Jan 10 2013: Sorry Bob but in my opinion you have to be able to survive and even thrive in the environment in which you live. If you live in a super cold climate you have to know how to survive. If you live in a jungle you have to know the laws of the jungle. this is no different. How can you say that it is nonsense to understand how to survive the environment in which you live. Also if you are financially literate you will have the skills to raise some money. Example: I know some people that came from a very poor Caribbean island. They got jobs doing whatever they could and pooled their money together. They did this for a number of years and were soon able to open a convenience store, they then invested the money they earned from the store into real estate. They came here with nothing but they took the time to learn how the system works. I also understand how Americans have a different mentality than immigrants but can be taught and it happens all the time. In a country that prides itself on innovation, I don't see why it couldn't happen on a larger scale. The problem is that the will is not there to even try.
Jan 8 2013: Sorry but I don't see education people as a scam. A scam is something dishonest. Secondly if that is the prevailing attitude and people are unwilling to seek to change the system then get used to crime ,violence,revolution, terrorism, etc. and stop complaining about it because it is a manifestation of certain conditions that people cannot see themselves getting out of. just for the record I am not a liberal but I don't see this country jailing and executing its way out of this situation. You have to look at the larger picture. And if people are going to be indifferent about educationg people how to survive and thrive in this society then they should be indifferent about crime and violence and stop complaining about it. It goes with the territory. I agree with your statement that the economy depends on the ignorant but if we want a more sane society we better make some adjustments. The economic system was not didvinely made, it was man made. If man created it, he can alter it.
Jan 5 2013: I think that it starts with education but included in the general education is a financial education. Even in the U.S, the majority of the people including the middle class are financially illiterate. that is one thing that the poor and the middle class have in common....they are both financially illiterate. I don't know a lot about stocks but would it be possible to come up with a stock that has explosive growth potential but could be bought at say$1 a share with no minimum purchase requirement. so if a person could only afford to buy 1 stock they start there and as it increases they buy more and after a while they have a reasonable income coming in after repeating this process. I don't see why its not possible. It would be good for the company that issues the stock and good for the people that invest in the stock. Nonprofits in the U.S could educate the people in the communities and NGO's could do the same thing internationally. I'm sure its not that easy but with the expertise that we have in the so called developed countries I feel it could be done. The question is the will and the egos of the people that have the power and expertise. That would be the main obstacle.
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A comment on Conversation: What can governments do to end poverty in their countries? Is a solution possible under capitalism?
A reply on Conversation: What can governments do to end poverty in their countries? Is a solution possible under capitalism?
A comment on Conversation: What can governments do to end poverty in their countries? Is a solution possible under capitalism?