Lifestyle > Train of Thought
Report says schools are unfair to America
UnstoppableForce:
If we don't help out the poor, then we are filling our streets with homeless people and what-not. Is that a good thing? It will lead to a loss of jobs, more people, small business going down, or eventually being bought out by bigger business, at which point bigger business becomes even bigger.
About 80-90% of the countries wealth is in the hands of less than 5% of the people. Are you saying its better if that 80-90% increases? Why don't we just have ourselves a king.
Woodrow:
In our modern open-market capitalist society, entrepreneurs get rich and the poor get better off as a result...
Of course they're not going to get as rich as fast ,So, of course the gap thereby gets wider ,but the top AND BOTTOM of the gap both rise to levels much higher than before. The gap is widening?? Super! Thats good for everybody, ESPECIALLY the poor!
"One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain." -- Dr. Thomas Sowell
Woodrow:
Approximately Dollars 1.3bn (Pounds 900m) has been donated to benefit the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. While this is a considerable sum, it is consistent with Americans' generosity. According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, in 2000 Americans gave Dollars 203bn to charitable organisations, or 2 per cent of gross domestic product, far surpassing the contributions of any other nation. Further, those other countries that were runners-up in private philanthropy were nations that share US values and traditions.
"Why are Americans such big givers? Some say this generosity is merely the outgrowth of the spectacular success of capitalism at wealth creation. And no one should argue with capitalism's success in generating wealth, or that possessing wealth beyond that required to meet one's immediate needs makes contributing to humanitarian causes easier.
"But surely there is more to the link between capitalism and humanitarianism than wealth creation. After all, there are plenty of things one can do with one's wealth other than contribute it to meeting the needs of others. Humanitarianism rests not just on wealth but on an ethos. And two aspects of the ethos of capitalism - materialism and individualism - are what make humanitarianism possible.
"Materialism is the belief that the quality of one's life on earth is important: that life should be more than a daily struggle to meet immediate needs. This is important, for if one does not believe that the material conditions of life are important, no value exists in meeting the material needs of others.
"The individuals who commandeered the aeroplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon did not think the material conditions of life mattered. Indeed, they did not think life itself mattered. They willingly brought death to themselves and thousands of others and suffering to tens of thousands for a non-material purpose.
"Indeed, their acts and the rhetoric of their leaders are not just non-material, but anti-material. They believe in tearing down. Capitalism, by contrast, is the ideology of building up; it is the best ethos for making our dreams and aspirations concrete that mankind has ever found."
Lawrence Lindsey
Financial Times, London, Nov 22, 2001
M Dogg™:
--- Quote from: Engel-Rock AKA Dances With Bitch on September 10, 2003, 07:29:24 PM ---In our modern open-market capitalist society, entrepreneurs get rich and the poor get better off as a result...
Of course they're not going to get as rich as fast ,So, of course the gap thereby gets wider ,but the top AND BOTTOM of the gap both rise to levels much higher than before. The gap is widening?? Super! Thats good for everybody, ESPECIALLY the poor!
"One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain." -- Dr. Thomas Sowell
--- End quote ---
In practice, it has never worked. In Reagonamics, the poor grew poorer than before LBJ's Great Society.
ITW [the irish boy]:
Firstly, the original topic.... maybe your textbooks are very critical, but critisism is usually a good thing, because you will then love your country for what it is. Like seeing your girlfriend without makeup, if you still think shes hot then its all the better. And as for huge cynicism towards politics, remember that this happens in every country, including ireland...here the books show all the problems of corruption etc so people can see how things should be, and taught that all politicians are not always good, and you should really take an active role in considering your vote.
And trauma...in weightlifting, when u are only 95lbs you will increase your muscle far more than someone heavier because you have a bigger capacity to grow. Anyway, more on point, i think that taxes should be used to prop up the lower half of the country. like with your friends, if you have a weak mate then you should look out for him, not just say its up to him to learn how to fight and stand up for himself. thats up to him, and until then youll have his back. Same with society, if you are rich and have money to spare, you should help the poor help themselves and give them the means to pprop themselves up. Its just plain selfish to say its their own fault...theyre born into that life, and very few will get the opportunitys, or have the capabilities to become an entrepreneur and make it work. The least we can offer them is a safety net in case they fail. If you happened to be on the street tomorrow, wouldnt you like to know the government will help you get back on your feet?
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