An end to poverty?

[tomtomagain]

The Left like to believe that people are poor because of what the "Rich" have done to them. And by rich, they generally mean, people living in the West.

But a person is poor not because of what I ( rich Westerner, white and male to boot ) have done to them but because they do not have anything to trade with me that I value.

Wealth is the accumulation of stuff & experiences. We accumulate stuff by trading the stuff we can make, grow or build and just as importantly, our skills.

I believe that the primary reasons some people are poor is:

* They lack the education to participate in the modern economy.

* They have obsolete skills

* There is not enough "Free Trade" and too much protectionism

* They've made poor life choices

* They do not live in a liberal democracy that encourages entrepreneurial activity.


So if you want to reduce absolute poverty then you should support free education, free trade, market-driven economies, Western style institutions and democracy as these are the proven organisational constructs that have given the Western European countries such high living standards when compared to large parts of the world.

[LondonManc]

What would people do all day? Sit around camp fires singing Kumbaya my Lord?

Explore the Final Frontier.

[LondonManc]

Yes exactly - that's what happens when we try to achieve it though.

So, in short, socialism sucks.

[d000hg]

So, in short, socialism sucks.

In short, people suck and any attempt to create a utopia is doomed.

[DodgyAgent]

Explore the Final Frontier.

Become space cadets? I thought you IT people were already fulfilling that function

[LondonManc]

In short, people suck and any attempt to create a utopia is doomed.

In the short term at least. Fingers crossed the marvels of science and discovery can lead to a better society in a few centuries.

[DodgyAgent]

In short, people suck and any attempt to create a utopia is doomed.

Exactly

The best way is to equip everyone with what they need to get on in the world. We could start with reforming the left wing controlled functions of the state and make them work for the people they are supposed to serve instead of politicians and themsleves.

[DodgyAgent]

In the short term at least. Fingers crossed the marvels of science and discovery can lead to a better society in a few centuries.

Different not necessarily better

[d000hg]

In the short term at least. Fingers crossed the marvels of science and discovery can lead to a better society in a few centuries.

Science hasn't done a great job of changing human nature so far.

[darmstadt]

What does money have to do with greed?
And 2 - why on earth would you not want money?!!! It's the most simple & effective method of signalling your own personal needs & wants, weighted against lesser needs & wants, and other people's needs & wants, to a literally billions of trading individuals around the globe.

Without money you can't do that - and as such the aggregate population of the world won't be able to service your needs as efficiently.

I think money has a lot to do with greed. Once you have a significant amount of it, you want more. Everything from the MPs expenses scandal to bankers bonuses to the VW slush fund back in 2005 via every little backhander (i.e. BAE and the Arabs) to the black economy shows that...