How best to help the poor?

What is the best way to help the poor?

  • Give them enough money to help them get on their feet again.

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Give them the education and basic essentials they need, reardles of cost, but no money.

    Votes: 3 25.0%
  • Other answer.

    Votes: 8 66.7%

  • Total voters
    12

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
63
I have been waitig in vain for anyone to say what they ACTUALLY HAVE DONE for the poor.

Theorize, but do not act. In other words just be a Canadian.

Oh, allow me then.
Free health care.
Welfare.
Education up to grade 12.
Subsidized housing.
Out reach bringing people into shelters.
Food banks.
Free retraining and use of equipment.
Library, Internet, free news papers with classifieds.
Child allowance.
Soup Kitchens.
Detox.
Life Skills training.

The list goes on.

All be cause people like me pay thousands of dollars a year in taxes.


Honest there are some countries that simply allow the poor to go live in the dump and scrap by as they can.
 
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Reactions: Ron in Regina

Diarygirl

Electoral Member
Oct 28, 2008
551
4
18
Newfoundland
When I see a homeless person on the street begging for money, I often wonder if they will ever make it in life and why they chose to be like that. I know life can be hard at times, been there....done all that, fighting addictions can happen if the person really is tired of living the way they do, some people like the street life.
I normally don't give money to someone on the street but would rather give them a bus ticket, a coffee, a sandwich, or such, because I know the money will most likely be used for alcohol, drugs, or the such.
I will talk to the street person and try to encourage him or her to get help from the resources that are available to them. I realize that each person has their own story and reasons why they are in the situation. And I also realize that some won't make it. Changing their life can be such a big task. Because they are homeless without an address they may not be able to receive social assistance but there are lots of resources that can set them up if they really want to make steps. IMO, it's mostly about choices.
Social Assistance is enough to live on if you spend your money wisely. Pay rent, utilities, food, etc. First things first. Prioritize and then what's left over do as you please.
I feel terrible when I see children that feel the affect of their parents poor choices.
I do believe that there are lots of people who help the poor stretch their dollar as wisely as possible but it's up to them to do it.
I have done and still do volunteer work for many years and have come to a conclusion that some really don't have the skills needed to live life independently. Never mind get and hold down a job. They need to be monitored closely if there is any such way possible to help them at all. They have rights, choices, and free will, and that's just they way it is. If you see that a poor person is really sincere and wanting to change, it can be done with the resources available. The individuals pride in him/herself may surface and changes can be made with some hard focus on making their changes.
I was a single mother (and still am, even though my children are adults now) for many years without financial support and did it. If I did it, anyone can. It gives a sense of pride to get through the tough times.
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
7,026
73
48
Winnipeg
So, Unforgiven you have done - PERSONALLY - ALL the following as you claim:

You provided health care for the poor.
You provided welfare for the poor.
You paid for all their school expenses up to Grade 12.
You, personally subsidized their housing.
You built shelters for them.
You personally opened food banks for the poor.
You trained them with your infinite knowledge and gave them access to all the equipment you own.
You provided your own personal library to the poor.
You gave allowance for kids - whatever that means.
You personally cooked batch after batch of soup for the poor.
You gave them your life skill experience.

Saying all you claim you have done for the poor, just because you pay taxes, is nothing but a coward's way of excusing your pathetic lack of compassion for the poor.

Now tell me just exactly what have you done for the poor, PERSONALLY, beyond paying your taxes.
 

jjaycee98

Electoral Member
Jan 27, 2006
421
4
18
British Columbia
The biggest problem (IMO) is the people who's jobs depend on there being a huge lineup at the Welfare Office. If the individuals that are able to learn skills and become employable all left the line then there would be far fewer jobs and fewer chances for advancement. So it's important to just give them money and keep them on the dole.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Oh, allow me then.
Free health care.
Welfare.
Education up to grade 12.
Subsidized housing.
Out reach bringing people into shelters.
Food banks.
Free retraining and use of equipment.
Library, Internet, free news papers with classifieds.
Child allowance.
Soup Kitchens.
Detox.
Life Skills training.

The list goes on.

