Can a good person be poor, and a bad person be rich?

So what you are saying is that your dad was in the 1% and his children stayed in their class...how inspiring. And I am willing to bet dollars to donuts your dad funded your brothers enterprise in one way or another.

 

Is there any other way to not generate monetary wealth? At least, not for yourself? Is laziness the only explanation for a person not having monetary wealth?

 

Of course you think that. You probably also believe that my grandfather was in the top class as well.

People who haven't built things for themselves can't comprehend the possibility that anyone can make anything of themselves without having it handed to them. The worst part is that when these people do have things handed to them, they screw it up and fail miserably. When that happens, they never take responsibility for their failure, and always blame others.

My brother started his business with a pickup (that he bought and paid for with a job in high school) a box of tools (bought the same way) and a credit card. I admit, the credit card did require a cosigner, since my brother was a minor at the time. My parents did cosign the card. Regardless, they never made one payment on that card, never bought any of the equipment or tools. My brother built the business on his own. He didn't even use connections from my parents, his business is in a totally unrelated field.

What he (and I) got from our parents that the envy class didn't, is a solid work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit. Rather than expect things handed to us, we go out and make them happen. Neither one of us wastes much time, something is always going on (I'm working on a Master's class while I'm writing this.) Just as importantly, we are usually working on something that will better our lives and situation.

There are tons of financial lessons we have learned - avoid debt, especially unprofitable debt, spend less than you earn and save money, buy things that appreciate in value, get your money working for you, etc - that I took as common knowledge but seem to be rare. Those lessons, not some privilege is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.

 

Seriously? Is this a serious thread? How could one ask such a question? The level of ignorance required is unfathomable to me.

OF COURSE!


... Money literally has nothing to do with the goodness or badness of someone. It might hint at something like a lazy bum or a corrupt rich d00d but it says nothing absolutely.

I find the question itself horribly stupid. Really, I'm surprised anyone could ask it seriously. I mean for the love of god.... we've seen EVIL rich people like Burnie Madoff (spelling? lol). We've seen (I think everyone has maybe I'm wrong) good poor people.

Seriously... My mind is blown at the level of stupidity of this question.

 

I don't recall making any such statement. I simply said that you came from a certain class and stayed within your class, which is true.

What job did he work in highschool that allowed him to pay for these things at the age of 17? Forgive my skepticism, but I believe you are downplaying the assistance from your parents. There are all sorts of socioeconomic factors that contribute to one's privileges in life. However, if he did such things with absolutely no help from your parents, and never received a single privilege in his youth from being brought up in a wealthy home, I commend his work.

Not everyone has parents that teach them these lessons. Not everyone has parents who care about them. My father abandoned me at two, and my mother was an alcoholic. I left home and went away at 17, because I couldn't stand being there anymore -- I was unwanted. By 18 I was living in a new city, paying all of my own bills and working full time.

I didn't have anyone to help my credit, nor did I have any kind of health care or even knowledge of how to cook healthy cheap food or operate a checking account. I learned all of these things on my own. You think that everyone who is poor is that way because they are lazy, inept losers, but that isn't true. I have struggled through situations such as death of friends from violence and being assaulted and robbed (my house was broken into and robbers stole my guitar, album collection and over 300$ in cash which might not seem like a lot, but it meant a lot to me as I am a musician in my spare time) and come out stronger in the long run. I've seen first hand the cyclical nature of poverty in neighborhoods I've live in. You have no idea how much of a financial set back it is to slip on ice and break out your front teeth and have to pay over a thousand dollars to repair your front teeth -- which will prevent you from getting a better job)

I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but I am not lazy or incompetent either and I've never accepted a dime of charity from the government, church or anyone else. I can survive on very little and I am a very strong and independent person. And I am not saying this to garner sympathy, just to prove a point, since we are talking about situations. I don't envy anyone, but I do think that America is not the land of endless opportunity that people pretend it to be when you start with nothing and have nobody but yourself to rely on.

