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Screw the poor, get rich

ricksfolly

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Grand Junction, CO 81506
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The poor trust, the rich take advantage of their gullibility, and the government doesn't care. That's the formula for all self-made men to get rich today.

If the government would force all TV adds to prove their products, there would be far less rich people and more money in poor people's pockets to spend on things they really need, and the recession would mysteriously end.

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is really a license to steal.

ricksfolly
 
The poor trust, the rich take advantage of their gullibility, and the government doesn't care. That's the formula for all self-made men to get rich today.

If the government would force all TV adds to prove their products, there would be far less rich people and more money in poor people's pockets to spend on things they really need, and the recession would mysteriously end.

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is really a license to steal.

ricksfolly

Explain the existence of state lotteries that openly state the odds of the game, yet most of it's participants are poor.

Poor people aren't the way they are because rich people are rich.
 
Explain the existence of state lotteries that openly state the odds of the game, yet most of it's participants are poor.

Poor people aren't the way they are because rich people are rich.

I agree. All gambling should be stopped, including race tracks, sports, and other games. Far too many get the bug and end up with nothing, many losing their houses and cars.

If they can't be stopped, they should at least limit bets to a dollar.

I won't say all poor people are victims of the rich, but they're all gullible with blind trust, and that's raw meat for unprincipled schemers.

Like it or not PT Barnum is still right today, except it should be...

"A sucker is born every millisecond."

ricksfolly
 
I agree. All gambling should be stopped, including race tracks, sports, and other games. Far too many get the bug and end up with nothing, many losing their houses and cars.

If they can't be stopped, they should at least limit bets to a dollar.

I won't say all poor people are victims of the rich, but they're all gullible with blind trust, and that's raw meat for unprincipled schemers.

Like it or not PT Barnum is still right today, except it should be...

"A sucker is born every millisecond."

ricksfolly

The vast majority of people, don't understand the relationship of people and money.
Those that do, tend to be wealthy.

That's life.:shrug:

Lotteries are a great example of what happens, when you give someone a lot of money and they have no idea how to manage it.

I don't think gambling should be restricted at all.
You'll encourage bookies and more underground operations to flourish.

Most people are born programed to hoard material things because humanity has lived without surplus for a long time.
Until you program yourself, not to be a instinctive consumer, you will mostly be like that.

There are so many issues to cover with this, very little of it is the rich scamming the poor.
 
I agree. All gambling should be stopped, including race tracks, sports, and other games. Far too many get the bug and end up with nothing, many losing their houses and cars.

If they can't be stopped, they should at least limit bets to a dollar.

I won't say all poor people are victims of the rich, but they're all gullible with blind trust, and that's raw meat for unprincipled schemers.

Like it or not PT Barnum is still right today, except it should be...

"A sucker is born every millisecond."

ricksfolly

Poor people are just stupid. They must have government regulate all aspects of their lives to keep them safe from the evil rich. They cannot be held responsible for their own actions.(sarc) Let's just demonize those with the money. You know, the ones who work and provide jobs so people don't have to be poor.
What's wrong with PT Bartnum? He made a living without gov. handouts, he employed people, he provided amusement and entertainment for people. He didn't force anyone to spend their money on what he was selling them.If there hadn't been a market for what he was legally selling we wouldn't be talking about him now.
 
Poor people are just stupid. They must have government regulate all aspects of their lives to keep them safe from the evil rich. They cannot be held responsible for their own actions.(sarc) Let's just demonize those with the money. You know, the ones who work and provide jobs so people don't have to be poor.
What's wrong with PT Bartnum? He made a living without gov. handouts, he employed people, he provided amusement and entertainment for people. He didn't force anyone to spend their money on what he was selling them.If there hadn't been a market for what he was legally selling we wouldn't be talking about him now.

That's not a fair way of looking at it.

Most people are programed that way through evolution.
It isn't just because "they're stupid."
 
That's not a fair way of looking at it.

Most people are programed that way through evolution.
It isn't just because "they're stupid."

What I said was sarcism. What in the world do you mean by programed that way?
 
Humans are innately programed in a way that values material possessions and we are terrible with probability.
That happens to be why a lot of poor people are poor.

Thanks for your answer, though I think it's ridiculous.
 
A modest proposal

The poor trust, the rich take advantage of their gullibility, and the government doesn't care. That's the formula for all self-made men to get rich today.

If the government would force all TV adds to prove their products, there would be far less rich people and more money in poor people's pockets to spend on things they really need, and the recession would mysteriously end.

Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) is really a license to steal.

ricksfolly
I agree. All gambling should be stopped, including race tracks, sports, and other games. Far too many get the bug and end up with nothing, many losing their houses and cars.

If they can't be stopped, they should at least limit bets to a dollar.

I won't say all poor people are victims of the rich, but they're all gullible with blind trust, and that's raw meat for unprincipled schemers.

Like it or not PT Barnum is still right today, except it should be...

"A sucker is born every millisecond."

ricksfolly
I have an idea -- the government should assign each and every one of us a babysitter to guide us through this dangerous world of uncertainties. That babysitter can tell us when an act we are contemplating is a bad idea.

Or how about this -- a cabinet-level department could be formed. We'll call it the Department of Decisionmaking. Any time you have a decision you must make, all you would need to do is fill out three or four forms in triplicate and submit them to your local department location, and they will evaluate your decision and render you a response in as little as four to six weeks.

Which of these do you prefer, rick?
 
Why?

.........
Humans may be "programed" with a will to survive. I doubt they are programed with a disire to own things just to own them. I like a simple life myself. I want things that I use for enjoyment, education (internet) or things I need (food, shelter) I have very few things that fit into the category of material possessions.
Why would you think people are terrible with probability? Are we talking gambling? A person may be great with knowing the probabilty of winning the lottery is very, very, very, slim to none, but still chooses to buy a ticket on that chance. That doesn't mean he is poor or too stupid to know the odds of winning.
 
Humans may be "programed" with a will to survive. I doubt they are programed with a disire to own things just to own them. I like a simple life myself. I want things that I use for enjoyment, education (internet) or things I need (food, shelter) I have very few things that fit into the category of material possessions.

Humans are programed to have stuff, useful stuff but many times unnecessary stuff.
Through most of human history, we've done without.
When we had abundance, we figured out ways to preserve and/or keep a lot of it.

Why would you think people are terrible with probability? Are we talking gambling? A person may be great with knowing the probabilty of winning the lottery is very, very, very, slim to none, but still chooses to buy a ticket on that chance. That doesn't mean he is poor or too stupid to know the odds of winning.

People are terrible with probably.
We tend to think that something so remote could happen, so it will.
That comes in with lotteries and many other things.


Even though this is cracked, it's spot on.
Beware of foul language.
5 Ways 'Common Sense' Lies To You Everyday | Cracked.com
 
Poor people are just stupid. They must have government regulate all aspects of their lives to keep them safe from the evil rich. They cannot be held responsible for their own actions.(sarc) Let's just demonize those with the money. You know, the ones who work and provide jobs so people don't have to be poor.
What's wrong with PT Bartnum? He made a living without gov. handouts, he employed people, he provided amusement and entertainment for people. He didn't force anyone to spend their money on what he was selling them.If there hadn't been a market for what he was legally selling we wouldn't be talking about him now.

You have a very low view on poor people and guess you are not very smart since PT Bartnum is not the one who originally made that quote. Who is stupid now?
 
You have a very low view on poor people and guess you are not very smart since PT Bartnum is not the one who originally made that quote. Who is stupid now?

I'm poor, not so smart. I shouldn't have taken Ricks word that PT said that. I'm the stupid one now, unless you are wrong and Rick is right. Then I would be right, but still stupid because I didn't know. I was just taking someone's word because the probability factor seemed to be in my favor.
 
I agree. All gambling should be stopped, including race tracks, sports, and other games. Far too many get the bug and end up with nothing, many losing their houses and cars.

If they can't be stopped, they should at least limit bets to a dollar.

For what it's worth, the old school numbers games run by the mob or other gambling syndicates were far more favorable to the players than modern state-run lotteries.
 
For what it's worth, the old school numbers games run by the mob or other gambling syndicates were far more favorable to the players than modern state-run lotteries.

Yea I was reading some of the scratch off ticket odds and it was a 1:210 chance of winning, when black jack is almost 1:2.
 
I'm poor, not so smart. I shouldn't have taken Ricks word that PT said that. I'm the stupid one now, unless you are wrong and Rick is right. Then I would be right, but still stupid because I didn't know. I was just taking someone's word because the probability factor seemed to be in my favor.

You are poor? Then why do seem to hate poor folks so much?
 
You are poor? Then why do seem to hate poor folks so much?

I was being sarcastic in a post earlier. I dislike the idea of people demonizing the rich and thinking they owe the poor something for nothing. People with money are the ones who provide jobs. If not done through people they hire , it's done through money they spend. I've never worked for a poor person, have you?
I have what I need, and I share when I can. I like the simple life. However, if I had wanted to bust my butt all my life to be able to have a bunch of luxuries, then that is my right and my luxuries. I'm not entitled to someone else's wealth. I also don't want government telling me what to do. If I want to buy a lottery ticket or bet on the horses, that's my choice.
 
