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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Katelew who wrote (215502)	1/29/2007 10:55:21 PM
From: Mary Cluney	Respond to of 281500

Do you honestly believe that money sufficient to care for the poor in this country could be obtained thru private contributions? I am somewhere in between on this. I think we should have checks and balances. We have laws that prevent businesses from engaging in monopolistic practices. Similarly we should have policy that discourages individuals from accumulating excessive amounts of money. People like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and others at the upper end of our economic ladder would still be able to do what they do even if we taxed them at a higher rate. At a certain point money is not the only thing that drives them. On the other hand, we are fortunate to live in a great and prosperous country. A lot of it has to do with our Constitution, culture, and the values we inherited mostly from western civilization but not necessarily exclusively. We can accept great ideas regardless of their origin. A lot of it also has to do with geography and our natural resources. Having said that, I think everyone should share in the great fortunes of our country. We have enough wealth where we can help to support those that can not and will not help themselves. I don't think we should take much from those in the vast middle of our economy to help support the very poor. I think we have enough wealth from the very high end to make it possible to support the very poor. Of course, we shouldn't or couldn't do this if we were a poor nation. Then we would be like any other third world country. We would be an unfettered dog eat dog society. I don't think this is an all or nothing situation. I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. No doubt, striking the right balance is a lot easier said then done.

To: Katelew who wrote (215502)	1/30/2007 12:22:25 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

Maybe you're not generous to the poor, but don't speak for others. Americans donate more to the poor privately than any other country in the world. "In per capita private charity, Americans give three and a half times as much as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and 14 times as much as the Italians. To give an idea how much Americans give, consider the fact that American annual charitable giving exceeds the entire GDP of many European countries, such as Norway and Denmark." worldmag.com