Why does poverty even exist in 'advanced' nations, such as Canada, U.S., and Gre

1. 57

   Jane Taxpayerposted 15 years ago

   Why does poverty even exist in 'advanced' nations, such as Canada, U.S., and Great Britain?
   
   To get a better answer to some other questions I've posted, I need to know why such 'wealthy' nations even have a poverty problem in the first place.

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2. 60

   svencillposted 15 years ago

   There are too many bugs in the system. Aside from that people who are well off have the uncanny ability to forget about the less fortunate and to blame the less fortunate for their problems.  Ultimately the human race is selfish.

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3. 99

   Susana Sposted 15 years ago

   I think the kind of poverty experienced in western nations is relative. It's nothing like the poverty of the third world. A family in the UK who are considered in poverty will have an income via social security benefits. They will eat, have shelter, have clothing, and most will have TV's, mobile phones, DVD players, Xboxes etc.
   
   A lot of it also depends on how parents manage their income. If they choose to spend a lot of money on their drug use for example, their children may well be in poverty in that they don't have enough to eat or suitable clothing. This isn't because they aren't receiving enough money only that it is being spent on the wrong things.
   
   It really all depends on how you measure poverty and what criteria you use.

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4. 59

   SheriSappposted 15 years ago

   Because it doesn't matter how advanced a civilization is, there will always be slackers unwilling to work.  As Susana S said, the poor in the nations you mentioned definitely live at a higher standard than the poor of third world countries.

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5. 61

   eoveryposted 15 years ago

   There is always opposition in all things.  We cannot make the poor rich.  We cannot make all sick well.  We cannot force people to do things.   As an old song goes, "because that's the way things are?
   
   Also, our poor are the richest poor people in the world.  They have lcd tv, computers, cell phones, free food, etc.  Are alot of these really poor?  Or poor because the government says they are poor?
   
   It is not the rich people's fault others are poor.  You can give them everything, but if they do want to care for it, or won't change, they will still be poor.
   
   You can give the alot of the poor a million dollars, a nice house, etc.  and with in year or two they will be poor again.  Poor, except for the sick, is a state of mind.  They have to change.

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6. 68

   stricktlydatingposted 15 years ago

   Because there's always a percentage of the population who cannot support themselves financially.  It can because of inibility to work due to varying degrees of mental or physical disability, because of drug or alcohol abuse problems and addictions, and family breakdown due to violence and domestic abuse problems and where there is no-one else in their family who can financially support them.

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7. 61

   FGualposted 15 years ago

   Because, as with anything else, throwing money at the problem does not solve the problem. Even with ample evidence to the contrary, many politicians continue with this, hoping it will get them votes, or favors, or promotions, or whatever they seek.
   It's the same situation with foreign aid. The developed world has sent billions to underdeveloped countries, and what has it accomplished?

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8. 59

   nightwork4posted 14 years ago

   it really depends on what poverty is. in many cases , it's just plain laziness and a need to want but not be willing to work for it. i don't see how anyone can go hungry in canada unless they are perhaps young street kids or mentally disabled and forced onto the streets by their families.

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9. 68

   eculliganposted 14 years ago

   Poverty wouldn't exist if people would go to work and contribute to the economy.  Why do we feel sorry for people who don't want to work.  They are given everything and when it comes time for voting who to they vote for, the politicians who offer them free stuff.  The U.S is the richest nation because we are not socialist.  It cracks me up how the Government will offer the less fortunate money to go to college for practically nothing and yet they don't take advantage of it anyway.  People need to get off there couch and work like the rest of the middle class and rich.

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10. 0

    AMBASSADOR BUTLERposted 14 years ago

    As Jesus Christ said: the poor you will have always. Now for the solution to this problem by applying wisdom in this situation with human beings. First and foremost we must realize and remember that every single human being on the earth is LOVE PEACE FREE to the core of their being. This is who every human being is on the earth to the core of their being. There are no exception to this truth when you get down to the bottom of this for every human being on the earth. Second we must realize that not every single human being will apply being love being peace being free in their everyday life on the earth. Wisdom will then be apply to deal with these people like Jesus Christ had done when he lived on the earth in dealing with the people whom he came in contact with in his daily life on the earth. Thirdly but not last is the solution to poverty for human beings materially and spiritually in everyday living on the earth with applying wisdom to this situation. Build the LOVE PEACE FREE in the minds of human beings and build the housing/communities where the poor can live and be self supported by doing the basic things of cleaning and maintaining their basic needs of shelter, food, clothing. This can be done with them self doing it all without hiring people to do this and will bring their self esteem up as a human being because we are all the same as in being love being peace being free. Just be it. Poverty will be done away with and human being will respect each other because they are being love being peace being free in their everyday living on the earth. Thank you.

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11. 79

    rajan jollyposted 13 years ago

    Poverty as such is a very relative term having  different meanings in  different contexts. In advanced countries people have other social and state benefits which are not at all available to the poor in the developing countries or if they have it is so meagre that it is a joke .
    In many cases the people are not prepared to work hard because they are getting benefits. Some have vices which land them in trouble, some others have a hard time saving for a rainy day.
    As many reasons as people .

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    pramodgokhaleposted 13 years ago

    I am an Indian,poverty in the west is not as developing nations suffer means people without food and malnutrition, In the west they have welfare schemes and only unemployment or joblessnesness may have created income disparity between higher income and lower income sections.
    Canada, USA, Great Britain ,the people are materialisitc and fight for survival unlike developing nations where the people are waiting for government help.
    In the most of  the developing nations except India,authoritarian regimes are dictating
    and lack of civilization and absence of Civilian society, it is difficult to resolve poverty related issues.
    jobless and less educated people in developed nations without government incentives, i think they survive on low income.

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13. 82

    tamarawilhiteposted 9 years ago

    The US has 10-15 million illegal immigrants working here for often less than minimum wage. They and their families have few skills (barring those who came on legal visas like HB-1), so they earn little - and they compete with each other, legal immigrants and the native born with few skills, keeping wages low.
    Much of the poverty thus in the US is due to immigration, legal and illegal, bringing in more poor people and keeping incomes for the bottom quarter of the population from rising.

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