Am I prejudiced of the poor?

[Tamuna X]

Let's see what the members here have to say. Hanging out with the boys last night and the subject of the poor came up. My take was that MOST (note I said MOST) are poor because it's their choice. Exclude the elderly and people with disabilities.

I come to the conclusion that there is a high probability that they are poor because of their own doing. They never finished school. Cannot hold a job because of their work ethics and are lazy. Spend too much of their money (Whatever they have left) on booze, smokes, drugs or whatever luxury they perceive it to be that they need.

Most poor are poor Not because they were hard workers and fell on bad times, Nor are they poor because they were well educated and just could not find a job. The reality is most poor are poor because they lack ambition to improve their own lives, and this lack of ambition leads to a whole host of things that impede the poor's efforts to become successful.


Am I right?

 

[[email protected]]

How about the poor that are motivated but cannot find a job because of their color, gender and looks?.

 

[mrfrudd2006]

No one ever asked to be born poor.
However many have decided to remain poor.

 

[Contard H. Moshiach]

Often the most richest people monetarily are in reality some of the poorest individuals I have met.

So really it is all a matter of perception.

 

[DaleMcIntosh]

As my mom tells me she is rich I am poor

 

[newrose]

There lies the key to being successful.

 

[Wayne Z]

Well, it isn't as simple as that. It is also having the ability to "know" what decisions are the right ones, there's luck, and then there's innate ability.

Look at warren buffet. He just happened to have a knack for business...even before he knew what business was.....

Even Gates. Do you think a young upstart could create an O/S that would bump windows and apple off? I don't think either would let it happen.

But there was a special on City TV on the people who used to live in Tent City down by the lake. ABout half were people who just ran on hard times due to job loss and many had jobs, just couldn't raise the first and last that everyone wants.

Yes, a LOT are homeless due to choice (mostly the youth) then they turn to drugs and alcohol and they're on the slope into hell.

There was a special on 60 minutes on Hotel Kids in Orange County. Most lost their homes due to foreclosure due to the insane 2nd year interest rates. They are barely squeeking by. Yet there are literally millions of homes sitting empty due 100% to greed by the rich and shameless. Are they homeless? hell no, the feds handed them millions and where did it go? Into their bonus'.....

There was an article the other day once again about the shrinking middle class and how we pay the lion's share of taxes, donations, and support the economy. What happens when we're gone? (and it IS coming unless something changes).....

 

[cymraesgwyllt]

OMFG, T-boy you were born to be a lawyer :tongue:

 

[Caity]

You're not the first to say that lol......

 

[Platinum Knight]

Choosing to stay poor...I like that.

Few of us are born into privilege, but many of us make our own way to financial security and comfort.

Yes, sh!t happens and truly unfortunate situations arise. But, for the most part, we possess the ability to change and adapt.

Choosing to spend unwisely, choosing to not work harder, choosing to make excuses instead of acting...that is all too common.

 

[Tom Odda]

+1. The most giving, generous souls I've ever known have been people who have very little, but they would happily share what they have if they thought someone needed help.

 

[Torigirl]

exactly what I've been preaching for years....Per capita, the wealthy give very little compared to the middle and lower classes. (and don't be harping on Gates etc, that has only come about in the last little while and there are FEW like him).

Same as my customers, I rarely have trouble collecting from those without a lot of disposable income, it's only the rich and shameless that I have trouble with.

Rawd:

the only thing I would add is making decisions that turn out to be the wrong ones. I worked my tail off for a large corporation and should have been moving up the ladder. I was poised to, until they hired a uni grad with no experince over me simply because a higher up made a call. The higher up (VP) was a friend of the guy's family.....I found this out from the hire's buddy, who I was friends with. He said the whole time "don't get your hopes up"....and then afterwards I said "WTF happened, and he was honest with me and told me".

This is one of the examples of how I say the higher ups really don't want to have any of the working class move up. They may not consciously acknowledge that they do it, but when they call in a favour to promote/hire a friend's kid, over someone working their way up, that's exactly what they do....specially in this case because it was in the works to phase out my position. So it was either move up or move out for me....needless to say, they moved me out.

I bet it pisses them off to no end when someone wins a good chunk of change in the lottery and moves into their neighbourhood. I remember Chris Rock doing a skit about visiting a friend of his (black dentist) in a posh New Jersey area. The neighbours HATED it when he moved in......

I forget which speech O'Bama made but somewhere in there he alluded to the rich "we gave you the tax breaks, now spend that money and get the economy moving again" (or words to that effect).

A another good example is in the movie Pretty Woman. He was an investment banker and took over, and dismantled companies because the assets were worth more than the company itself. Yeah, one or 20 people make millions doing this, but in return they take the livelihood away from thousands. (aka stealing from the poor and giving to the rich).

And don't even get me STARTED on the makework/infrastructure monies that the government put into the economy. That money only helped a select few....It would have been better to put that money into utilities subsidies so that it would help many.......

 

[Niner]

There's truth in what you say, but often there are unseen reasons for actions.

The wealthy usually had a head start in life in many ways - nutritious meals, higher expectations and encouragement, not having to work after school, tutors, an allowance and being taught about money.

If you're in trouble, or hurt or need - go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help - the only ones.
-John Steinbeck

 

[cheesecake]

Exactly. Which is why I am a firm believer in putting limits on what or how much you can pass onto your kids when you die.

Now if ever a law was passed doing this, the government would take whatever is left over. I disagree with this, I think there should be a fund set up to put underpriveledged kids through university, donated to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, small business grants etc.

Like Gates and Buffet. They both plan on donating all their wealth to charities. Their kids will be well off, no doubt about it but what 20 yr old kid needs 22 billion dollars? That does them not a whit of good.

There's a lot of stories in the papers etc about how the wealth and economic growth is only being shared with a select few. (back to the 40% stat from another thread). Another time in history that was like this ended up with Marie Antoinette losing her head...literally.

There was an article in the paper the other day about Air Canada and how the workers were being asked to give up all their benefits, work longer hours with no pay, because A/C was on the ropes yet the pres was given millions in bonus', a raise, millions in stock options etc....This harkens back to when I worked for a company that was going through a slow period. We were on a work share program whereby we worked 4 days a week and UI covered the 5th. But the thing was, we still had to produce the same so everyone just worked the same hours, only in 4 days instead of 5. Then the president shows up one monday with a brand new top of the line Jaguar. We were pissed.

One thing I had to hand it to the GM. Soon as he saw that he marched right into the president's office and you could hear him screaming through the door. By lunch the pres got back in his jaguar, went home, and drove his old Grand Cherokee to work from then on......

What made it worse was we all had to park on the street in front of the office so it was like RIGHT there for everyone to see.....what a moron.....he almost had a riot on his hands lol

 

[condosgirl]

IMO...there is no reason for anyone to be poor is the country we live in.....nuff said!!

 

[KKingS]

well, if no one ever makes mistakes, then yes, then that is true.

When I was growing up my dad only brought home about $100.00 a week and he had two kids a wife and a mortgage. But the mortgage was for $5200.00 but still.....

But in a way, you're right. I knew a teen who had a kid and was complaining that she only got $1200 a month from welfare....lol...I just laughed......

 

[Kristen K]

Only the strongest survive. Some have to hustle for their cash and to some it comes easy. If you have a lazy gene you are doom to be poor, not necessarily poor of cash but poor in life.