I grew up in California mostly, though I've lived in Alaska and South Carolina as well. I moved a lot, at first into progressively smaller and more obsolete living spaces.
For a time I lived in a shack large enough to fit two beds in the mountains outside Santa Barbara side by side with other shack dwellers. I had no shoes. Only one of us on that mountain had electricity or plumbing, he was wealthy, he owned the land, he did not share his wealth, he charged us rent, but none of us were bothered by this relationship. We ate blackberry's ripened in the sun and felt great freedom, he worked hard and lived a very stressful life and his body suffered for it. We figured he would die young, like his father did. Some of us had a hole in the ground to shit in. Most of us on that mountain felt fortunate in our ignorance. Most felt they deserved nothing more then the existence they lived and so kept going, year after year, living in squalor, asking for nothing more in their lives, unable to even form the question. You could say they were lazy, yes... but they had no sense of entitlement. Perhaps they simply chose to have less because they didn't know how to attain more.
But my mother was selfish, she attended college and received government aid while we lived in that shack. At some point she was able to move back down into the city and save herself a long commute but because she no longer qualified for some of the aid she received in the past she had to make a difficult choice, to either: 1) continue to live desperately poor and keep her children close at all times 2) Continue to work hard, and send her children off to live somewhere else temporarily until circumstances are better.
For a time I didn't get to live with either of my parents. I don't like to talk about that time, but let me just say this: if I could have lived with my mother during that time I probably never would have received the bulk of my mental scars.
I don't blame her, however, because she accomplished what she set out to do, and took us back, and set me up to live the life I have now. I don't blame society either, because without help from the tax payers of this nation I might very well still be stuck on that mountain... or worse.
You exaggerate the scope of my argument, so of course it seems foolish.
I made no claims about using big sums of raw cash, or about poor folk making it big. I talked about using tiny sums of cash to pay for food, shelter, medicine, education... and for the sake of making it far enough to find a more valuable function in society then bloody worthless peasant.
I have read most of Kiyosaki's books. You do know the stories in his book "Rich Dad Poor Dad" are fiction, right?
I've also read Robert Allen, Timothy Ferris, George Clason, David Bach, and Paul Getty... and lots of books and writings from authors with similar messages. It is exactly their principles which re-affirms my belief: that by managing expenses balanced with a careful and judicious re-investment of wealth you can increase it.
I agree, there are a lot of people out there who are not equipped with everything they need to be responsible. Many probably don't care. But your few experiences are overshadowed by the fact MOST poor people in this country do work most of their lives, but because they have no wealth the moment they fall short...
The people you describe encountering have no job, and probably for good reason as you state. But these are not the majority of poor folk. These are a minority.
Repeat one statement of mine where I blame society? From this point forward, please stop assigning your warped perspective about others onto me or this conversation will go nowhere.
I have joined in the fight. I volunteer my time and energy helping suicidal kids who come from abusive homes. Believe me, I know the considerable cost it takes to even attempt to help lift someone up. In all your preachy claims, what have you done, besides pay taxes and complain about it?
I'll leave the insult to my mother alone, but only because the insult to my blood father is valid and you're too ignorant to see the difference between them, all you can see is your own prejudice against poor folk.
I had no choice, and neither did you. No one has a choice in where they start.
For the record, I have yet to meet one person who comes from a wealthy but abusive and dysfunctional family. I'm not saying it's impossible for the two to exist together, but it seems to me you're the one with the imagination.
