ouch!

[eri]

we don't know how lucky we are

http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/kiwi-traveller/10379849/You-don-t-know-how-lucky-you-are-in-NZ

[Davo36]

He tells it like it is! Good one.

[drelly]

The definition of poor here does seem to put an undue emphasis on not being able to "participate" by going out for coffee or a movie. Even the Nigel Latta show used those real life examples to show "poverty".

[speights boy]

Yes we are lucky.
Lucky that we are not spending around $15 billion on a football tournament.

However, I'm sure every Brazilian is waxing lyrical about it being money well spent.
Dribble down economics and all that.

[eri]

poor

has mainly meant

short of money

but as throwing money at the problem hasn't fixed it

the new lefty definition

is

'short of opportunities'

which comes down to poor parenting

both sides agree on that

so why isn't that the focus?

because it is assumed to be too big a problem to handle

so just jack taxes

and throw money at the character flaws

after all

choco bikkies + beer for all

must be some kind of global cause

worth fighting for

wonder if helen clark would be interested in getting the ball rolling

[speights boy]

Yes, we are lucky in this country.
If only this money siphoned off by the rich and powerful had been put to good use on behalf of their poor citizens.

The Cost Of Corruption In Brazil Could Be Up To $53 Billion ...

To put into perspective, if that money was invested in Brazil’s precarious education system, the number of Brazilian students enrolled in elementary school could be improved from its current 34.5 million to 51 million.

Should that money be invested in the public health system, the number of beds available in Brazil’s public hospitals could almost double, from 367.397 to 694.409.

That same money could house more than 2.9 million Brazilian families, and if invested in sanitation it could reach an additional 23.3 million households that aren’t on the public sewer system.

And so it goes on.
As for Brazil’s infrastructure system, one of the country’s Achilles heels, the money diverted from public funds could be used to build 277 new airports in the country, a much needed help considering that it is under scrutiny as it prepares to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, with both events requiring advances in airport capacity and efficiency.

[eri]

corruption

is what holds many

if not most

countries back

all of africa + south america

most of asia and eastern europe

truly it is the most corrosive force to civil society

which is why the best people should be recruited for jobs

not the best connected

[speights boy]

truly it is the most corrosive force to civil society

Yes.
I think a lot more good would come from trying to combat the corrupt greedy powerful in this world; rather than the poor greedy complainers.
Perhaps then taxpayers' money could be spent on improving quality of life for the many, instead of being laundered on London real estate for the few.

[eri]

first against the wall come the revolution brother?

"I've seen some springs that ended up being terrible winters.

We human beings are gregarious. We can't live alone.

For our lives to be possible, we depend on society.

It's one thing to overturn a government or block the streets.

But it's a different matter altogether to create and build a better society, one that needs organization, discipline and long-term work.

Let's not confuse the two of them.

I want to make it clear: I feel sympathetic with that youthful energy,

but I think it's not going anywhere if it doesn't become more mature.


and more very good quotes from the uruguayan president

better than bolivar!

http://mic.com/articles/92369/15-powerful-quotes-from-the-world-s-most-humble-president

"We have sacrificed the old immaterial gods, and now we are occupying the temple of the Market-God.

He organizes our economy, our politics, our habits, our lives, and even provides us with rates and credit cards and gives us the appearance of happiness.

"It seems that we have been born only to consume and to consume, and when we can no longer consume,
we have a feeling of frustration, and we suffer from poverty, and we are auto-marginalized."

[speights boy]

and more very good quotes from the uruguayan president

Indeed they are.