I’m more of a moderate, I guess. And I like to think of myself as a political Independent, or just unaffiliated. I’m not a democrat nor a republican, at this time. I see it both ways, and both viewpoints are valid, actually. I see truths throughout all shades of the political spectrum.
I think that giving the disadvantaged people enough money and resources, financial help and social support, will solve most of the poverty in America. It’s so solvable; no one denies that it’s very solvable. And I’ve studied a tiny bit about negative income tax, and I’ve understood that it’s one of the more efficient and effective ways to end poverty and get people on the right track in life; upwards and onwards. You have to start working, eventually; and you have to keep going; and you have to give every day your best effort. Individual effort meets societal help; they’re not mutually exclusive. (Personal responsibility and collective responsibility; they’re not mutually exclusive.)
And as for “everything should be paid for by the rich”—free medical care/health insurance; free housing; free daycare; free college; free groceries; free everything—this idea doesn’t work, I think. You run out of money, at some point in the future. All of those products and services cost money. Even with the trillions that the rich currently have; we start to run out of money, sooner or later, when they have to cover all these expenses for everyone. From what I understand; you have to get a job and make your own way in life; pay your own way. We shouldn’t expect other people, “the rich,” to pay for us.. And even if they do pay for us for some time, and throughout certain areas of life—we should still try to become self-sufficient so as to not be a drain on the system. That’s the harsh reality of life, I guess. I didn’t make it that way; that’s just life.
And money doesn’t grow on trees, I guess. I know that the government has a printing press, and they can just print as much money as they want. But doesn’t this de-value the currency, the dollars that are already in circulation? In fact, if printing more money was the solution to poverty; then why didn’t we just print out a bunch of money, and give it to everyone, a long time ago? Problem would have been solved, long ago. But I guess it’s not that easy, or something…
We should do a lot more to end poverty and stuff like that…we can end it. Best solution is jobs, opportunity creation, and business-friendly environments—ones that are not stifled by overregulation and heavy taxation. Lower taxes helps businesses save revenue, which can then be given to the employees, and used to hire and pay new employees, and etc. And it helps businesses reinvest, grow, and develop.
And places like Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Walmart probably can afford a high wage for every employee; but smaller companies can’t. They’d have to lay off workers, or not hire as many people, in order to comply with high minimum wage laws. And you know, it prices people out of the market—people who are just starting out, and who don’t have much experience or skills yet. High minimum wage laws make it harder for these folks to find work. It’s better for as many people as possible to get their foot on the first rung of the economic ladder, even if the initial compensation isn’t high—than is a high minimum wage for the select few, the people fortunate enough to get hired in the first place.
And the solution to poverty in *Africa,* is the same as it is in America; jobs, industry, industrialization, opportunity creation, economic growth, upward mobility, trade, innovation, free markets, etc. etc. I’m from Sudan, in northeast Africa, and so this topic means a lot to me, this topic of poverty eradication and prosperity-building.
It turns out that capitalism is the way out of poverty. I’m not saying social welfare isn’t necessary. And we probably need way more of that—especially for people at the bottom who are truly suffering. But this doesn’t cure poverty, it only alleviates it temporarily. The cure, the true eradication, is capitalism—and the self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and financial stability that comes along with it. These aims are not the easiest things to achieve, but we can do it.
And we should help each other out a lot more—but the ultimate goal is to help one another attain self-sufficiency. “The rich” aren’t responsible for everyone. They should give as much as possible, since they probably don’t need all that much money. And they should give to education, to cancer research, to children’s charities, blah blah blah. But at the same time, you and I have to try, as well. We have to try to make our own way.
And all the vulnerable people are all exempt to a great extent, of course: disabled people; chronically sick people; stay at home parents; the children; the elderly; people who have had bad prospects in life, for some reason; people who have been dealt a bad hand, in life; etc. etc. These vulnerable peoples should be protected and supported, of course. It’s a moral obligation.
And there should be social welfare for people who cannot afford life’s basic necessities. Medicaid (health insurance); SNAP, and food access; financial aid for college; child care discounts and coverage; subsidized housing; utility bills assistance; etc. etc. All of these programs and services are available on an as-needed basis, of course. I’m not really sure what the purpose of universal coverage is, across all of these areas. Why give the affluent and the well-off people, free stuff? So I haven’t quite understood the point of universal coverage for all these necessities of life. If you can afford to pay for these essential goods and services, then you probably should. Otherwise, it would just be on the very rich to pay for absolutely everyone, in society. And that’s all it means, when they say “free goods and services—free//government-subsidized goods and services.” It actually means “paid for by the rich, the very rich in society. The top 10%, or so.” Nothing is free. Workers have to get compensated/paid for providing all those goods and services to society, after all. People can’t work for free, all of the time. And so we can’t expect free goods/services, I guess. People always have to get paid. And someone’s paying, always. The rich pay.
It took me a long while to understand all this. And I used to think that society owed me a lot, and that society was fully responsible over me. I don’t know why I thought this…
Thank you!!!! god bless everyone!!!!!! We have to take care of each other!!!! God bless us all!!!!! -e.
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