Comment Shameful (Score 1) 1330
This is a serious problem that cannot be ignored. People die from poverty. They lead miserable painful lives and then they die. This is about the poor countries of the world, not the rich nations who act as if the poor ones don't exist.
People who are saying "it's their own fault" or "it's not such a bad thing" or claim that really poor people have any part in their own destiny are completely deluded. Whatever intellectual arguments people want to get into here, the fact is that most of us are extremely fortunate to have been born in wealthy countries where we can choose to make what we want of our lives. Many people in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia never get that chance and certainly don't have money that they can invest in a bank or any other way. The best they can do is survive if they are lucky. They cannot help themselves any more than you or I would be able to if we were in their situation. To suggest that these people should invest money, help themselves and get out of debt is not just irrelevent but exposes a complete lack of comprehension concerning the reality of the situation. And to use this story to complain about high taxes is simply perverse.
And I wonder how many people excitedly clicked on this story hoping to find out if they themselves were in the richest 2%. Selfishness and greed are two of the biggest reasons why the world is in the sorry state it is, and it will never improve unless attitudes change. Not just the attitudes of politicians, not just the attitudes of the super rich, but yours and mine too.
People who are saying "it's their own fault" or "it's not such a bad thing" or claim that really poor people have any part in their own destiny are completely deluded. Whatever intellectual arguments people want to get into here, the fact is that most of us are extremely fortunate to have been born in wealthy countries where we can choose to make what we want of our lives. Many people in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia never get that chance and certainly don't have money that they can invest in a bank or any other way. The best they can do is survive if they are lucky. They cannot help themselves any more than you or I would be able to if we were in their situation. To suggest that these people should invest money, help themselves and get out of debt is not just irrelevent but exposes a complete lack of comprehension concerning the reality of the situation. And to use this story to complain about high taxes is simply perverse.
And I wonder how many people excitedly clicked on this story hoping to find out if they themselves were in the richest 2%. Selfishness and greed are two of the biggest reasons why the world is in the sorry state it is, and it will never improve unless attitudes change. Not just the attitudes of politicians, not just the attitudes of the super rich, but yours and mine too.
