What if the rich just gave without it being "taken" from them?

1. 92

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   What if the rich just gave without it being "taken" from them?
   
   What impact would it have on the USA if people who were rich just gave like this all on their own?
   
   

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   Mklow1posted 10 years ago

   I know a lot of people that give a lot of donations and volunteer a lot of time, but I think this type of direct giving is probably the most effective. Kudos to him. We all should give to those less fortunate, no matter if we are wealthy.

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3. 62

   fpherj48posted 10 years ago

   Peeples......What an incredibly ideal world this would be, eh?  Sadly, not enough wealthy people are as wonderful & generous as Mr. Harris Rosen....(he qualifies as a Modern Day Saint, IMO)  He used his money for the good of mankind.......benefiting an entire neighborhood, with outstanding results. 
   Were more and more individuals to do this, the impact would be beyond description.
   I would love nothing more, than to firmly believe this could become reality. 
   The hard core facts are, 93% of the extremely wealthy, became so, due to GREED, via the blood, sweat & tears of the little people....(American labor force)   Greed is not a gateway vice to generosity & kindness, to say the least.  Rather, greed breeds more greed, money makes money...and passes on to the next generation of selfish, "me, my, mine....ALL mine,"  family members. 
   How much more productivity could be created by the actions of men & women like Mr. Rosen.  He spent his money with a "plan" to clean up crime and improve education.....one neighborhood at a time.   BRILLIANT!!   
   To be fair, we can be grateful for the 7% of the wealthy who do give to charities and/or contribute philanthropically.......

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      But of those 7%, how many are like the Pharisees, all show and no heart. Anonymous philanthropy would be the best for all concerned.
      
      If American gov't used its wealth on food instead of war, no one on Earth would starve.

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      Mklow1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think the lack of giving is a reflection of the wealthy, I think it is a reflection of our society as a whole. We all have a responsibility to our fellow man, so to put that burden solely on the wealthy is just a cop out by the rest of us.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Mklow......but, I do NOT place burden of giving, solely on the wealthy..not at all.  In fact, in my experiences, it is the middle class who give & help, more than any others.  I know that I surely give of myself & time, energies & donatio

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      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think you are all missing the point - the question isn't about giving, it's how we can use our own money to benefit others vrs the government taking your money to waste it, while Rosen demonstrates we know better than the government how to use it.

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      Mklow1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well, you said "Sadly, not enough wealthy people are as wonderful & generous as Mr. Harris Rosen",
      But in reality most PEOPLE in general are not like him, not just the wealthy.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Mklow, I mention the "wealthy," because they are the subject of this question. Unlike you, I can say that I see a lot of kindness & generosity from the common man, often & in many ways. I'm sorry you do not.  Perhaps it's your perception.

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      Mklow1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Who said I don't see good in the common man? I said we all are lacking across the board. I think your emotions are getting the better of you and you are imagining what you want me to say and putting words in my mouth.

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   kylesandersonposted 10 years ago

   The happiness and prosperity of life in general would be exponentially better for everyone.
   For some reason, people seem to believe that the more money and possessions they acquire with that money they have, the happier they'll be. Like joy is a direct result of the level of these things. When really that's all they are; things.
   Good for Harris Rosen. I've never heard of this man until now, but God bless him.

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5. 66

   tsadjatkoposted 10 years ago

   
   
   Just goes to show you that government and unions are not the solution. The private sector can solve these problems - everything that governments (liberal policies) have done has worsened the crime rate http://www.examiner.com/article/crime-r … ive-cities
   When it comes to excellence in education, red states rule and unions suck — at least according to a panel of experts assembled by Tina Brown’s Newsweek.  Using a set of indicators ranging from graduation rate to college admissions and SAT scores, the panel reviewed data from high schools all over the country to find the best public schools in the country. The results make depressing reading for the teacher unions: the very best public high schools in the country are heavily concentrated in red states. http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/ … -a-nation/
   Philanthropic self made entrepreneurs understand that success lies in motivating people to succeed, not in making success a handout. This is the approach and belief of conservatives, to create the ingredients people need to succeed whereas liberals are content with programs that only motivate the public to suck from the teet of government spending. If government would shrink and wasteful spending stop you'd see more and more of these kind of success stories. But increasing government and wasteful government spending will only increase crime, fraud and waste, demotivate the underprivileged to achieve for themselves and turn our country into a banana republic.
   However I must agree that if there were more Harry Rosens more people would sooner realize what is possible and say "Thanks, but no thanks! ...what do we need these government programs for? We have the private sector, thank you very much!" I wonder how many Tangelo Parks people like Warren Buffet or George Soros have adopted.

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      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Even were we to accept Newsweek's methodology, which is already a leap of faith, many good schools being in red states does not mean red states have better schools. Exemplars do not inform us about totalities or averages.

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   PoeticFailosophyposted 10 years ago

   It would be pretty different.  My spouse's grandparents were philanthropists who gave away much of their excess wealth from their business. They were also atheists, so they really did it out of a true sense of love for their fellow humans, not because they felt impelled by a god.  And when they went bankrupt, the community was there for them.  You get what you give!

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      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well the message of what Harry Rosen did isn't to give away his money but use his money to incentivise them. A big difference that this government doesn't get.

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      lone77starposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent, PF. You describe karma, which is also mentioned in the Bible, if you know how to look. Labels mean nothing ("atheists," etc). Love means everything.

