The other day in class we discussed poor people and others who are well off. Some said that they thought if you are poor, it is your fault and you should be able to get yourself back up...no excuses. Others thought the government should help them out a lot, and they (the poor) were helpless in some aspects.
This ties into one day in Mr.Wickersham's elective on presidential elections, we discussed how Clinton cut taxes for poor people and made them greater for rich people. Many thought this was not fair because they worked hard for their money and it was the poor peoples fault, some did not agree. What are your views?
Kaelin R.
7 comments:
I think the fact that some people said that if you are poor it is your fault and you should be ale to get yourself up again is ridiculous. Let's say you were born on streets from a mother who has one leg and you live in a box on eight mile with only what you find in trashcans to eat. So you figure you will go to school when you are 10 years old. Ohh but wait you forgot you have to find food so you and your homeless mother can continue to live in your box. So you can’t go to school, you can't get a job you can't do anything. You grow u. you meet a nice lady your age when you are scavenging for food to feed yourself because you mother has died and you are also looking for a new box because you are to poor to have her taken away. So, you meet this lady who lives in an apt. on 8 mile and she invites, you in and low and behold you become "friends" and have kids. She does not want kids so what does she do? She throws you and your kids out and your back where you were a few months ago looking for food to feed yourself and you homeless babies and a new box because someone stole your old one. Well is suppose you could go to school now but wait what about the babies what do we do with them? And how can you register for school if you have no address and how can you make yourself smell clean enough with no money to buy soap and only the dirty water that comes from the gutter of you old girlfriends apt. Darn. Now you’re stuck what to do leave the babies and hope they die quickly and go to school or tend for you babies and watch them grow up and live through the exact same cycle you just lived through. We need the government to support only one generation of poor people and then the generations there after will at least have a chance to become educated and live a life out of the streets.
Andrew S
Alright, now there are positives and negatives to both perspectives, and their are shades of grey in both. There are two theories: one is that we should help the poor people and bring them back to their feet so that they have to contribute very little elbow grease to the equation. The other theory is to let them all scrounge around and claw their way up to the top on their own. As mentioned before, both of these have pros and cons.
The first idea is what I like to call socialist idealism. That's just my way of putting it, hyperbole and all. It's a great idea, sure, to help all the poor and get them back on their feet. Gives you that "I've done a good thing" feeling. It is, however, unfair to everyone else who has to pay for it. To be the devil's advocate, why should people who have worked hard and have made it good share the fruits of their labor with others? Why should their money go to those who haven't, and won't, help them? Is it for morales? Psh. We define our own moralities these days; right and wrong are a perspective, not a cookie-cutter, black or white situation.
The other ideal is really, when you think about it, the American dream; it's capitalism in the flesh and blood. People screwing over other people out of sheer, unyielding selfishness. If you have fifty bucks, you're probably not going to give it to that homeless bum on the street. Be honest, now, would you seriously give up the opportunity to buy something shiny and wrapped in that "new" smell in exchange for the well-being of another? Right now, you're probably thinking, "Dude, totally. I'm a good person." I'm thinking that if that actually happens, you'll be too busy planning what album to buy to give it a second thought. In reality, this ideal is simply human nature. Is that good or bad? Well, as I said before, it's a perspective. Let's look at the differences.
1. In the "American dream" theory, you run the risk of heaps of black guilt on your immortal soul.
2. In the "socialist idealism" theory, you run the risk of a Communist society, which is (theoretically), the greatest society on earth. Too bad people suck too much for it to actually work.
3. In the "American dream" theory, there's more room for initiative. There's more reason to work hard. If you think the government and rich people are going to take care of you, people won't have as much reason to slave.
4. In the "socialist idealism" theory, technically, everyone will be leveled off to middle class. Then what? Then the lazy people stop working and the strong people start working again. Then we have class division again and are exactly where we started. Then what? Do we tax again? Wow. Great cycle we've got going.
5. In the "American dream" theory, the rich get richer. This brings tycoons like J.P. Morgan into play who have the entire world twisted around their finger. This is very, very, bad, no matter what your perspective is.
Thus, when it boils down to it, perhaps we need a humble balance between the two. Perhaps both extremes are unfit for what we need. Whatever the case, we need to decide what is right for the people as a whole, not just one specific economic group, and keep the greater good in mind, as well.
~Derrick H.
I agree with Andrew it isn’t your fault that you are born into a poor family it may not even be you parents fault it may be the governments fault for laying of jobs or cutting funds for factories. So I think that it is not fair that government for one group so the other can suffer, What if you have a tax break and the others don’t so they have to pay more and you go poor because you have to pay all that tax money. But if someone is poor than they can live off welfare, which is not fair either because then they don’t have to do anything because the government is paying for whet ever, they need.
Tripp C.
Poor people have a harder time succeeding than people of higher socio-economic status do. In order to fix this, tax breaks should be given to the poor while the very rich have increased taxes.
Poorer people have a harder time getting an education and thus have a harder time succeeding in the world. It is harder for them to get a good education because they typically live in a poor district and can't afford to go to private school. On top of that, they might not be able to focus all their free time on studying because of a job they might have.
On the other hand, it is much easier for a rich person to succeed because they can afford what it takes to get an education. The rich can afford private school and college, are able to hire tutors if necessary, and can focus all their time on studying since they don't need to support the family with a job.
The rich have all the necessary tools to succeed while the poor have very limited. The poor are at a serious disadvantage and need help from the rest of society and the government. In order for the poor to rise up they deserve tax breaks while the extremely rich need have higher taxes. This will help bridge the socio-economic gap we have in society today.
Brian K.
Although poor peoples situation is bad and hard, i feel that it could be prevented. I am one of the people that feel that poor people bring their hardship upon themselves. If you have the right will and are driven i feel that they could improve their situation greatly. The only exception in my opinion is that if you are born into a poor family and have started on such a bad situation. The government can only help so much. Although this is a major problem and should be addressed i feel it is preventable.
Robbie H.
I feel that isn't always your fault in a way that you are poor, but it can just be because of the familiy you were born into. Many poor families can't afford to go to school because they need to work so their family can have a house. If certain taxes were taken away then these same children would be able to go to school and learn more. There for they may be able to get a better job and then when they grow up their family will have a better life. The rich should get taxed more because they have the money to spend. These people buy rediculous things with their money when there are people in the world who can barely afford clothes. If you add taxes to the rich then you won't have to tax the poor as much we are now. This will help the poor come out of poverty.
Josh S.
I agree with Robbie, in most cases poor people bring their suffering onto themselves. Many poor people waste time blaming otheres for their mistakes or misfortunes instead of accepting reality and working hard to fix it. Some people can be born into a bad economic position but it will do nothing to dwell on their bad luck. It is possible to turn your life around, but it takes work.
Phil S.
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