Comments on: False starts and things that matter http://langabi.name/blog/2005/09/19/false-starts-and-things-that-matter Paul Cook's blog Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:48:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: gv http://langabi.name/blog/2005/09/19/false-starts-and-things-that-matter#comment-498 gv Tue, 20 Sep 2005 01:05:51 +0000 http://langabi.name/blog/2005/09/19/false-starts-and-things-that-matter#comment-498 You say "poverty-prevention programmes". Are there any? Aren't most programs aimed at reducing poverty? I agree that poverty is a cycle. But I don't think we could do a one-time thing where we raise everyone out of poverty and then they're out of the cycle. Our society/government is exceedingly efficient at putting people back into poverty. What is it to be poor? At this moment I have about 0 dollars. And yet I'm not poor. I guess there are several reasons. I have skills and my skills have a decent market value. Even if I was fired I wouldn't be poor. What if I was fired and I had no car? Then I wouldn't be able to find a job because I wouldn't be able to get to one. And I couldn't stay here because I couldn't afford the rent. Of course Pasadena has some opportunities, so I probably could get a job that I could bus to. But I'm in Pasadena, with these opportunities, because I'm not poor. So I guess I answered my own questions. Reducing poverty really means a combination of giving people skills, ensuring that those skills have a fair market value, and ensuring people have the opportunity to use those skills. I'm not convinced that everyone can agree on doing the things that would make this happen. Can you see any ways of enacting these types of changes outside of legislation? Can you see any legislation that would do these things and that both sides can agree on? You say “poverty-prevention programmes”. Are there any? Aren’t most programs aimed at reducing poverty? I agree that poverty is a cycle. But I don’t think we could do a one-time thing where we raise everyone out of poverty and then they’re out of the cycle. Our society/government is exceedingly efficient at putting people back into poverty.

What is it to be poor? At this moment I have about 0 dollars. And yet I’m not poor. I guess there are several reasons. I have skills and my skills have a decent market value. Even if I was fired I wouldn’t be poor. What if I was fired and I had no car? Then I wouldn’t be able to find a job because I wouldn’t be able to get to one. And I couldn’t stay here because I couldn’t afford the rent. Of course Pasadena has some opportunities, so I probably could get a job that I could bus to. But I’m in Pasadena, with these opportunities, because I’m not poor.

So I guess I answered my own questions. Reducing poverty really means a combination of giving people skills, ensuring that those skills have a fair market value, and ensuring people have the opportunity to use those skills. I’m not convinced that everyone can agree on doing the things that would make this happen. Can you see any ways of enacting these types of changes outside of legislation? Can you see any legislation that would do these things and that both sides can agree on?

]]>