I'd highly recommend you seek out and participate in a poverty simulation in your local community. They're often run by Extension services or local universities. They can be very eye-opening. Here's some info about the one we do: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/food/povertysim/about.cfm
Intelligence is not the deciding factor as to whether or not someone will be poor. I don't believe there is a single deciding factor. Culture is a strong influence. You obviously were raised in a culture that held education in high esteem. Not everyone is so lucky. I just went to a training about Native Americans in Wisconsin. College is still strongly discouraged among peers. It's seen as leaving their culture - turning "white" - by many. Within my lifetime, Native students (in government-run schools) were still taught that they didn't need to read and write - those skills aren't necessary to live "on the res." This is just one example of how someone's culture can influence their economic health. Even when there is a strong desire to be self-sufficient, breaking out of poverty is much more difficult than you suggest. On 9/23/05, Gruss Gott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Dana wrote: > > So I question your assertion that nobody *has* to be poor. > > I would change that to say nobody of average or above intelligence. > You can always move, go to college with student loans, etc. > > > Get stranded in a flood when you are already overextended and > > daddy has decided to skip a few child support payments, and you remember > > quite quickly. > > > > Yes, but a big part of that is not planning. If you decide not to > work and spend all your money the day you get it on whatever then, > yeah, you're not going to be prepared when the flood hits. > > It's kind of like spending on a war and tax cuts, and then raising > domestic discretionary faster than any president since Johnson. You > can't do that AND be prepared for the unknown. Boyscout motto: be > prepared. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Get help! RoboHelp http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=58 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:174787 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