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      Mklow1posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, the gentleman mentioned above is does a lot of fundraising through Christian organizations, so does that mean he only does it because he was impelled by God? Anyway, I don't think the poor care why people help, as long as they help.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      tsadjatko....Bravo!!   You are spot-on!

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   Rochelle Frankposted 10 years ago

   Yes, there are a lot greedy and devious people in the world, but I have also known a lot or rich people who seemed very generous with both time and money.
   I think most Americans realize their blessings and are happy to help one another.  Unfortunately, I think our government discourages this by trying to provide for everyone.
   Government welfare and help is well meant and often helps, but so much money falls through the cracks into pockets where it should not be.

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      tsadjatkoposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Rochelle! ah someone who gets it! There really is no reason we as a society working together in the private sector can't solve these types  of problems Harry Rosen has solved without taking money from the rich to waste it on government policies.

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      peeplesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      tsa once again your comment is awaiting moderation, I have hit  "Not Spam" Still says awaiting mod. Just didn't want you to think I deleted.

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8. 72

   lone77starposted 10 years ago

   Peeples, this is one of the most beautiful "what if's" I've ever read.
   
   That would require an attitude of love and generosity, plus, perhaps, a little humility. Usually, the "art" of making money requires an egotistical separation from others (not love), selfishness (not generosity) and arrogance (not humility).
   
   If the rich of America did this, America might thrive, internally. But America is purposely being degraded and divided. Why? Because someone wants America out of the way. Only America is (was?) strong enough to stand in the way of a psychopathic few who want no countries, no personal property for the common individual, no family, no personal freedom (of movement, upward mobility, expression, procreation).
   
   If you don't believe this, then you really need to read the United Nation's own Agenda 21 -- what George H.W. Bush called a "New World Order" (from his speech 9/11/1990, exactly 11 years before 9/11).
   
   Watch what is happening inside America (and it's best not to rely on the Corporate Party, mainstream media).
   * Slow shredding of the Constitution.
   * Building of the national debt bubble, now screaming high at $17 Trillion.
   * Building of the derivatives (Wall Street) bubble, now flying high at well over a Quadrillion dollars.
   * The lying of the Corporate Party media, setting one group against another in increasingly divisive language.
   * The chemical destruction of Americans through their food supply and pharmaceuticals, dumbing down Americans and making them perpetually ill so they remain a cash cow to the filthy rich.
   * Perpetual war mongering, attacking countries that have done nothing to America.
   * Government lies, like Bush's WMD's, and Obama's (I've lost count).
   * Corruption of the election process: hacked voting machines, kidnapping delegates, miscounting votes, zeroing out votes in selective districts.
   
   If all the rich gave without it being taken from them, then we wouldn't be in this mess. Without greed and lust for power, we wouldn't have had 9/11.
   
   But the stakes are far higher than the slaughter of 6.5 billion people for the psychopath's view of utopia. Our immortal, spiritual selves need to be reawakened. And that takes love, humility, generosity, fearless confidence and perfect responsibility.
   
   Perfect generosity would be as anonymous as possible. Philanthropy like that of the Rockefellers is calculated and choked with greed. Did you know that the UN building was built on land donated by the Rockefellers? To them, we're useless eaters.

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   electronicianposted 10 years ago

   Love the example in your picture. I've always wondered if there was a way to combine making a profit with helping poor neighbourhoods like this. Imagine if somebody rich bought a bunch of properties in bad area then did something like this to cut crime in half and quadruple high school graduation - the value of those properties would rise massively and everyone would be a winner.

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    MizBejabbersposted 10 years ago

    I think we all should thank Mr. Rosen even if he isn't doing this in our state. There really are others like him, though. Murphy Oil Company, an Arkansas-owned firm in El Dorado, Arkansas, several years ago promised full tuition scholarships to all students who graduated from high school in that city. Families started moving in from other cities so their children could go to college, and Murphy has kept its  promise.
    I think we should all question why college tuition keeps rising above and beyond inflation levels. Why are students having to choose between a future in deeply in debt or an uneducated future? Who is the greedy party making college unaffordable? If the rich gave like Mr. Rosen and the Murphys, would the greedy take advantage and just raise prices more to meet their generosity?

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    Sehnonimoposted 10 years ago

    Ah, to have such a world!  I always wonder if there even ARE people like this in the world. Now I know of at least one, and that makes me happy!
    
    I think people just get lost along the way - they forget we are all part of a community and that we need to help each other in any way we can.  Maybe those with money think that if they begin to give and give wholly of their money, time, and energy to the rest of the world, everyone will want something and bleed them dry.  Or maybe people who want to help are talked out of it by people who tell them that they are just going to find the leeches of the world. 
    
    Either way, I think if rich people gave all on their own and tried to make their little slice of the world a better place, it would resonate with the people they help and others who can help out in their own little ways, too.

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    crazymom3posted 10 years ago

    Thank you for sharing about Harris Rosen-what an a
    amazing person!! and what a huge difference he has made in so many lives. I have asked myself this question when it comes to reducing the national debt. There are so many people making billions of dollars who could easily do without 1 or 2 and perhaps donate it to reducing the debt and maybe get a tax deduction for it, This includes politician. So many people can actually afford to help why should the poor and barely surviving working american go jobles, moneyless and such do to government cut backs and sequestrations, furloughs etc. Is it really necessary? The answer is,  it would be a much happier world if everyone was so kind and willing to share and help for both the givers and the receivers would benefit. :-)

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