Quote of the Day
"Models are Kleenex, there's always another pretty 17-year-old girl just dying to be a model. They're infinitely replaceable so the people in the industry don't care. They're not people, they're hangers."
"The modeling business is what it is -- it is not evil, there is no grand conspiracy. It doesn't care about anything except selling frocks. The only thing a young girl can do to protect herself is to be prepared to do the best she can to keep her head screwed on straight.
"It's a world full of temptation. Young people tend to be tempted and beautiful young girls tend to be exploited and any beautiful young girl who doesn't understand that has not been well prepared for this world."
Michael Gross, author of "Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women," [from cnn.com]
What the hell are we thinking!? I simply don't understand.
Also... Some thoughts provoked by The End of Poverty, by Jeffery D. Sachs:
Why doesn't the 'rich world' spend more money investing in the 'poor world?' I mean in terms of typical aid money, but more specifically, in terms of argricultural and technilogical education? Why don't we spend some money now to help stimulate a healty trade relationship for the future. We can get quality goods for cheap, and at the same time, we can influence living conditions, working conditions and wages. We can help people who live in moderate and extreme poverty ($2/day and $1/day, repectively) today.
One other thought that impacted me. Americans often forget that not long ago, we lived in similar conditions. Our benevolent government has heavily invested in our countries infrastructure, making living conditions and trade conditions much better. We also often forget that we have a great wealth of resources in our country. We have two separate sea boards for trade. We have many navigatiable rivers that go far inland. We have a land that is vast, areas that are great for farming many different kinds of crop. We have land for livestock. We have a huge headstart in terms of availibe resources then say a landlocked country like Malawi, who has a yearly per capita income (how much each person makes in a year) of $596. I'm not trying to be over critical of Americans in my last statements. I simply think we should be ever concious of God's blessing on us, and as he has filled our cup to overflowing, we should try and spill some of it on those in less fortunate situations.
Tell me what you think?
Tagged: Politics, Thoughts, The Road
posted by Christopher Warren at 23:04
3 Comments:
I'm sure you've heard ot the 10% rule...in this case it's 10% of the people give 90% of the help for things like you are talking about. In the big picture, that's not a lot.
When you look at the 'social landscape' of America, you will see that most people in this country barely live above the poverty line. That being the case, when it comes to America's wealth, those folks would like to see America take care of it's own poor and needy and THEN spread the wealth.
A slow hemorage from inside a country is a hemorage none the less. If more and more goes out and the bleeding within is not stopped then soon no one will have anything. It's a very sticky situation.
I worry about you. While I know God is blessing you and using you in amazing ways...I fear the longer you are away, the less and less you think of America. Of course it seems to e a common theme among your peer group - America sucks.
Ahhh...thus is the reason for prayer and dialogue!
Love you Dude!!
20/9/06 16:52
I believe Stacy is right on the money. I have a little different direction I tend to go in. I feel a majority of our money is better spent working on helping us. This comment is not made to take away from what you’re saying Chris, or the direction you’re going. I can see your heart is full of love, we just have different opinions on how and where that love should be shared. The problem with America is not the fact that we don’t help others, there’s just too many here at home who need to be taken care of first.
As I'm going to court down town in Tucson, every ten feet there’s another person claiming to be a homeless vet. Although there are plenty of bad life choices made by a lot of these people, why are the vets not taken care of and held up on a pedestal for all to show there appreciation to. The things they went through and had to do, many before they were 18, is beyond my comprehension. Many are suffering from P.T.S.D. and are not able to function in a normal job setting. They need help first.
People don’t realize that there are too many senior citizens without proper income to maintain there current bills. I was just reading in the news paper on Sunday that over 50 percent of those who are not retired but over the age of 45, on a monthly basis, have to pull from there retirement funding. Medicare and Social Security are a joke for an income. There was an article about a widow who is 78 years old; she had to get a job because when her husband died, here income per person went 10 dollars over the max for food stamps and state funded health care.
These are two of the many situations that need to be corrected before we send money away. I will quote an email you had sent to me a while back:
“It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, "Damn right!”
The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world countries and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption. Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. If you don’t like it, France has room.”
I know those are probably a little ‘politically incorrect’ but I believe we need to get us strait first. If you look at the numbers for America, they are staggering also! We need to step back and examine ourselves, bandage our cut, before we start buying band aides for the rest of the world. I love ya man and your doing an awesome job, just don’t forget the little guys here who need that help too.
21/9/06 11:06
Please... I do not want you think that I no longer care about America, or the people that live in our great country.
And Ken, in regards specifically to the veterans, I agree that our so called 'help' to them is the VA and a sorry pension. Do you remember Amos from Starbucks? He is a Vietnam Vet. He also has cancer. As sorry as the VA is, he can go down there and receive attention, for free, the give him pain medicine, they refer him to specialists, they are taking care of him.
I probably did write that email. But, as I have been opening my eyes to the world a bit more, I am seeing that there are not just problems at home, but there are worse problems in many other places. Could you imagine picking up your newspaper everyday and reading this headline, "30,000 DEAD OF PREVENTABLE CAUSES."
That is Africa my friend. 20,000-30,000 people die EVERY DAY. Half die of preventable diseases like Malaria. AIDS is epidemic in these areas, and because the men who lead the villages are dying before the children are old enough to bear the task of providing, village grandmothers, who should be enjoying life, and relaxing, are instead working the fields in the place of their sons and daughters who have left orphans. [first chapter of End of Poverty]
Understanding Poverty in America
The article is well written, and also well researched, I think it may help you understand the definition of poverty a little better. When I say that we can help people in poverty, I mean people who go hungry most of the time. People whose yearly income is 1/3 of your BI-WEEKLY wage. People who live on $300-600 a year.
America should be helping its own. But, brother, our nation is so wealthy. God has given us the means, and the know how to help all people. Not just those in America.
Global Rich List, Check out that site, put in your income, it will show you where you rate in the world with your yearly income. After you see where you rate, try several different amounts.
America is not highly liked by the world. But, they are necessary to the entire world. We stimulate entire economies by simply having a trend like Tickle-me-Elmo. But, we have the resources to help fight global poverty ($300-$600/Year). And, my comments about helping are not just directed at America, but other rich nations, like Germany, France, Spain, the UK.
I am still sorting though all this, and I am only two chapters into that book, but I really do appreciate the dialogue. I love you guys.
21/9/06 13:16
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