All be cause people like me pay thousands of dollars a year in taxes.


Honest there are some countries that simply allow the poor to go live in the dump and scrap by as they can.

It will take more than that to make Y.J. happy- you didn't say giving away your first born.............:lol::lol::lol::lol:
 

L Gilbert

Winterized
Nov 30, 2006
23,738
107
63
71
50 acres in Kootenays BC
the-brights.net
Paid your taxes? Jeeeez, don't overextend yourself, there.
We like the Habitat for Humanity prgm. We also donate food and clothing to the Sally Ann et al.
However, I don't think anything will change very much until we make major reparations on our society first. When we decide that the living beings on this planet are of more importance than having 4 tv sets with all the accompanying gadgets, 3 vehicles, snow sleds, water sleds, and gobs of money, then we have a start on the repairs necessary.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
Paid your taxes? Jeeeez, don't overextend yourself, there.
We like the Habitat for Humanity prgm. We also donate food and clothing to the Sally Ann et al.
However, I don't think anything will change very much until we make major reparations on our society first. When we decide that the living beings on this planet are of more importance than having 4 tv sets with all the accompanying gadgets, 3 vehicles, snow sleds, water sleds, and gobs of money, then we have a start on the repairs necessary.

You make a good point there, but I think any help is valuable no matter whether it's 50 cents or $5000.
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
63
So, Unforgiven you have done - PERSONALLY - ALL the following as you claim:

Did you think that the money the government spends comes from some where else?

You provided health care for the poor.
You provided welfare for the poor.
You paid for all their school expenses up to Grade 12.
You, personally subsidized their housing.
You built shelters for them.
You personally opened food banks for the poor.
You trained them with your infinite knowledge and gave them access to all the equipment you own.
You provided your own personal library to the poor.
You gave allowance for kids - whatever that means.
You personally cooked batch after batch of soup for the poor.
You gave them your life skill experience.

Yeah, if everyone like me only cared for themselves, none of the above would be there.

Saying all you claim you have done for the poor, just because you pay taxes, is nothing but a coward's way of excusing your pathetic lack of compassion for the poor.

Well there's gratitude for you. It's true you know, no good deed goes unpunished. For starters you know know me from Moses. So where do you get off calling me a coward and saying I lack compassion for the poor?

Now tell me just exactly what have you done for the poor, PERSONALLY, beyond paying your taxes.

Just to clarify, exactly how much, I mean how much beyond the thousands of dollars per year I pay in taxes, do I owe?

And since you have make an issue out of it, I have personally taken two people off the street, helped them sort their life out and supported them while that process was worked through which took a couple of years. Now both work and support themselves without any support from the government.

I don't toss that up because I don't need people thinking I am here to help them nor someone looking for praise for doing what I can. But you can rest assured that I will, with confidence put my efforts to the Pepsi Challenge with what you have done any day of the week.

And I still pay my taxes.
 

lone wolf

Grossly Underrated
Nov 25, 2006
32,493
212
63
In the bush near Sudbury
I have been waitig in vain for anyone to say what they ACTUALLY HAVE DONE for the poor.

Theorize, but do not act. In other words just be a Canadian.

Humility.... Why brag?

I used to do a lot of work with Literacy Outreach (that's why I get pee'd when I see someone getting petty with someone else's poor spelling)

I still get out there behind a counter at the food bank. Driving the truck and lugging groceries aren't an option any more.

I was the volunteer ride for several seniors - and very seldom turned down a stop at WallyWorld - until the Red Cross set up something better.

No ... they weren't all poor. I still felt better for doing it.
 

Liberalman

Senate Member
Mar 18, 2007
5,623
36
48
Toronto
Unforgivin

Except that Charter thingy gets in the way.

Never stopped the province of Alberta from giving a bus ticket to the people that helped build that province in the boom times in the 1980s.

When the people lost their jobs when the oil companies headed south Alberta decided to give bus tickets instead of welfare cheques to people that came to that province a couple of years back who paid taxes to that province.

If the province pays for the move for that family to get good jobs in another province then it is a worthwhile investment.

I always thought the Charter applied to all of Canada.

