I was reading old posts just now and I noticed jol said, not an exact quote, "if everybody gave 10% of their paycheck, we could end poverty entirely."

We've probably discussed poverty before, I don't remember, but let's do it now. So who agrees or disagrees with that idea? I don't agree and I don't feel like typing out why right now because I'm gonna screw around with FL and I just wanted to make the thread before I forget.

I bet 5 bucks jol agrees with it.

People should be more helpful when it comes to poverty but not everyone can afford that 10% nor should they have to. There are other ways to help with poverty.

examples?

Donating clothing, food, volunteering at shelters, putting together fundraisers, etc

I agree. There's more ways than donating money to help with poverty. If you can afford it, it would help, but I think donations to certain charities may be the best way. Sort of like the Christian Children's fund, but on our own damn continent. And maybe we could save a few more children with the Jewish Children's fund and the Just Plain Children's fund and the Just Plain fund.

me personally, some people choose poverty because they can basically live and do nothing, like welfare, and other government programs that help people, that sometimes, not all the time are just to dayum lazy to get up and do something...

my mom alway said welfare / unemployment should be on a 3 years plan screw that i think it should be a 1 year max... if you can't find a job any job in a year, its because your not trying... people are to picky about what they will and wont do, when it comes to survival im gonna do whatever it takes to support my family. I think, you would be surprised at how many people after you take out the lazy ones are actually truly poor and have legitimate reasons behind that, they probably do have jobs and do work, but they just don't make enough and just need that lil extra bump in cash flow to put them were they need to be. .

i really dont know where i stand on this issue. i cant judge why someone became poor or why they're living out on the streets or what happened to them that forced them out.

i have seen poverty living so close to the border. welfare and unemployement. i have first hand asked for assistance myself. i had just came off a major injury to my knee that forced me to be sidelined for almost a year. i asked the government for help with getting me back on my feet. they offered me help with pretty much everything. welfare, foodstamps, unemployement anything you can name they pretyt much offered. gas vouchers for gas and what not.

i could of been greedy and accepted all the help that they offered but i knew i didnt need it all. i only asked for help with buying grocerys and that came in the form of foodstamps. and for 3 months i was given 150 bucks to spend on food and only food.

at the time i was staying with my friends and cousin and could of said that i needed money to pay for rent and stuff but i knew their were other people out there that were needier than me.

what im trying to get across is that some people ask for help because they really need it and some ask for help because plain and simple its there for the taking. theres people that need it and theres some that take advantage of it.

getting back to the topic of poverty, i know stories that willl blow some peoples mind. a few weeks ago at work a coworker of mine told me a story of her brothers friend who used to act like he was poor and homeless when in reality the kid couldnt complain about what he had. nice house and car and had money. i never found out why he did it but im guessing its greed.

but poverty will never end. alot of homeless people have jobs and get money from the government but CHOOSE to be out in the streets instead of gathering a group of their homeless friends and renting a motel room until they can get back on their feet.

i worked at an Exxon when i was younger like 3 years ago. and we had this homeless couple go every night and ask for food and money from customers to even asking me for handouts. my manager never liked me giving them food but like i told her, if i have it and if i could afford to give it out it shouldnt matter what you tihnk. well newayz i gave them that idea of getting some friends together and renting a room and they were like yea i never thought of that and blah blah blah. but they were just pulling my leg making me think that they were going to change and nothing happened. every day the guy would come in and buy beer and the girl would load up on sodas and snacks. then at the end of the night they would come in and ask if they could eat the hotdogs that i was about to throw away for the night.

IMO the only way poverty will change is if the people themselves change and help themselves. we can only do so much for them. sorry so long guys. ill keep em short next time.

No that's silly, don't keep 'em short. Express yourself!

Poverty won't end as long as we live in a capitalist society. The system we're living in allows that... and I'll stop there for now...

And here's some fun poverty facts according to some site. I don't know how credible it is (seems good to me) so make up your own damn mind.
Poverty Facts and Stats - Global Issues

I agree with Obdurate. As long as there are people getting ahead, there are people falling behind. It's the way capitalism works

ya don't keep it short express yourself like obby said.. anyways... i was going to tell a story here in Knoxville we have a lot of "hitchhikers" people that are on several of the main exits off the interstate here in Knoxville, i used to see the same guy every weekend weekend after weekend working that same corner, always had the same sign, need help, stranded trying to get home. so a friend and I offered to take the guy around the corner to Macdonald's and buy him lunch, he refused said i just need money... i said sorry no can do, i'll give you food or and watch you eat it, im not giving you cash to just abuse... after that we drove off, we came back a lil while later and sat at a gas station across the way watching him... around 10:00 pm he starts walking away, we follow him... he walks across the bridge that goes over the interstate, down a side street to another gas station, and to our surprise he pulls out a set of keys... he his the alarm and the lights that blink are on a 2005 BMW. i nearly shit myself. We followed the guy, he gets onto Kingston pike heading west, towards Farragut (upper end of town) and he pulls into a very very upscale neighborhood. some people... i just will never understand...