I doubt they are programed with a disire to own things just to own them.
The ability to provide for a partner and your family is a very important factor in trying to attract a mate. That's why when men go out on dates we wear the "nice watch," expensive clothes, make our car look really nice, etc. Owning things is a way to display our wealth and display our ability to support a potential partner and offspring.

I like a simple life myself. I want things that I use for enjoyment, education (internet) or things I need (food, shelter) I have very few things that fit into the category of material possessions.
I highly doubt that. For one, having internet necessitates having a computer. My guess is you also own a car, TV, etc. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here).

Why would you think people are terrible with probability? Are we talking gambling?
Because we are, and it's been demonstrated over and over. And I mean we're COMICALLY bad.

For one, we aren't programed to think logically. Gil Grissom from CSI summed it up very nicely:

"If you're a young human on the Savannah and you hear the leaves rustle you can either stay or run. If you stay and or wrong, it could be a Lion and you get eaten. But if you run, you're safe either way. We're programed to see things that aren't there."

Another example: You have $1. Which lottery would you play?
  1. Twenty people + you each pay $1 and get one ticket.
  2. You only get one one ticket. I pay $20 and get 20 tickets.

Which one would you choose? I'm guessing #2. Nearly everybody does. But in fact your odds of winning are exactly the same in either scenario (1-in-21). The explanation is that when everyone gets a ticket you think "I'm just as likely to win as anybody else!" But when I get 20 tickets you think, "This is RIGGED! It's obvious who's going to win!" But in fact it's the exact same question mathematically, even though the answer seems obvious.

And an anecdote: Flying is the safest mode of transportation in the world per mile traveled. After 9/11, people took to the roads because they were afraid to fly. Some suggest the added traffic may have killed nearly as many people as the 9/11 attacks themselves.

NOW...where Harry Guerrilla goes wrong is that, if this is indeed an innate, human trait (it is) then it should transcend socioeconomic classes and therefore doesn't explain why the poor tend to gamble much more often than the rich.

Studies have said that, in fact, knowledge about statistics IS NOT a factor in how often or how much people gamble. Now, I WORK in a casino and I can tell you I don't 100% agree with this. I do think some think they can win.

But my own opinion is just that the poor have a level of hope that exceeds their rational thinking. They realize they're probably going to lose but MAYBE THIS ONCE they can get lucky!!! After all, they're poor already. What have they got to lose?
 
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1. In many places a car is a necessity as sone places don't have buses or trains.
 
NOW...where Harry Guerrilla goes wrong is that, if this is indeed an innate, human trait (it is) then it should transcend socioeconomic classes and therefore doesn't explain why the poor tend to gamble much more often than the rich.

I think one part of it is learned and/or discovered principles of logic.

Studies have said that, in fact, knowledge about statistics IS NOT a factor in how often or how much people gamble. Now, I WORK in a casino and I can tell you I don't 100% agree with this. I do think some think they can win.

I tried some light experiments with this, if you can call it that.

The guys I work with who gamble, I straight up told them what the statistics meant.
I think I translated it in plain enough English, so it isn't difficult to understand.

Guess what, they still play.

Logic on the other hand, is a learned way of thinking.
It changes your perception.

But my own opinion is just that the poor have a level of hope that exceeds their rational thinking. They realize they're probably going to lose but MAYBE THIS ONCE they can get lucky!!! After all, they're poor already. What have they got to lose?

Many of the people I know, who gamble with scratch offs and the like, always say "you gotta play to win."
I think that hope meats up with a less than desirable understanding of how these games work.
 
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I think that hope meats up with a less than desirable understanding of how these games work.
Well I think that's an important aspect too. Even people that understand they're not going to win in the long run, still don't understand the idea behind randomness (which is indeed probably harder to understand than risk). "I know I'm not going to win in the long run, but I've lost THREE TRIPS IN A ROW! I have to win SOONER OR LATER!"

Well actually...no you don't.
 
The lotto is a catch 22. If you play you will most likely lose but might win. If you never play you will never win.

Funny thing though but am I the only one who notices the only ones that ever seem to hit the bug jackpots are old people.
 
The lotto is a catch 22. If you play you will most likely lose but might win. If you never play you will never win.

I knew a good Christian who really wanted to win the lottery so he could do more good in the world.
He decided to pray about it. Each week he prayed and never won. He kept this up for months.
One night while praying about it, a booming impatient voice interrupted him. "you gotta buy a ticket!"
 
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