ok

Here in Calgary; you are either Rich or Poor. We have no middle class. Simple reason is a very high cost of living and very low wages. Most kids go to school without any food and we have thousands homeless thanks to the Greedy Oil companies.

This is one crazy world.

On the one hand we have a system where one man can make one billion dollars in one day and on the other hand two to three billion people live on less that two dollars a day...crazy

The system needs changing not governments/politicians.

(more) patience

I know...I need to practice a lot more .


Thank you for the reminder..

We could start by eliminating some of the politician's high paying jobs. We have 10 provices and 2 Territories. So we need 12 people to represent our provinces and Territories. We could also have one back up per person should they get sick or die, etc. We should only have 24 senators but we have 105. All of them getting hundreds of thousands of dollars which seems like a waste of money to me.

To what?
Pie in the Sky?

More pie in the sky??
Well, that just wouldn't make much sense now would it....

Salvation Army Hymn song..'In The Sweet Bye and Bye"...

Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right;
But when asked how 'bout something to eat
They will answer with voices so sweet:

Chorus:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die.

The starvation army they play,
They sing and they clap and they pray
'Till they get all your coin on the drum
Then they'll tell you when you're on the bum:

Holy Rollers and jumpers come out,
They holler, they jump and they shout.
Give your money to Jesus they say,
He will cure all diseases today.
If you fight hard for children and wife
Try to get something good in this life
You're a sinner and bad man, they tell,
When you die you will sure go to hell.

Workingmen of all countries, unite,
Side by side we for freedom will fight;
When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters we'll sing this refrain:

You will eat, bye and bye,
When you've learned how to cook and to fry.
Chop some wood, 'twill do you good,
And you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye.

yep!

Opaque Swiss Bank Accounts??

International Business Companies

Offshore accounts

You knew where I was coming from didn't you C?

Or something like this.

---------------------------

Business is booming at Pyfrom & Co.

The firm's clients come mostly from the United States and Europe, but just that morning Honess had fielded a call from Singapore. Setting up an IBC with the company, he explains, is fast and cheap. All that's required of me is filling out a one-page form and providing a photocopy of my passport and driver's license. The entire incorporation process -- which costs $1,000 plus annual renewable fees of $750 -- can be completed within 48 hours. I can then open a bank account in the name of my IBC. To help me avoid placing my money in the local offices of a U.S. bank, Honess suggests a branch of Ansbacher, a South African financial firm that is "a little easier to work with.

All those taxes evaded ....lubbly jubbly...

The Ansbacher is what the Irish rich boys mainly used

The Awakening-Final Version-Full Length Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzEeq5Adi0c

Have watched this before but I will give it another shot.

Because Obama is illegally in office!

Good topic but extremely broad. Poverty, as several have noted, is a relevant term. In Africa, for example, there are a great many people whose communities are still tribal. How many closets do you suppose they have in their abode?

But we don’t automatically consider such people poverty stricken at the same level as we consider those in the U.S. as living in poverty. Even the destitute in the U.S. have many more options than those in Africa.

Someone then raised the question of defining poverty.
Without sounding too pessimistic, I think it’s safe to say that most people in the U.S. would describe poverty as an obvious lack of ‘stuff’.

Recently a high profile political figure (nameless) seemed rather upset because there seem to be so many people receiving government entitlement when they have dishwashers, computers, washers & dryers and maybe even a big-screen TV.

Obviously, even those we consider the educated elite believe poverty should be related to a lack of ‘stuff’.

What that political figure did was stereotype those living in poverty. There is significant research which indicates poverty is a line that is crossed over and back again by many people. Perhaps some had big-screen TVs before the major life changes which pushed them over the line.

To be fair it would be best to define poverty as a lack of the necessities, including opportunities, to live a healthy, happy, and productive life.

Even in poverty there are extremes – the most destitute might be considered to be those who are jobless, alone, sick, hungry, cold/hot, angry, and afraid.

There is a group which seemed to be given a lot of attention early in the thread, the generationally poor.

There are those who live close enough to the edge to cross it many times due to, divorce, sickness, loss of job, other factors.

There are those for whom the line will be crossed for no fault of their own, like those for whom retirement has become an expensive lifestyle due to inflation and increasing healthcare costs.

They are joined by those with major disabilities, many of which are terminal. Admittedly many of those individuals agree that they could work in certain positions, but they are NOT ALLOWED to make over a certain amount of money before their entitlements are cut off. Unfortunately, the jobs they might be fit for, would not, alone, support their needs. THESE PEOPLE live in an oppressive state of poverty that has been devised by social acceptance of government reqirements.

We can help all of those people. Some say we can’t, but much of the problem would be solved if we put a price tag on being productive and paid a fair wage for it.

If everyone who could be productive were given the opportunity to use their abilities to the extent of their individual capabilities and then paid a fair wage based on their effort and productivity, there would be more taxes, more charitable donations, and even the most destitute could be harbored.

But we have a stigma against words that begin with social – but it must be a social effort to solve this problem.