Head-Spinning Political Shit!

[*Anya*]

Nat, this is both head-spinning shit and it is political! A disabled panhandler clearly must have issues with poverty to need to ask for money.

That cop was also clearly punishing the generous man for giving him some.

Once again, only in America.

Some facts on poverty in general, which also are head-spinning:

"*Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.

*The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.

*Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

*Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.

* 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).

— More Facts (and Sources) »

Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight?

What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.

Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.

In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.

These next few sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:

Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.

The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.

By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.

Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least."

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty

Originally Posted by Nat

This isn't capital-P Political but it still spins my head and ties into my feelings about the current political climate:

Man cited for littering after cash to panhandler hits ground

John Davis says he was cited for littering, which carries a $344 fine, rather than for giving money to a panhandler, which carries a much smaller penalty.

Davis, who pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in a Cleveland court, tells WJW that he was pulled over by a police officer after handing the money to the panhandler, who was in a wheelchair and holding a religious sign.

"Obviously he's needing some money or he wouldn't be out there," he told Fox 8.

Davis says court costs alone could run as much as $500, not including attorney fees.

"I never thought that a couple dollars could turn into a couple hundred dollars or whatever it may be at this point," Davis tells WJW-TV.