Greed is part of EVERY culture. It is part of human nature. It will not change. Get used to it.
I agree with you that fraud is a concern but I don’t see how the poor have a monopoly on that. They are just the low-hanging fruit as far as criticism is concerned. For example, modern business practices (justified as “it’s just business”) often are based on using knowledge of human psychology to manipulate people, and are sometimes frankly dishonest.
Neither is sloth a preserve of the poor - some forms of sloth are just more profitable than others. Just recently CNN has been doing exposés of so-called charitable non-profits which scam donors (a large proportion of whom are elderly retirees) by collecting money for causes that do little more than line the pockets of their directors or of the PR firms they use.
I agree. It seems that the least talked-about sins (dishonesty in its countless manifestations is perhaps top of the list) seem to be the most ubiquitous. But when they are talked about, the effort to limit them to a particular group of people (like the poor) is in itself out of sync with reality.
An affluent lifestyle on foodstamps - I guess it is possible. Don’t get me wrong, fraud in government assistance (or anywhere) is indeed something to work to stamp out; I just don’t believe in throwing out the baby with the bathwater. My insurance company gives reminders to subscribers to report any fraud they encounter in the course of seeking health care…I am yet to hear someone suggest that because of the regular reports of some clinic/doctor busted for fraud, the health care industry as a whole should be considered incurably fraudulent.
I understand the meaning of “is”…if that’s what you’re asking.
What posts of mine fail to live up to your standards for Catholics? The one thanking the Pope for upholding the dignity of the poor, as the Church has always done…or the subsequent ones in the same vein?
Then the pope is wasting his time writing about it, isn’t he?
You are saying that the principal-agent problem does not exist?
And a woman can procure an abortion for any reason she wants, that is legal too. Actually corporate boards cannot hire whomever they wish, they are accountable to shareholders and can face lawsuits if they do not act in the shareholders best interests.
You are the one not addressing the issues.
I think a big difference is that the effects of sloth are more noticeable with the poor and have more practical effect. I have a friend who makes about $500k per year and his kids are bums. He complains about the fact that they don’t work, yet he buys them cars, lets them stay for free in his rental housing, etc. A poor person who does the same thing we see on the street as a street bum.
No the Pope isn’t wasting his time discussing the issues of poverty in the world. But I am wasting time arguing with you about arcane and totally irrelevent issues such as your agency jones. It is neither interesting or relevant to the topic. I’ve tried to continue discussing root causes for poverty and the wealth/income gap but you insist running down rabbit trails. Don’t look but I’m not longer following
Horrible fable. Where are nonhuman characters and the moral? You can’t have a fable without a moral.
It needs a lion, a fox and some pigs, preferably siblings. Maybe a scorpion, too.
While it is noted that you don’t provide examples to back up your claims when requested, I will try again, hopefully not in vain: how were some referring to the poor in a “demeaning way” ? Is it demeaning to point out that individual choices (as opposed to CEO salaries or the “unfettered free market” are often to blame for people living in poverty? (which reminds me, I was asking you to provide an example of “unfettered capitalism” in America and you never gave me one, yet you criticized “unfettered capitalism in America” .
Really? What about 2 Thessolonians 3:10? If you don’t work, you don’t eat. In our system, you have a right to 12 years of education, and all the opportunities you can take advantage of. Many have worked hard and moved up. Indeed the bible says to protect the weak. Don’t remember the bible saying that government should take care of that, or that individuals are left off the hook.
I work for a large corporation that I guarantee you is concerned about its bottom line. It also pays a good wage - especially for those who are willing to work hard and stick it out - things get better. I recall when I worked in the retail side of the business I used to see people come in and fill out a resume - just to fulfill the requirements of staying on unemployment. They had no intention of getting hired. Not all the poor are saints, Seekerz. And some are probably more greedy than the CEO of Walmart. YOu should try to be more objective and move beyond ideology.
Uh, pnewton, I was responding to this:
That sound to me like you are wishing for more restrictions and a stronger central government. If so, then indeed, I hope your wish does not come true. If you are saying something else, then perhaps you could clarify.
(if you’re saying we don’t need more restrictions then I stand corrected, and admit I misunderstood you. But reading your post it looks like you’re hoping for more restrictions).By way of analogy, then would you also say that a teenage girl who wears tight jeans deserves to be sexually molested? I can’t say that I am a fan of the practice of “blaming the victim.”
The average worker makes just under $20/hr in the US. The top 100 CEO’s average around $20,000 per hour. Personally, I can’t think of anything that the CEO of Pier One Imports does which would warrant compensation just under $20 million. Any good manager can do what any other good manager does. There is nothing magical about it. In the case of Ellison at Oracle, and his $95 million, I believe he did found the company. That is another story. I question the social justice of anyone personally buying the island of Lanai in Hawaii. It just seems obscene to me.
This is not about “blaming the victim”. Its about being truthful. If a person thinks smoking pot is more fun that doing homework, and that behavior leads them to not get a good job, are they a victim? If I intentionally put my hand on a hot stove, am I a victim?
It’s a meta fable about the history of civilizations, it’s all in your subconscious if you dare to look.Horrible fable. Where are nonhuman characters and the moral? You can’t have a fable without a moral.
Neither do I. But turning the discussion back to demonizing the messenger is a convenient way to shut down the discussion. Hate Obama’s policies? You’re a racist. Support traditional marriage. You’re a homophobe. Point out the reality that having children out of wedlock is a major driver of poverty in this country. You must hate poor single mothers! Yeah right…
I’d like to thank you for your response to what I said. It is clear to me that what I said is not accurate and not what I actually intended to say. I was posting in haste and when one does that, one is prone to make mistakes.
This is a great post!
Lisa, as I have stated numerous times before. If one does the math, even if the CEO and other top executives gave back 100% of their salaries for distribution to their workers, it would only mean pennies in the paychecks of the workers.
The quote “to much is given, much is expected” works both ways.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, Capitalism stinks, but it’s better than everything else.