Income Inequality in America

[Dame]

I have to chime in with one of the major rules I implemented in my business. Never charge someone for services if they are starting their own business or charity.

I cannot tell you how many hours of service I gave away in order to help someone else get a website or brochure or business cards, etc., so they could get going. When it's all about profit, you can't do that unless the shareholders agree and that means showing a ROE.

 

[goon175]

This has been popping up all over my Facebook feed....

Any idiot can talk about the problems of the world, but a REAL revolutionary also has a solution and a way to implement that solution. Brand's inability to articulate anything other than what he see's wrong in the world is exhausting.

FYI, socialism doesn't work. It's been proven time and again. It's all good and well to spout diarrhea of unicorns and rainbows and butterflies, but are you willing to make the change that you want to see happen? Are you willing to lay down your life to see that change realized?

Also, if he is so much in favor of wealth redistribution, maybe he can distribute his 15 million dollar (at least) net worth to his old neighborhood who he feels so sorry for. Save 60,000 for himself to live on, which is comfortable for a single guy, and give the rest away. Put your money where your mouth is.

 

[Brill]

Choices. We all make them but some are better than others. These folks don't look too poor to me.

http://www.vice.com/read/the-wheelying-dirt-bike-gangs-of-baltimore-twelve-o-clock-boyz-lofty-nathan

 

[Marauder06]

"Massive economic disparity?" Maybe he should have a chat with Bono about that whole capitalism thingy.

 

[TH15]

Russell Brand.. HA! Yeah, remind me to take political and economic advice from someone who found a way to be less funny and a worse actor than Dane Cook.

"The very concept of profit should be hugely reduced." Kill yourself. Seriously. Yeah, profits- those things that companies use to invest and offer workers higher wages among other things. Jesus Christ. He sounds like Sean Penn and the Film Actors Guild (FAGs) from Team America World Police.

And if he needs one last nail in his coffin of being a total douche- ditching Katy Perry and her tatas?! No bueno.

 

[Salt USMC]

Choices. We all make them but some are better than others. These folks don't look too poor to me.

http://www.vice.com/read/the-wheelying-dirt-bike-gangs-of-baltimore-twelve-o-clock-boyz-lofty-nathan

Secondhand dirt bikes and 4-wheelers don't cost much. What's your point?

 

[goon175]

Secondhand dirt bikes and 4-wheelers don't cost much. What's your point?

I started a business with less money than it would take to buy one of those dirt bikes.

Choices...

 

[Salt USMC]

I started a business with less money than it would take to buy one of those dirt bikes.

Choices...

Goon, you would probably know better than anyone that you can't just plant money in the ground and make a small business pop up. Do you know anything about the guys in these videos, other than that they are being douchebags on their bikes? Do they even have computers? Do you think they know anything about running a business? I sure have no idea if they do or not. Do you know something the rest of us don't?

 

[goon175]

Goon, you would probably know better than anyone that you can't just plant money in the ground and make a small business pop up. Nope, takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Do you know anything about the guys in these videos, other than that they are being douchebags on their bikes? Do they even have computers? Yup, at their local library. Do you think they know anything about running a business? Many of them probably do, just not the legal kind. Same principles apply in many instances though, and for anything they don't know - Google has the rest covered. I have a high school education, the same that they have available to them for free. I sure have no idea if they do or not. Do you know something the rest of us don't? Yeah, that they decided to get a dirt bike or four wheeler when they could have done something to improve their current situation.

 

[racing_kitty]

He knows they chose to buy those vics, because it would be bullying to say they stole'em. If they don't know how to run a business, they could take bike money and go to a community college to learn.

 

[goon175]

Let's not forget that some of the most successful people in America came from minority, under privileged areas of big cities. Sean Carter is a great example.

 

[Salt USMC]

Let's not forget that some of the most successful people in America came from minority, under privileged areas of big cities. Sean Carter is a great example.

Sure, but the vast majority of of underprivileged people are going to stay that way: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/01/04/us/comparing-economic-mobility.html?ref=us
In addition, the top earners are very likely to stay there.

Why? Because of the institutions in place (many of which I listed before) that continually re-enforce poverty. I know it's wikipedia, but just read this whole thing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_of_poverty

 

[Brill]

Secondhand dirt bikes and 4-wheelers don't cost much. What's your point?

What does the SAT or ACT cost to take? How much does it cost to obey the law? How about respect for law and order?

To ride or go to work or do homework: those are all choices but nobody makes movies about kids who study and become somebody (Akeelah & The Bee).

 

[Salt USMC]

What does the SAT or ACT cost to take?

$52.50 if you include the writing section. Don't know about the SAT.

How much does it cost to obey the law? How about respect for law and order?

Nobody was defending their actions.

To ride or go to work or do homework: those are all choices but nobody makes movies about kids who study and become somebody (Akeelah & The Bee).

How do you know that they don't work? Why are all these ridiculous assumptions being made about a big group of people based on a three-minute trailer?

Look, I'm going to bow out of this because it was a dumb strawman argument in the first place and it's becoming a very unproductive discussion. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[racing_kitty]

Sure, but the vast majority of of underprivileged people are going to stay that way... *snip*

Why? Because of the institutions in place (many of which I listed before) that continually re-enforce poverty. *snip*

Just one problem: there are quite a few of us on here that didn't exactly hail from a background that is conducive to success. Nobody makes documentaries about poor white people, either, unless we're at NASCAR races or wearing bed linens. Except for race-specific scholarships or organizations (UNCF), the same financial aid is available to them as it is to us.

 

[Salt USMC]

Nobody makes documentaries about poor white people, either, unless we're at NASCAR races or wearing bed linens.

Here's a few: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/ten-documentaries-about-poverty-and-power (Not all are about poor whites but the majority are)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/ ("Frontline: Poor Kids". One family profiled is black, but others are white)

("A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains")

 

[goon175]

So I guess bringing this back around, is it unfair to these kids/people that there are extremely rich people in the world? If it is, should that money be redistributed?

 

[Marine0311]

So I guess bringing this back around, is it unfair to these kids/people that there are extremely rich people in the world? If it is, should that money be redistributed?

No and Yes if you follow the lead of Warren Buffett.

 

[Dame]

So I guess bringing this back around, is it unfair to these kids/people that there are extremely rich people in the world? If it is, should that money be redistributed?

I just don't get the whole "fair" thing. Life isn't fair. Never has been, never will be. In some sense that's the only thing that makes it fair; everyone has to deal with it being unfair.

 

[liqiudHAL]

I'm young and haven't been alive that long but I thought the whole point of living in a capitalist society is the fact that people have opportunities, not sure things. The pursuit of happiness needs to be understood as an invitation to try out for bigger and better things and not be thought of as an acceptance letter or a marketing slogan for instant-gratification.