The rich and the poor

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Website owner:  James Miller

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Throughout human history there have always been the rich and the poor, a few rich with the majority of people poor. There are many people who do have a tendency to hoard and build up wealth. In the world of animals some animals such as squirrels, chipmunks, and crows hoard food whereas most animals live from day to day, finding their food for the day each day. If they don’t find food, they go hungry until they do find food. There aren’t any social welfare safety nets in the animal world.

People build houses or shelters to protect them from the elements. Many animals create for themselves burrows or some type of nest or shelter as protection from the elements. Other animals such as elk or polar bears just develop heavy fur coats that protect them.

It makes sense to save money, to build up some accumulation of wealth. A prudent person saves money. Life can hold the unexpected. People get fired from their jobs. Companies downsize and lay off workers. Companies buy out other companies and then streamline operations by reducing personnel. People get injured or sick and can’t work. Personnel shuffles occur and one finds himself working for a boss that is just impossible to work for. You don’t know what life may hold for you. And life can be very brutal if you find yourself out in the cold with no money and no source of money. Jobs may be very difficult to find. Especially in your particular vocation. People lose good, high-paying jobs and end up working at McDonalds or WalMart because they have to eat and pay their rent. Wise people prepare for bad possibilities.

Throughout history there have always been people who save and those who don’t save. Serious, hardworking, prudent people tend to save money. Less serious, less prudent people often don’t, squandering their money and living from hand to mouth. The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) tells a story about two sons — a serious, hardworking, prudent son and an unserious, pleasure-seeking, improvident, squandering, foolish son. Throughout history, from the beginning of time, in all cultures there have always been all kinds of people: the serious and unserious, the hard working and the lazy, the disciplined and the undisciplined, the wise and the foolish, good people and bad people. Different kinds of people fare differently in life.

Most people who don’t save money (and that includes a large portion of mankind) think they can’t save money. They think they just don’t make enough money to save any. They feel they just need all the money they are making in order to live and would need more income to be able to save. No matter what their income, that is what they think. So it is not their fault that they don’t save money. It is someone else’s fault: It is the fault of their employer because he is not paying them enough. But they do have enough money to buy alcohol and cigarettes. (It is surprising how many people of the world drink alcohol. Even the very poorest people who don’t have money to feed their children do have enough money for alcohol.) And they do have enough money to eat out a bit and to buy lottery tickets and to do lots of things that they like to do.

Indeed it is the person who is determined to save money who saves it. He figures out how to save it. A determined person can do a lot of things that most people think they can’t do. It takes intelligence, a calculating, thinking mind, and self-discipline to save money.

Frugality may be termed the daughter of prudence, the sister of

temperance, and the parent of liberty. He that is extravagant

will quickly become poor, and poverty will enforce dependence

and invite corruption.

Johnson

With parsimony a little is sufficient; without it nothing is

sufficient; but frugality makes a poor man rich.

Seneca

The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. It depends

chiefly on two words, industry and frugality; that is waste

neither time nor money, but make the best of both. Without

industry and frugality nothing will do; with them, everything.

Franklin

Frugality is a fair fortune; and habits of industry a good

estate.

Franklin

Economy is the parent of integrity, of liberty, and of ease;

and the beauteous sister of temperance, of cheerfulness, and

health; and profuseness is a cruel and crafty demon, that

gradually involves her followers in dependence and debts, and

so fetters them with irons that enter into their inmost souls.

Hawkesworth

In the modern liberal’s worldview, everyone is a victim. People are all to be pitied. Everyone is living from hand to mouth, with barely enough to live on, all because of a bad, unjust system. What is needed is a Socialist / Communist system! Under Capitalism people are all victims of discrimination and injustice of one kind or another. Discrimination because of race or skin color. Exploitation by bosses, employers, ugly capitalists. A Socialistic system is the answer! Everyone should share equally in all the good things of life! One person having a lot of money and another living hand to mouth just isn’t right! Well, in actual fact, life usually gives people about what they deserve. It gives the serious, hardworking, prudent, frugal man what he deserves and the unserious, lazy, easygoing, frivolous man what he deserves. In fact, there are all kinds of people in this world and all people are not deserving of the same rewards.

Envy of the rich! That is what socialism is all about! Bring down the rich! Distribute his money to the poor! It has been the source of social movements around the world! Russia, China, Cuba, Cambodia, Venezuela. And now many of the younger generations in America are being charmed by its promises!

Well, socialism doesn’t work. Man just never learns. Fools are everywhere! And there are always ambitious politicians who will tell fools what they want to hear.

See the following:

On Economy, Frugality and Waste

Jan 2019