Misquoting a famous maxim changes the meaning of the maxim and lessens the impact of your words.
Taxing the rich is good for the economy
- Thread starter B00Mer
- Start date
I was not quoting the Bible. I was using a common expression. Your confusion is the result of a flawed assumption.
Let's try this.
"Don't kill people." This is not a misquote of the sixth commandment. It's a statement with no biblical reference.
"Money is the root of all evil." This is not a misquote of Timothy. It's a statement with no biblical reference.
Please do not inject misstatements, intentional or otherwise, into the discussion.
With that said, (hopefully) we can move on.
Nothing I posted about the quote was a misstatement. To leave out the words "the love of" from the maxim is a misstatement.
The quote I remember is "The desire for money is the root of all evil", but it's possible the guy I got it from was all f**ked up.
Which happens all to often on this and other boards.
I'll let Walter continue his uninformed quotations. Perhaps someone should ask him which version of the Bible he's using. There are a number of them. The train is off the tracks, to employ a colloquialism. Good luck to those who remain.
The Gap Between the Rich and the Poor
Poor bashing and scapegoating poor people is behaviour that reveals a feature of society in Canada that is becoming a more serious problem every year. Canada has become a place where there are a few extraordinarily wealthy people and a growing number of very poor people, and each year the very few wealthy people control an increasing amount of the country's wealth.
In 1984, the poorest 20% of Canadians owned –0.3 % of the total private wealth of Canada (assets that can be used to generate income). The second 20% owned 2.4 % of Canada's wealth. The third 20% owned 9.4%. The fourth 20% owned 19.8%, and the richest 20% of Canadians owned 68.8% of Canada's wealth.
Since the 1980s the situation has become worse. From 1981 to 1991, the wealthiest 20% of families in Canada increased their share of family income by $6.2 billion, at the expense of middle- and low-income families.
In 1991, the average poor household was $1,029 further below the poverty line than it was in 1981.
In 1991, the bottom 60% of Canadian families had a smaller share of market income than in 1973.
If you think of Canada's total wealth as one dollar, and you divide it among 100 people, the bottom 40 people would receive 2.1 cents (2.4 – 0.3). The top ten people would receive 51.3 cents.
Now imagine wealth distribution as a one-hour parade in which everyone in Canada marches, and everyone's size is proportional to his/her individual wealth. A person of average wealth will be represented by a person of average height.
For about the first twelve minutes of this parade we would see nothing because the marchers would be underground (bottom 20% of Canadians own -0.3% of wealth). Then we would begin to see tiny people, but it is only at half past the hour when we would see dwarfs six inches high, people whose wealth is furniture, a car, maybe some savings. At about fifteen minutes before the hour, we would begin to see people of average height, for about three quarters of our population have fewer assets than the average. In the last few minutes of the parade, we would see giants fifteen to twenty feet tall. In the last minute we would see wealthy giants as tall as the CN Tower in Toronto, and in the last second we would see some of Canada's most powerful businessmen with assets of more than $100 million and ranging into the billions. Conrad Black, the newspaper robber baron; Paul Desmarais, a Montreal entrepreneur known as "Le Patron" in Quebec; Galen Weston, head of the Weston food empire; Charles Bronfman, head of a massive corporate structure; and Kenneth Thomson, head of the Thomson papers and the richest man in Canada, would be miles high.
Another image you can create is with strings. Let one inch equal one percentage point of wealth. Now cut a piece of string representing the wealth of the bottom 20%, or six million Canadians. You will find this task difficult to do. A string representing the wealth of the second 20% would be 2.4 inches long, and a string representing the wealth of the richest 20% of Canadians would be 68.8 inches long.
Can we have economic prosperity and a just society at the same time, or can we only expect to live in a country with so much economic inequality, so many poor and so few rich? Robert Kuttner, in his thoughtful book, The Economic Illusion —False Choices Between Prosperity and Social Justice, points out that the most egalitarian societies often turn out to be the most productive ones with the lowest unemployment rate. He reminds us that during World War Two, tax rates and tax collections were at record high levels, as was the rate of economic growth. In his conclusion, Kuttner stresses the importance of full employment and a more egalitarian distribution of wage income to a healthy economy. He observes that the choices that can guide us toward both economic prosperity and social justice are political choices, not economic ones. We don't have to have this misery of unemployment and poverty and so much inequality.
There are in fact countries in the world that have avoided economic inequality and the poverty and unemployment that goes with it. Norway is an excellent example. In Norway, inflation is below 2%, and the unemployment rate is the lowest in Europe. There are many social programs that are not a safety net, but part of the vision of a just society. Norway's health minister, Gudmund Hernes, said that his country's investment in health, education, and financial security paid large economic dividends, and he criticized those who wished to break up trade unions and downsize government by laying off government workers. "They are producing such dissatisfaction and enormous strains on society," he said. "That will come back to haunt you."
source: https://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Issues/Poverty/Resource/TheGap.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqUGVTXY_5U
Too many greedy Rich in Canada.. that don't want to share.. this is Canada, I don't want to see children go hungry in my country.. :canada:
Poor bashing and scapegoating poor people is behaviour that reveals a feature of society in Canada that is becoming a more serious problem every year. Canada has become a place where there are a few extraordinarily wealthy people and a growing number of very poor people, and each year the very few wealthy people control an increasing amount of the country's wealth.
In 1984, the poorest 20% of Canadians owned –0.3 % of the total private wealth of Canada (assets that can be used to generate income). The second 20% owned 2.4 % of Canada's wealth. The third 20% owned 9.4%. The fourth 20% owned 19.8%, and the richest 20% of Canadians owned 68.8% of Canada's wealth.
