Poverty

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

I'm doing a unit on poverty for world issues, and poverty is always being blamed on big US corporations that hijack the foreign land to grow cash crops (cofee, tobacco, etc).

I think the governments of the undeveloped countries are to be blamed because they allow their people to be taken advantage of, while an wealthy few landowners keep all the money.

I say the solution for these countries is an uncorrupted democratic government that represents the interests of the people.

What do you guys think is the cause and solution to poverty?

[SiR_dude]

Originally Posted by Ultra_Kool_Dude

I say the solution for these countries is an uncorrupted democratic government that represents the interests of the people.

Merry Christmas. Do you want fries and a Coke with that??


Sorry, couldn't resist. I think that's a rather eutopian ideology that many people would like, but will (unfortunately) never happen. The only way for that to happen is if robotic zombies take over. As long as mankind is around, it'll never happen. Someone, somewhere, will be greedy, or will want more, or will want power, or something, and the corruption comes into play.

Not all big corporations exploit foreign countries. And even if they pay less for labour, at least they are paying something. I'm not defending sweat shops here, but face it: If a poor guy with a wife and three kids can earn $1 a day for a local farmer or $1.50 a day picking coffee beans for Folger's, he'll choose the $1.50, even if it's harder work, because he wants to get ahead. Yes, many times the people are paid low and worked hard, but too often working for "The Corporation" is the best option.

Along with this comes the issue that some poverty stricken families have several kids, or keep having kids, then sell them into prostitution. For the family, it's one less mouth to feed, and some cash in pocket. It's despicable, but it's the way of life they are used to, and, at the pace we're going, will take hundreds of years and trillions of dollars to correct.

The solution? None, I'm afraid. All we can to is try to help them out (donations, food, etc), educate them on the basics (reading, writing, how to grow food, prepare it, sanitization) and try help them find work.

How do you expect to solve the poverty problems in Africa when we can't even solve our own in Toronto or Hamilton?? Poverty is one of the never-ending issues that will, as long as this world exist, never end.

[bone]

Originally Posted by Ultra_Kool_Dude

I'm doing a unit on poverty for world issues, and poverty is always being blamed on big US corporations that hijack the foreign land to grow cash crops (cofee, tobacco, etc).

that's partially true, when a country is being invaded (fig) with corporations, some companies may go broke, but those people will only go work for those corporations.

it's not that only US citizens are allowed to work for Mc Donnalds or sth

small companies can go broke any day, even without a concurrent. if everyone was working for a multinational, way more people would have a secure job

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

Originally Posted by SiR_dude

Merry Christmas. Do you want fries and a Coke with that??


Sorry, couldn't resist. I think that's a rather eutopian ideology that many people would like, but will (unfortunately) never happen. The only way for that to happen is if robotic zombies take over. As long as mankind is around, it'll never happen. Someone, somewhere, will be greedy, or will want more, or will want power, or something, and the corruption comes into play.

Not all big corporations exploit foreign countries. And even if they pay less for labour, at least they are paying something. I'm not defending sweat shops here, but face it: If a poor guy with a wife and three kids can earn $1 a day for a local farmer or $1.50 a day picking coffee beans for Folger's, he'll choose the $1.50, even if it's harder work, because he wants to get ahead. Yes, many times the people are paid low and worked hard, but too often working for "The Corporation" is the best option.

Along with this comes the issue that some poverty stricken families have several kids, or keep having kids, then sell them into prostitution. For the family, it's one less mouth to feed, and some cash in pocket. It's despicable, but it's the way of life they are used to, and, at the pace we're going, will take hundreds of years and trillions of dollars to correct.

The solution? None, I'm afraid. All we can to is try to help them out (donations, food, etc), educate them on the basics (reading, writing, how to grow food, prepare it, sanitization) and try help them find work.

How do you expect to solve the poverty problems in Africa when we can't even solve our own in Toronto or Hamilton?? Poverty is one of the never-ending issues that will, as long as this world exist, never end.

[justin syder]

I think the governments of the undeveloped countries are to be blamed because they allow their people to be taken advantage of, while an wealthy few landowners keep all the money.

Many of the corrupt leaders dont really give a shit about the people, see North Korea where 3 million ppl starved to death over the last few years.

Part of it is corruption, part is greed etc etc. I really dont feel like getting into this.

[jayjaya29]

"Absolute power eventually leads to absolute corruption"

Poverty will always be around, as long as we live on the Earth. Its not right for everybody to have the same amount of money and the same amount of power. It just doesn't work like that, there will always be poor people and rich people on this Earth, there is no way around it, it is just how the human race works.

[Z Draci]

You have to do what you can to survive.
Even if people are poor and can barely afford food, we can't let that fact affect our goals and passion for our own success.

