Can poverty ever be alleviated? If so how, if not why?

Question

Can poverty ever be alleviated? If so how, if not why?

Answer 1

Alleviated, sure: that's an individual thing. But I think you mean "eliminated," really. The answer to that is no. However much wealth exists in the world, it will never be distributed exactly evenly. And poverty just means having less than most people. Actually, people below the U.S. government's standard of poverty live better than all but the rare few did a hundred years ago, and probably better than the average in quite a few countries even today. In this country, you can be legally defined as poor even if you have a color TV, a car, and plenty of food and clothes.

Answer 2

Yes, if we were not so obsessed with building up huge amounts of money in our bank accounts. Why do we do that? It's the game of capitalism. Capital rules.



However, capitalism obeys only one rule: financial return. This makes us obsess about numbers. We lust for numbers. I call this "numbido" (libido + numbers).



Poverty CAN be alleviated if we realize that accumulating more and more money in the bank, does not make one's life richer.



Here's a simple yet striking metaphor to illustrate how simple the problem is:



Imagine there are 2 tables in one room, and a dozen young African children in one corner of the room.



On Table 1, there is a pile of cash. On Table 2, there is a pile of fruits and vegetables. Every time someone takes money from Table 1 and puts it on Table 2, then a child is allowed to take a fruit to eat it.



However, for every hour where the money stays on Table 1, one child suddenly drops to the floor, killed by starvation.

Answer 3

Poverty can only be solved by the impoverished. The only way for the poor to stop being poor is to work out of it. Charity does nothing but take away the motivation for work.

Answer 4

distribution of wealth and resources.. however it has to be done wisely and also accumulation of wealth has to be stopped and market should be free and fair while not punishing the poor..

otherwise the best solution is to let them be and in fifty years or so, all those under the so called poverty line would be dead.. and lo! you have allieviated poverty!!

Answer 5

wealth distribution, no





we're already efficient enough to feed the world population, but its of no benefit to us and more costly than anyone would want to pay for.





I say the churches contribute to the effort instead of sending missionaries and building more churches.

Answer 6

I think not. It wouldn't be free enterprise if everyone had the same amount of money.

Answer 7

It's like the "oldest profession" always been there, always will be.