Since the 1980s the situation has become worse. From 1981 to 1991, the wealthiest 20% of families in Canada increased their share of family income by $6.2 billion, at the expense of middle- and low-income families.
In 1991, the average poor household was $1,029 further below the poverty line than it was in 1981.
In 1991, the bottom 60% of Canadian families had a smaller share of market income than in 1973.
If you think of Canada's total wealth as one dollar, and you divide it among 100 people, the bottom 40 people would receive 2.1 cents (2.4 – 0.3). The top ten people would receive 51.3 cents.
Now imagine wealth distribution as a one-hour parade in which everyone in Canada marches, and everyone's size is proportional to his/her individual wealth. A person of average wealth will be represented by a person of average height.
For about the first twelve minutes of this parade we would see nothing because the marchers would be underground (bottom 20% of Canadians own -0.3% of wealth). Then we would begin to see tiny people, but it is only at half past the hour when we would see dwarfs six inches high, people whose wealth is furniture, a car, maybe some savings. At about fifteen minutes before the hour, we would begin to see people of average height, for about three quarters of our population have fewer assets than the average. In the last few minutes of the parade, we would see giants fifteen to twenty feet tall. In the last minute we would see wealthy giants as tall as the CN Tower in Toronto, and in the last second we would see some of Canada's most powerful businessmen with assets of more than $100 million and ranging into the billions. Conrad Black, the newspaper robber baron; Paul Desmarais, a Montreal entrepreneur known as "Le Patron" in Quebec; Galen Weston, head of the Weston food empire; Charles Bronfman, head of a massive corporate structure; and Kenneth Thomson, head of the Thomson papers and the richest man in Canada, would be miles high.
Another image you can create is with strings. Let one inch equal one percentage point of wealth. Now cut a piece of string representing the wealth of the bottom 20%, or six million Canadians. You will find this task difficult to do. A string representing the wealth of the second 20% would be 2.4 inches long, and a string representing the wealth of the richest 20% of Canadians would be 68.8 inches long.
Can we have economic prosperity and a just society at the same time, or can we only expect to live in a country with so much economic inequality, so many poor and so few rich? Robert Kuttner, in his thoughtful book, The Economic Illusion —False Choices Between Prosperity and Social Justice, points out that the most egalitarian societies often turn out to be the most productive ones with the lowest unemployment rate. He reminds us that during World War Two, tax rates and tax collections were at record high levels, as was the rate of economic growth. In his conclusion, Kuttner stresses the importance of full employment and a more egalitarian distribution of wage income to a healthy economy. He observes that the choices that can guide us toward both economic prosperity and social justice are political choices, not economic ones. We don't have to have this misery of unemployment and poverty and so much inequality.
There are in fact countries in the world that have avoided economic inequality and the poverty and unemployment that goes with it. Norway is an excellent example. In Norway, inflation is below 2%, and the unemployment rate is the lowest in Europe. There are many social programs that are not a safety net, but part of the vision of a just society. Norway's health minister, Gudmund Hernes, said that his country's investment in health, education, and financial security paid large economic dividends, and he criticized those who wished to break up trade unions and downsize government by laying off government workers. "They are producing such dissatisfaction and enormous strains on society," he said. "That will come back to haunt you."
source: https://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Issues/Poverty/Resource/TheGap.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqUGVTXY_5U
Too many greedy Rich in Canada.. that don't want to share.. this is Canada, I don't want to see children go hungry in my country.. :canada:
'Love' is the enemy in this case. Money is an object that should be an essential service in any society. Making it more valuable than that was included as 'knowledge' a long time ago. Job was wealthy and was still called a 'loyal servant of God' and after the torments God increased that wealth. The book also has the few rules that are needed to contain something that has little value in the grand scheme of things associated with being alive.
De:4:28:
And there ye shall serve gods,
the work of men's hands,
wood and stone,
which neither see,
nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
M't:19:20-23:
The young man saith unto him,
All these things have I kept from my youth up:
what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him,
If thou wilt be perfect,
go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying,
he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
De:4:28:
And there ye shall serve gods,
the work of men's hands,
wood and stone,
which neither see,
nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
M't:19:20-23:
The young man saith unto him,
All these things have I kept from my youth up:
what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him,
If thou wilt be perfect,
go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying,
he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
not true...but popping out babies with a lot of zero males sure does add to it
I know some kids who got yanked out of school and moved into a shelter with mummy so she could be closer to a new guy....kids said the best thing about the shelter was they got to eat
I would have hopped over the wall first unless the heat from the sun was also the 'furnace'.The Gap Between the Rich and the Poor
Would one trait be the 'rich' keep photos of 'the poorest of the poor' while the poor at any level don't own any pictures of the rich. Is that a 'by the grace of God that would be me' type of moment (not likely) or a 'by hook or by crook that will not ever be me' type of moment?
Prior training would dictate what the answer is here Grasshopper. (rather than moral free will which is set by about the age of 3)
yes they are charming too...but not all do drugs...we have a lot who just have zero life skills and zero parenting skills and likely have learning disabilities that couldn't be corrected because their parents didn't get it and they get it "a bit"
this generation will be marginally better if they hang with some mentors and don't fall through the cracks which is challenging because their behavioral problems are immense
we had a kindergartner who when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up for show and tell said...he wanted to sit on the couch, drink beer and watch cartoons all day like daddy did