<p>I think we all realize that this is just a joke; its quite obvious.
We're just trying to look a little deeper into the situation.</p>
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The ultimate aim isn't to bridge the gap between rich and poor, but to give the poor opportunities to participate in our capitalist country. It is not merely "income redistribution" in which they are written a check for nothing. Also, this money should not all come from the rich; yes, it should come partially from the poor, and it should also come from all of the money the government is pouring into Iraq...hah (but that's another issue). Surprisingly, in my state, the most money goes to the poorest school districts, but the money is completely squandered and the schools still left in ruins. Obviously there are other issues besides "lack of funds" that create inequality, which is why merely throwing money at poor people and poverty-ridden neighborhoods in the form of welfare and pre-paid benefits is the wrong way to manage a problem. Of course that is a liberal's favorite way of doing things.
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<p>I would like to make clear the fact that I don't think of income redistribution as the rich man writing the poor man a check for nothing; I already said that in my previous post. By income redistribution, I mean the bridging of the gap between the rich and the poor.</p>
<p>I asked you what end you had in mind when you said that we should start entrepreneurship programs and improve education, was it bridging the rich/poor gap?
You said no, the aim is to let the poor be a part of the capitalist country. Ok, now once again I am asking you the same question. Why should we encourage the poor to partake capitalistic ventures? Isn't the ultimate answer to uplift the financial situation of the poor, hence bridging the rich/poor gap?</p>
<p>And one point I would like to raise is regarding where the money for this would come from. Money for this would come from the taxes. Taxes come from the rich people to a large extent; and the amount of tax one pays decreases as his income decreases. If you say that the Iraq money should have been used for development, I agree with you 100%, but didn't the Iraq money also come from the same place?</p>
<p>To recap: I agree that we should be educating people, instituting entrepreneurship programs for the poor, etc.
Where I disagree:
1. The purpose of these programs; I think that it is ultimately to bridge the rich/poor gap.
2. The funding for these programs; This comes from taxes, mostly paid by rich people.</p>