A random encounter with somebody who had the solution to poverty

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The mind of a person with a “plan”

Yesterday I met someone who was generally very nice. We sat down and talked about a bit of ourselves. We also got into a bit of politics and economics. It was at this point when she mentioned how anyone with a little of space in the countryside could easily make a living as long as they had an income of around $40 a month.

Her idea was how a chicken generates unlimited income. If you have the money to buy chicken and chicken food, that chicken will lay eggs which in turn will grow into more chickens you can feed as long as you sell some of the eggs. Simple, right? She really thought it was this simple.

Of course, we are talking about a family of at least one mother and one child who need food for a month using just those $50 which come from government help, in a place where there are absolutely no job offers. So you can't even count on that much money to start off with.

The house of this family doesn't have any kitchen supplies, so she'll be cooking without any appliances. A crappy stove at best. Gas and electricity are unaffordable luxuries as well. Transportation means walking a lot, so even selling the eggs will be a long-winded journey. Keeping the house clean and carrying a basket full of eggs to the town center are extremely taxing tasks.

But before it even gets started, one needs to build a chicken coop. So now you need materials to build it. If you don't, wild animals will kill your stock animals to satisfy their own hunger. Building a chicken coop requires tools and a bit of knowledge. Both of which are out of reach of this family. But this person doesn't care — whatever reasoning I counter her idea with is a mere “excuse”.

There won't ever be enough money for actual transportation. There won't be a truck. Saving enough money for a small handcart without starving to death will take a long time. Until then, there will be a strict limit to how many eggs can be transported and sold. But according to this person who told me about her idea, the government should be involved because it's their job. So, suddenly, the “bums” can't accomplish her idea on their own anymore. Huh!

Let's say thanks to some miracle a family gets a chicken coop up and running and buys a handcart. It will only last until their health is stricken. They will either die, become handicapped and no longer be able to work, or spend all of what they've gathered so far in order to rescue the sick family member. Because untreated illnesses grow a lot worse over time if left untreated. But this person who has a health plan just doesn't care.

There is also the fact that other humans will get in the way of this family who is struggling to make it. Thieves and ill-intended people who will steal their goods or attack them out of envy.

But even if she actually cared about this situation where, just like she said it herself, government help is mandatory, she did not vote for a left-winged government. She also doesn't understand how every bit of currency goes back to the government through taxes, which means giving money to poor people does not have any negative impact to the country's economy. Nor is she actually affected in any way by either things being left unchanged or actually undergo changes.

Regardless, this person who has had an easy and comfortable life has a strong but incredibly uninformed opinion of how poor people are just bums who supposedly have all the resources necessary available to grow out of it. She will also become angry if you do not agree with her views. Don't be like this person.


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