Can we continue that discussion from Will's derailed thread?

[Sebastiani]

I don't get how your post had anything to do with what I said, Sebastiani. It read to me as, "I know someone who pulled themselves out of poverty so therefore everyone else can do it and if they can't it's because it's their own fault." Chances are, you're so educated now you can't possibly imagine what it would be like to not be educated so I understand that it'd be hard to understand what it's like to be these people.

To me what you said just sounds like, "Haven't these people ever thought about getting better jobs?" and it makes it hard to take you seriously as a reasonable voice on this.

My point was exactly what I said, let's create a society where impoverishment is unheard of. As it stands now, minimum wage isn't serving its intended purpose which is to supply people a livable wage. This is what I mean by the majority of people needing money to stimulate the economy again. Unless we just invent a bunch of money, wealth distribution is a big part of how we solve this.

I never said there shouldn't be a gradient. There should be for all I care but as it is now, that gradient is far from linear and looks more like a Kronecker delta function.

Nope, I quit school and ran away from home at the age of fifteen, and thenceforth have been the sole provider for myself. I'm self-built, self-taught, and fully capable of making my own way in this world. It doesn't matter why or how a person falls into poverty, if they don't make the effort nothing will change for the good. Plant a garden. Try to sell a product or service. Promote yourself. The opportunities in life are endless, but you do have to make an effort.

[whiteflags]

Nope, I quit school and ran away from home at the age of fifteen ... I'm self-built, self-taught, and fully capable ...

When you did that it may have been the last era in which it really worked.

The 15 year olds of today would be well served to go to school while they work at McDonald's after they ran away from home. Not necessarily college either - I think trade schools get a bad rap for no reason.