Is the World Better or Worse?

[_Jason Bourne]

I'm moving to a place where I think most people have a "good side". But lately, I wonder about the Homo Sapien Sapien. I wonder if the inherent greed, selfishness, need for power, dominance, and glory isn't going to be our downfall. I don't know.

I think of our time sort of like the Earth during the oxygen revolution... life about ended until a few little creatures figured out a way to survive. Maybe we are facing a similar situation when, unless we figure out some new ways of existing we won't make it?

Regardless, I'm with you, I don't see the world in such a critical state that a second coming would be required.

~td~

Personally I agree as well. Also I note that it seems a few very evill and greedy reek havoc for the massed. The Bernie Madoff's are really few and far between yet the cause un-estimable hurt. I believe most people are basically good.

[_harmony]

Personally I agree as well. Also I note that it seems a few very evill and greedy reek havoc for the massed. The Bernie Madoff's are really few and far between yet the cause un-estimable hurt. I believe most people are basically good.

Unless removed, the rotten apple will cause the whole barrel to go bad.

[_Jason Bourne]

In order to achieve your laudable goal, capitalism which transfers wealth up needs something which reduces that reality. One way to do that is to increase the tax load on the wealthy. We have had a free market without restriction of wealth transfer. There are still many who propose cutting tax on the wealthy or a flat tax (everyone pays the same percentage). The latter is regressive against the poor and would exacerbate the very problem you wish to solve.

Inordinately taxing those who generate wealth stifles growth and fuels the poverty you think you are combating. I am all for the wealthy paying their fair share but how much is fair? Currently top rates for someone at about $350k a year is at about 42% for federal and state taxes depending on the state you live in. That seem fairly significant. And this does not include FICA and medicare which the wealthy also pay though the 12.45% of FICA stops at $104k of income.

There is another kind of tax which might address your concern. It’s the Value Added Tax. That’s a tax placed on yachts, second, third, and fourth homes, luxury cars, multiple cars beyond three, etc. That is by no means a comprehensive list of things which could reduce the “dying at significantly higher rates.” There are others. Education and skill is critical to accomplish your goal. That is, people must be able to help themselves. What can the wealthy do to enable the poor to help themselves? The cost of poverty is far greater than the cost to educate people to secure their own future with marketable skills. Poverty results in death – death from illegal drugs, death from no medical care, death from ignorance about how people can help themselves.

VAT add costs to all levels of all products and like a sales tax is tremendously regressive unless the VAT applies only to luxury items.

[_Jason Bourne]

I have an idea (isn't that where every solution starts? someone has an idea?) and with a little help from a friend, a tiny bit of seed money, less than $3000, I put the idea into action a couple of years ago in a very limited population with very specific partners. It was a spectacular success but needed a lot of tweaking, and I don't have time for tweaking when I run a team of fundraisers. The head of the agency at that time had no interest in my idea, but she has now retired. The current head of my agency is a friend of mine, who heard about my idea, and sees promise in it, because for him, we should be looking for solutions to our local problems, not just raising money for national.

He's asked me to start developing the idea further with the idea of implementing it across our rural counties within 2-3 years. I'll run a mini of the idea in June at one of my events, and the full blown pilot this fall at another staff person's event. And we'll study the evaluations, make appropriate changes, and see if we have any impact on the lifestyle choices that keep the poor so far ahead of other economic classifications in the dying department. (when I say we, I mean myself, my friend the CEO, and his friend on the faculty at our biggest state university).


At least in my counties, I don't have to worry about the #1 killer in our world: the impact of war. Most of these counties don't even have gang problems.

How can one contribute to your plan?

[_harmony]

How can one contribute to your plan?

I'm sorry, Jason. I don't understand your question.

[_Inconceivable]

Personally I agree as well. Also I note that it seems a few very evill and greedy reek havoc for the massed. The Bernie Madoff's are really few and far between yet the cause un-estimable hurt. I believe most people are basically good.

Unless removed, the rotten apple will cause the whole barrel to go bad.

Not necessarilly, but I guess this is the cycle I'm refering to.

People, individually can become overcome by the evil perpetrated upon them. Vengence and hatred toward another's dispicable acts can rot a good person if they are not careful. But not all are willing to cave to it.

