why do people ,who can afford it, always help extremely poor people and not the people who will become poor?

Question

my dad always told me prevention is better than cure so why don't people who can afford it only help people in deep poverty and not the people who will become in deep poverty...I mean, it mkes no sense, the people who are on the verge of becoming in deep poverty are not helped so they just become in deep poverty. Why do people cure instead of prevent?

Answer 1

The government is like this. They'll help women in poverty all day long in the form of welfare but they won't help women who are on their way to extreme poverty. For example: A single mother who works 2 minimum wage job to make ends meet. She is barely getting by and it would only take one tragedy, like losing her job getting sick or one of her children getting sick before she, too, is in extreme poverty and needs welfare. If the government would take action and provide her with free college, free childcare while she's in college, and extra help while she's in college then she'll be able to get a degree and a good career. Then she'll no longer be anywhere near poverty and will never need to rely on welfare, food stamps or medicaid for herself and her children. Its pretty simple, but the government would rather pay lots of money to keep her on welfare than to help prevent her from ever needing welfare to begin with.

Answer 2

Firstly, it's not "everyone" as you state your father taught to you. I prefer helping people that I know in person or people my friends know. The latest was a family where the mother is terminally ill but they are not destitute...she's not to the point in her illness where she is no longer ambulatory. What can you "do" for them? We chipped in and bought them a night on the town. It isn't saving the world but for that family, in the time they still have that they *can* "do" something, we gave them it.

Another case: a person I know still has a place to live but she's in real financial trouble. She doesn't have a cell phone or a home phone. She doesn't have cable or go out. She works and pays her rent (not even insurance) and electric. That's about all. She's too poor to pay back a personal loan from her bank, so she cannot have bank accounts anyway.

Some of us help her by cashing her paychecks at our bank and then handing her the money. We've done this long enough that she is at the point of being able to pay off her bank (old) and then she'll be able to move forward.

If you don't see these kinds of things going on around you, make the effort yourself and then your friends and family may learn the benefit of "seeing" the good they've done. Then, it's great to help people who are truly destitute if you have any extra.

Maybe the reason I see more of the actions I described is because I'm not so far from it. I was raised in a poor rural area and with a BA from Webster University and after working at my job almost 11 years, I still make only $22 k a year. Perhaps if I had so much money that I didn't "know" people close to falling into oblivion, I wouldn't "know" them to help.

Answer 3

Your dad's right. Prevention is always better than cure.
In an ideal world-it should be that way. Work to stop the problems before they become real problems.
Trouble is-most folks don't know about the less fortunate until they become a big enough problem to notice. We all have our own lives to worry about as well. Yes, it would be nice if world poverty could be cured, but the thing is, SOMEBODY has to PAY FOR IT. Not everyone or enough of everyone is willing to do that.
But for the fact that those of us who HAVE worked so that we would be able to HAVE-we would be among the HAVE-NOTS ourselves.
Poverty can be caused by many circumstances, such as repeated natural disasters (in which case the whole world usually contributes to help), Opressive governments causing a weak economy. Individually, a lack of motivation or a mis-directed motivation can cause and sustain poverty.

Like the late Sam Kinnison said: "Ya can't grow food in the desert!!! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!"

Likewise with a poor kid not having enough to eat, or inadequate medical care-but for sure he's got on gold chains and a pair of $300 Nikes.

People who got themselves rich didn't do it by giving it away carelessly.

Answer 4

You comment about preventing rather than curing is exactly WHY I don't help the poor by giving them money.

They obviously proved that they can't handle money so why give it to them. I believe in teaching them to make a change and enable them to hang on to the money they do get.

Every wakes up each day with the same choices to make regarding their own money. The poor simply choose to spend all theirs. They need to see that they have a problem and them make a change towards the solution.

Everyone gets to choose exactly where they are financially in life and how they handle what life throws at them.

I believe that prevention in the form of educating is the only way they will change along with their desire to change. We can make no one learn anything that they do not want to learn.

Answer 5

what a good looking question...yes I stole it from Family Guy...but its a good question ...people with money want to help those who need it now and those who might need it wont get help until they do need it by then its too late..take Mass Health..I have no insurance..but I make too much money for free health care..but I don't make enough to buy my own insurance..you see I am stuck in the middle and I am getting screwed...its the way it works...its like being a dollar short ..and a day late..