Good lessons to be sure, but you were taught first hand these things, which in itself is a privilege. Nevertheless, I feel you and your brother should feel proud of what you've done.

 

I'd definitely say that economic status "mobility" is decreasing, and shortly economic status will be far harder to change than it was in the 60's-80's, due to government and corporate greed and bottling up of resources towards the top "richest" people.

Whether this is a "good" or "bad" thing, depends mainly on two things:

1. whether or not you're one of these rich people who own a lot, and

2. whether or not you care about the human race itself.

 

Of course.

What does money have to do with 'good' and 'bad'?

 

Indirectly, and according to "conventional" standards of morality, one could make any argument.

One could say that rich people are rich because they are economically productive, therefore that is a sign of being a good person. One could also say that rich people tend to be greedy, which is a bad character trait.

I personally don't care about the human race anymore so I no longer really care about this issue all too much.

 

The liberals want everyone to be equal regardless of their potential. That will mean of course we will all be the lowest common denominator, well, except for the elites.

 

What do you mean by "equal"?

 

I had neighbors in Sugar Land, TX who were VERY good people. He worked hard his whole life. Engineer for a local utility. Put a lot of money aside for retirement etc... because his wife had some kind of affliction (Hodkins' maybe? I forget, it was years ago). Ironically, they were solid Republicans.

He worked for Enron. They lost everything. Pension, house all of it. It was really sad.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. During the last few years, a lot of very good people have had horrible things, beyond their control hit them. I myself, came close to bankruptcy when my brother got cancer. He had helath insurance but that left over $6K month to pay.
We got through it but I had to sell one of my cars and a house that was way too big for me anyway. That part turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I sold it just before the crash.

 

No, it is impossible, only the rich can be good.

 

Of course it's possible. It's just the the rule, so to speak. It's not profitable enough in the corporate world, where greed is king.

 

That is the normal.

A good person normally will be poor, because won't use dirty tricks to become wealthy. While a bad person or without morals will use any trick to become rich. Then yes.

Having money does not prove anything. And is more probable that how much richer you are, more probability of be dirty money.

 

What is work ethic? What implies?

And if you have great personality and character there are things that you never will do, so never you'll become rich. If you're scrupulous, in this world you won't become rich. Whatever capitalists say.

And a person can be a hard worker and being a hard worker never you'll become rich or really wealthy. You need other things.

 

I know a lot of good people and bad people that are rich and poor, I'm missing your point.

 

Many times that is the opposite of how it works. For instance there used to be quite a few builders who were corrupt. They would do shoddy work, would overcharge and would claim that they were putting quality equipment in but actually used contractor grade.

All of them went out of business and many are having trouble finding any work. The builders who were honorable still are doing fine.

People don't like corrupt businesses and will stop using them.

 

How can anyone possibly relate wealth/financial gain, etc. to goodness, and moral character? How f***ing dumb is that?

 

Pretty easy to understand actually. The more money you have, the more likely it is that you have achieved it via some shady means. Chances are, that in order to make your wealth, you took it from somebody else, and then call that person a socialist. Large amounts of cash rarely equate to large amounts of decency and humanity....rather...quite the opposite.

 

the rich are typically hard working successful business owners that never depended on handouts and always vote republican (good)

the poor are typically the opposite due to oppression (bad)

 

The rich are typically lazy brats that got it all handed to them from Daddy. The only "work" they do is at the blackjack tables with stiff drinks coming every five minutes. Rich and work are incompatible. Rich is more akin to royalty who wouldn't know what work is. Rich is being born into wealth, and after Daddy died and left it all to his screw up son.

 

agreed or rich business owners work hard at exploiting the poor with minimum wage, swindling them with bad mortgage investments, send them out to fight oil wars etc...

 

Maggots...leeches, is a couple other descriptions that seems accurate enough..

 

You don't know any actual rich people do you?

 

Of course it is. The possession of money is not based much on good or evil, it is based mostly on good financial principles.

Most people are impatient and circum to instant gratification, it is not evil, it is just stupid.