I believe money can buy you happiness. The simple fact is that you can do more to help the world if you have more money. Otherwise, we'd be no better than common hippies!

This is a sensitive topic for many people. It's because they feel insecure for not having enough power to help the poor.

One great way to help third world countries is to promote communism or socialism. Latin American countries are a prime example. They operate in a system that is ideal of socialism to work well (a lot of poor labourers working in a mostly agricultural economy). However, the US has constantly sent in troops to surpress these "communist" uprisings. Instead, the US has put in "more civil, democratic" leaders that only act as puppets to meet American demands for cheap goods.

Socialism won't work for developed countries because we have skilled labourers. Skilled and highly educated workers are smart enough to demand higher wages. They are also smart enough to not work at all if wages are lower and their salary is capped.

My opinions may seem elementary and ignorant to those who have studies this. I'm just a biochem major. Ask me about chemicals in your body . . .

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

The USA was the same as countries in poverty 200 years ago. The adjusted GDP/capita was about $1600, and people couldn't afford medicine. Diseases were everywhere and not many people were literate.

The US didn't get where it is by communism, and it didn't get there from handouts from other countries. The US got where it is today because of a functional democratic government government.

[justin syder]

The US didn't get where it is by communism, and it didn't get there from handouts from other countries. The US got where it is today because of a functional democratic government government.

Capitalism also helps create wealth and oppurtunity.

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

Originally Posted by justin syder

Capitalism also helps create wealth and oppurtunity.

Righto!

I'm still baffled that people can look at our history and not think to copy our roadmap to prosperity.

"I've got an idea, let's use communism to bring people out of poverty when we did the opposite."

[Leppy]

Originally Posted by Ultra_Kool_Dude

Righto!

I'm still baffled that people can look at our history and not think to copy our roadmap to prosperity.

"I've got an idea, let's use communism to bring people out of poverty when we did the opposite."

Where is somalia getting its slaves from?

[Kip_6666]

Yeah, very cheap labour helped a great deal. All uptill the 1930's. Same with many european countries.

And, whats maybe a bigger problem these days are the trade agreements. If lets say an african country wants to provide the market its produce to us, its faced with lovely taxes and without the government funding on the scale we give our farmers they end up with a unfavourable asking price.
The problem also lays with what they have to offer..
It is something thats avalible somewhere else, at maybe a nicer price.

Also the natural reasource extraction is probaly as corrupt as can be.

[Z Draci]

You guys are forgetting that slavery and tobacco helped a GREAT deal in the wealth of the US.

Slavery vs Communism . . . which one is more civil?
Tabacco vs Bananas . . . which one is more benefitial to society?

Don't forget the many wars that America fought during its early years. All war creates economic prosperity in the long run as well as enormous leaps in technology.

I don't think democracy did it all. (The Revolutionary War was less popular than the latest war in Iraq. Also, a huge percentage of American citizens still refuse to vote or is completely ignorant of current issues.) It was mostly very PROUD people with very BRILLIANT minds. Even though American citizens (through the electoral college) vote in the President, I don't see how different Bush is compared to those prime ministers of other countries voted in by the selected elite.

Many women voted Bush over Kerry because Bush was the more attractive man. To many Americans, the Presidential election is like voting for the next American Idol! Democracy isn't a perfect system. That's why the US is a republic isn't it?

[///M]

Just wanted to say that democracy has nothing to do with the socialism vs. capitalism debate. Capitalists always bring up the fact that the Soviet Union was not democratic, therefor all socialist nations are undemocratic. A socialist democracy can work, since socialism describes the economic practices of a country, not how it's laws are made.

[MPower]

Just to highlight something in this discussion, it is important to understand that the reason many countries are poor isnt because of the "big, bad wolf" of the United States and their corporate business taking advantage of the little guy. It it is important to understand that the main reason poverty exists in many nations is because of two reasons: large debt gained from the 1970s, and corrupt governments that eat up any income. Now that is not to say that nothing should be done. But the biggest step that should be taken is the help encourage things like the HIPC initiative and utilizing the WTO (which is one of the few international bodies that actually can govern international law) to develop different trading structures to encourage trading with LEDCs.

This issue isnt about capitalism and socialism, it is about doing what it right and pointing the figure at the guy that is on top is no way to get things to improve.

[jayjaya29]

Corruption within governments and large buisnesses can be a problem I think. I see corrupted government people and corrupted upper-level buisness men as black holes for money, where they take away as much money as they can from everybody else. The amount of money some people take or "earn" is more then they will ever need and their family will have enough money to last them for generations on end. I think that these people need to be stopped and the money to be used on better more beneficial things. Thats not to say that somebody can be a millionaire, they have all the right in the world to do so, but its the people that take away money that can be used for better things that should be stopped.

And oh yeah, if this didn't make any sense, don't worry about it. I wrote this horribly.