Show me in the Canadian Charter Of Rights that this can’t be done?
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
63
Unforgivin



Never stopped the province of Alberta from giving a bus ticket to the people that helped build that province in the boom times in the 1980s.

When the people lost their jobs when the oil companies headed south Alberta decided to give bus tickets instead of welfare cheques to people that came to that province a couple of years back who paid taxes to that province.

If the province pays for the move for that family to get good jobs in another province then it is a worthwhile investment.

I always thought the Charter applied to all of Canada.

Show me in the Canadian Charter Of Rights that this can’t be done?

Freedom of movement is a right gauranteed in the Charter. Someone can offer you a bus ticket but you don't have to take it. Alberta can do what they like to attract people to the province and they can offer incentives for people to relocate out of the province all they like. But they can't tell anyone that is a Canadian citizen that they can't move to, or stay in Alberta.

As per your rounding up and shipping people else where. It's simply not allowed.

But there is a big difference between rounding people and and shipping them off like you first said and offering incentives to attract workers like you change your position to now.
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
63
Charity collected and charity disbursed to the needy, how do those two values relate to each other?

Good question. It's relative too as for some reason in Africa it takes a couple of bucks a day to save a child yet here, it takes over $100,000 a year to lock a bum up?
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
I have it on very good advice that the rich certainly did create the system, and they created it to serve them the rest of us on a platter. You cannot restructure anything without being focused on the problem. You can rename it you can study it you can consult with experts for decades you can lecture at length but you cannot restructure something with cosmetics especially a system that is definately serveing it's intended purpose if not the expressed. They won't let you. The rich always and still blame government bureaucracy for low efficiency as if the present crisis of private corporations greed and corruption has not revealed that to be the bull**** joke it always was.
Let the rich have more say where that charitable money goes and it'll go to the rich, where else? Of course this is only my opinion of the miserable parrasites.

Simple solution to all of this. Give workers a vote on the board of directors, and money will start to flow more downhill. Some objected saying the workers should then have to buy shares in the company. Fine. Then let's require the workers to buy the shares.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
61
48
Ottawa, ON
There was a time when people down on their luck could go to the city/town and ask for work - they might have to cut grass - sweep the sidewalks or paint some fences. These tasks are all sewn up by public works departments now. Time was also when a person in need of work could knock on a few doors and find work gardening etc. from homeowners or a couple days at a factory - Sometimes women would open up their home to look after others children - now it is regulated in to a business not a service. We create public housing projects where if a person finds a good paying job they are kicked out because they make too much money but if you run a crack house or ***** house then it is accepted if not expected by those stalwart taxpayers that are just glad they don't live in the same neighbourhood.
We will never get to a point where we wish to help our neighbour until we get over the fear of our neighbours.

That'swhere education comes in. Many thinks schools should just teach us a trade or profession and nothing more. Pure materialism. If that's all they'd each, we'd be in trouble. They do need to teach moral education and spirituality too.
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
41,035
201
63
RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
Simple solution to all of this. Give workers a vote on the board of directors, and money will start to flow more downhill. Some objected saying the workers should then have to buy shares in the company. Fine. Then let's require the workers to buy the shares.

It dosen't matter what tweaking we do, the wealthy will simply not relinguish any power to labour voluntarily. Rights like that have to be earned the hard way, every single advancement in human rights, health, education, housing and general standard of living has been won from the powerful and paid for with blood and broken bones, and every few decades the pricks claw it back from us again, someday soon we will get it right. If there are no limits placed on wealth there will soon be no limits to any act.
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
41,035
201
63
RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
Good question. It's relative too as for some reason in Africa it takes a couple of bucks a day to save a child yet here, it takes over $100,000 a year to lock a bum up?

Strange eh. We are not simply locking the bum up I hope, I understood it was a rehabilitative retreat. Most bums would choose to remain free for ten or fifteen. We're getting ripped what?
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
148
63
A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
Simple solution to all of this. Give workers a vote on the board of directors, and money will start to flow more downhill. Some objected saying the workers should then have to buy shares in the company. Fine. Then let's require the workers to buy the shares.



What's with all of the 'requirements' to force anyone to do anything?