Controversial essay- cull 20% of the poor.

by fulltimestudent 26 Replies latest social current

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  fulltimestudent

  A controversial essay is part of Aussie news today.

  The essence of it is that the state needs to kill about 20% of the poorest in the community, to fix its financial problems. It is, of course, claimed to be 'tongue-in-cheek,' but is there a sound basis to the concept?

  I sound very right-wing in saying that, but I live opposite a boarding house that is full of people who, I guess, would be prime candidates for the cull. They are all on social services, spending their money on alcohol, drugs and gambling. They serve no useful purpose in society, and contribute nothing of value, except to inflate the profits of the liquor and gambling industries. The police are often there, at least once a fortnight, thus adding another layer of costs.

  In times past without social services, they would probably have died. Now they are kept alive by and extensive social welfare program. For what purpose?

  Here's a quote from the essay:

  "'In contrast to the fabulously rich, the enormously poor make little useful contribution to society,'' wrote Mr Ralph, a long-time Liberal Party* campaign strategist.

  ''They consume more than they contribute, putting tremendous strain on the national budget.

  ''A modest cull would strike at the root of our fiscal dilemma. If the least productive 20 per cent of citizens were decommissioned it would directly release a recurrent $25 billion, which would almost cover overspending by the Gillard government between now and September 14th, ... ."

  ''This bold initiative would rid us of indolent students, hapless single mums, lower-order drug dealers, social workers, performance artists, Greenpeace supporters and the remaining processing personnel in our collapsing yet heavily subsidised manufacturing industries.''

  If the idea appeals to you - then read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/kill-poor-to-fix-budget-writes-lobbyist-with-liberal-links-20130416-2hygv.html#ixzz2QexOvaUr

  * In Australia the conservative party calls itself the "Liberal Party."
• 

  fulltimestudent

  Curiously, the Communist Party of China*, got rid of much of the social welfare programs of the Mao era, quite some time back. In Mao's time, the State operated its welfare programs through subsidiary organisations. The Chinese word to describe this concept is tie fàn wan, which translates as the " the iron rice bowl. Your employer, e.g. factory, hospital, school provided you with accommodation, meals, healthcare etc. The practise started to disappear after the reforms of Deng Xiaoping.

  I was quietly amused one day, when visiting my friend who is a Communist party member, to find him and his new wife, discussing which health/employment insurance policy to buy.

  But, interestingly, with new found prosperity and increasing income disparity, the subject of social services is once more on the agenda in China.

  * CPC really stands these days for, the Capitalist Party of China,
• 

  jgnat

  It would not work, of course. It would cull the bottom-rung workers that make our pre-packaged meals, wash our restaurant dishes, and make our hotel room beds. Then there's the impact on the children, siblings, and parents of these lower rung workers and welfare recipients. I think of my friend who with me, needed social assistance for a time. Her daughter is now a small-time celebrity in Calgary and she herself is a veteran social worker.

  Everyone leaves a hole when they are gone.
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  Theocratic Sedition

  Everyone leaves a hole when they are gone.

  I like that.
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  *lost*

  Good grief what a disgusting thing for someone to propose - is it serious ? Just kill off the poor ?

  The ' fabulously rich ' and their political co-horts are in fact mostly the actual cause of break-down in society, poverty, social injustice, inequality and strategic poverty, etc.

  Also what is also a 'major fail ' is that there is no mention of cause and effect. Why people end up in these situations. Usually they have been battered by society, abused, may have un-diagnosed austic spectrum disorders, etc. etc. the list goes on.

  I would love to get him, strip of his wealth, home, family, friends, children, parents, see how he copes with trauma, break him down totally, mentally, physically and emotionally. Rob him of every ounce of joy and hope he may have in life. And leave him destitute on the sidewalk in said area, with not a penny in his pocket. make him try and survive and navigate his way through an horrendous sytem on very little means. For, I would say 12 mths. Then ask him his thoughts. Once he actually gets a taste of it. then he will know what he is talking about, and maybe even learn compassion and understanding for afflicted people who are struggling just to live and survive.
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  jgnat

  I've had a fantasy of taking the current city council on a tour of the city giving them a bus pass and nothing else. Let them visit the food bank, the housing shelters, the social agencies on that bus pass. Let's see if they can hit all those agencies on the same day. Let's see if they can get past a single application form.
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  doofdaddy

  Clearly the article is "tongue in cheek" but what many fail to understand is that economically we need the poor. Imagine the inflation if all were millionaires. Unsustainable. Also who are the market for business to sell to? We all pay goods and services taxes, rich and poor (VAT, GST) and we all contribute to money flushing through the economic system. Low wage earners are the backbone of economics and polititions know this, so never seriously take on wage inequity, the unemployed or others on welfare etc.
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  *lost*

  jgnat

  I get sooooo angry about it. Makes me sick. . Jumped up priviledged, pompous spoiled muppets. whose ancestoral families STOLE everything from the people and left them destitute.
• 

  Satanus

  When it gets to the point where robots do all the manufacturing, and humans are merely consumers, what then? Since consumers won't contribute anything, should they dissappear? If the consumers are dissappeared, the factories will be redundent? What will decide the value of a human?

  S
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  Mum

  What a concept to devalue a human being based on how much money he/she has. In the U.S., there is a lot of hatred of the poor. Rush Limbaugh fans this hatred every day on his radio show. I understand that no one ever went broke putting down those without the power to defend themselves.

  In a political speech a few years ago, Jesse Jackson pointed out who the working poor were and are: The people who take the early bus to come and clean your house, the people who do the laundry, clean your room and leave a mint on your pillow at the hotels, the people who serve you in restaurants, the people who are caring for your children, caring for your elderly relatives in nursing homes, and performing many other services the rich may think are their birthright.

  There was a story on national news a couple of years ago about a town in New Jersey that expelled all of the Mexicans (the "out" group in the U.S. for some time now). After the Mexicans left, there was no one to do the dirty work that still has to be done. So, the town had to humble itself and ask the Mexicans to come back.

  We don't need a group of people to look down upon, to feel superior to. What evil thing in human nature makes us do this?