generation and 90% by the fourth.
Poverty in America, there’s no real poverty in america, is a cultural thing. People who value frugality and education particularly in STEM and finance rise up to the top; those value sports, gangster/celebrity lifestyle, and ignoring education mostly remain poor.
Bingo! Neither society nor taxpayers are to blame for the poor ill-advisedly bearing children they cannot afford to support, thereby dooming those children to a lifetime of hardship and struggle, as well.
Statistics prove you wrong, there are many countries with higher social mobility.
Haven't you read the past couple of pages where people have posted links to statistics?
They also tax regressively instead of progressively. So I'm assuming you're on board with switching the US to a regressive tax system, no?
Be sure to read the scatter plot chart and understand what it is telling us. There IS a distinct pattern. Read and learn:
There's even a link to the research on which the Washington Post article is based. It includes numerous additional citations.
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