Wealth: A Dream Or A Will?

It's no secret that the number one cause of death in the world is poverty. It affects more than poverty-stricken people, it affects their families and those who live in their communities. Essentially, poverty is a problem that ever person on this planet must face at some point in their lives.

There are many solutions to this problem. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's briefly explore what wealth means and why it is such an important asset to have when it comes to financial security.

Wealth is the ability to provide for yourself and your family. It has been said many times that poverty is the parent of crime. And poverty as I see it is a condition which does not allow you to pay for you necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and healthcare. Essentially, when one falls into poverty they are vulnerable to crime and corruption.

Social scientists have defined poverty thus: "Poverty is the deprivation of basic human needs...It involves lack of security, inadequate nutrition, shelter or clothing; limited health care; illiteracy; poor schools and jobs; discrimination against women; political instability...a lack of trust in institutions...inadequate social services such as health care and schools.

According to The Economist, the "World Bank defines poverty as a deprivation of basic needs (food, water and shelter) that can be ended simply by money. A minimum level of consumption is necessary to live."

So what causes poverty? ECONOMICS & POLITICS:

Economics and politics are influencing factors in our lives on many levels. Political corruption can make things worse for those in poverty. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the root cause of poverty is a form of political corruption called crony capitalism.

Crony capitalism is a "politically-motivated system in which economic advantages are given to politically connected or otherwise favored interests or groups".

And this is where I find it very important to discuss the link between politics and economics with regard to poverty. Because if we don't stop the corruption, we'll never be able to "end poverty". Because when the wealth of a nation is concentrated at the top of society, it will eventually turn into a very dangerous situation for those for whom poverty truly means distress.

With crony capitalism, you can see how prosperity has become synonymous with political clout. The rich now have more political power and ordinary people have less. And this is a very dangerous situation because if the rich and powerful control all the resources of a nation, they control the system and that means that nobody can stop them from having more wealth. In fact, it will be impossible for them to stop themselves from having more wealth because their system allows them to accumulate as much money as possible.

National debt and inflation are two of the quickest ways to redistribute wealth up to the top of society. You see, when banks get involved in politics, they begin to make decisions that are not in the best interest of their customers (ordinary people). And when you combine the behavior of banks with the crony capitalism of politics, you can see how money can accumulate to the top of society.

Well, I don't really want to get too much into the political aspect of this subject but it's important to understand. If we continue on our current course, things are going to get very interesting very quickly.

In his introduction to "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century", Thomas L. Friedman states: "Globalization is not a new phenomenon...It was a revolutionary process that was happening all around us for centuries. We were just not aware of its impact."

He also says: "Every time an economy becomes global, national leaders either grow a pair or get corrupted as they try to become one of the few who benefit from globalization. It is one thing for a leader to nationalize industries when his nation is largely self-sufficient and has little stake in the global market, but it is quite another when the country runs up huge debts for the sake of its own elites."

This was what happened in America after it became a world leader in business: we raised taxes on everybody, regulated industry and encouraged dissent like we never have before. And to answer my own question: "What's wrong with this picture?", the answer is obvious. It spells the end of the American Dream.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE AMERICAN DREAM?

We live in a time where personal wealth accumulation is looked down upon. From the time we are children, we are taught that sharing and not thinking about ourselves is one of the most important parts of life. The American Dream emphasizes that you should work hard and be prosperous so you can be financially responsible for your family and community.

The American dream is about hard work, pride and telling the world that you are better than them because you persevered through your hardships. It's about being honest in your dealings and being rewarded for success. And it's about knowing that you can put your family above all else.

The American Dream is the backbone of what America has always stood for. But unfortunately, the American dream is no longer an achievable goal after decades of economic changes and political corruption have created a new set of rules for our society. And as a result, the rich have become even richer while working class people have stayed poor. The good jobs that many young people used to be able to attain have disappeared as we continue down this path to socialism...a path I don't think we can continue down because as we start to rely on the poor more and more, our country will soon begin to decline.

The word socialism has been thrown around a lot lately. It's a lot of talk from those who want "change" but do they really want it? It's very easy for people like President Obama or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I'm not saying Mr. Sanders is against socialism or that he is for capitalism either) to throw the word around casually because it has no real definition and is therefore something that can be used for both political purposes and personal gains at the same time.

Conclusion

The word "poverty" is nothing more than a word that describes a situation or circumstance. It's very similar to the word "hunger"...it exists all around us. And it's very easy to have these words become nothing more than buzzwords that are associated with feelings, emotions and desires. But when it comes down to real people who are actually in situations of poverty, it can mean a much different thing for each person depending on what their circumstances are and what their political views are.

I believe that society must look at poverty in different ways to determine how we can help those people who live in this present day and age.