So the barrel of fish analogy is not a consistant one. Keep in mind, the fish in the barrel are dead and are of no value to themselves or the school as a whole - just to the ones that took their life.

[_Jason Bourne]

I'm sorry, Jason. I don't understand your question.

If you need funds how can I help?

[_harmony]

I'm sorry, Jason. I don't understand your question.

If you need funds how can I help?

Whoa. I'm sorry I'm so slow on the uptake. No one's ever asked me that before.

To help specifically with the project, the funds would have to be run through the event as a sponsorship, targeted to the project. I'd have to email you the forms, you'd fill them out, and send them back to me.

Wow. Thanks for asking, Jason! I didn't see that one coming.

[_harmony]

It is not a myth. Not at all. It is truth. There are abundant community colleges that are very affordable. Financial aid and loans are available to almost anyone, especially the poor.

Yes, I agree. Education is one of the risk factors prevelant within this population, and is one of the unconventional partners I was referring to. We won't be working with community colleges though. Too often, higher education isn't even on the radar for a population that has a dismal high school graduation rate. So we'll be partnering with the K-12 public school system and count ourselves lucky.

I have had plenty dealing with the poor.

Did you grow up rural and poor? I did. Spend any time on food stamps, as an adult? I did. These are my people; I understand them and their situation, and since I got out of it, so can they. I'm not trying to improve their economic situation (although that is a nice bonus when it happens). I'm trying to improve their health, so they don't die young and hard.

Many choose not to try to get out of the situation they are in. You yourself complained on another thread how so many won't take jobs that end up going to illegals. Which is Harmony?

That is true, but just because that is true, do we write them off? Stand back and let them die young and hard, because after all, they choose to? Even if they never really knew differently? I'm sorry, I just can't do that.

I also spend a lot of time in a rural area. My county is one of the poorest in our area. There is a major metro area 20 miles from where I live that has an area code. Those in that code refer to the code I live in in a joking but disparaging way that implies people who live here are poor and red necks. But for the most part our poor still live in more comfort than much of the world. Few go with out food and shelter. Most have a car, TV, etc.

Sounds nice. Not like what I'm dealing with though. For the mini-event this year, I'm dealing with a young man who lives in an abandoned box car with no heat and no water. He was kicked out of his home by his alcoholic mother when he wouldn't use his small paycheck to buy her booze. Another family lives in a house that I wouldn't house chickens in. Another lives in a garage. The list goes on and on. These are the poorest of the poor. I cannot look away and not see them, Jason. It's simply not in me to do that. I cannot make them change the way they live, but I can bring them together once a month to prepare for the cause, the big event, and while they're there, take their blood pressure and give them some dry beans to cook for a bean soup the next day and a voucher for some soap and shampoo at the local drugstore, courtesy of a partnership between me and the drugstore. I cannot save the world, but I can offer access to services they may not know exist.

And yes, they can go to school and they can improve and they can work they way out of their situation. Many do. Many don't. Some won't. Are you poor? You have shared a lot about your family. Seems like your kids have worked hard to better their life. Are they poor?

I grew up poor. I raised my family in that environment, although some of them didn't know we were poor. I went back to college (community college 30 miles away then university anywhere from 150 miles away to 45 miles away) when my youngest started school, and 7 years later, graduated with a masters degree. All of my kids have been to college, not all of them finished, but most of them did. They went on scholarships and loans, and they're paying them back, as am I. We pulled ourselves up because we had pride. And most of the people I'll be working with would be like we were... poor, proud, and in some ways, unable to see further than our noses. I offer them the bonus of access at an event they care about. But for others, for the poorest of the poor, I will do what I can to help, and give them something worthwhile to do while doing the best I can to improve their health and the choices they make.

[_Dr. Shades]

For the mini-event this year, I'm dealing with a young man who lives in an abandoned box car with no heat and no water. He was kicked out of his home by his alcoholic mother when he wouldn't use his small paycheck to buy her booze. Another family lives in a house that I wouldn't house chickens in. Another lives in a garage. The list goes on and on. These are the poorest of the poor. . . I will do what I can to help, and give them something worthwhile to do while doing the best I can to improve their health and the choices they make.

Are these people reproducing irresponsibly?