www.globalpovertyproject.com/

Nice site, thanks for the link

My opinion on how to fix the problem of poverty begins with abolishing money, everyone is then on the same level. Community gardens, everybody who is able to physically work, works to some extent and brings home food for the family...everyone (like elders and young children) who cannot work, contribute in another way and are still fed. Communities, neighbors, work together to either move a homeless person (or family) into a spare room(s) or work together to build a home from scratch for them and welcome them into the community. Doctors stop raking people over the coals for basic medical care, and provide it because they are decent good people wanting to help others, by either donating their time and knowledge to help or by taking a single meal or some food, or a blanket in exchange for helping someone.
But that's just my opinion, and it's not a perfect world...people like money too much, and they are too attached to material items to be willing to live on only what they need to survive (a warm fire, a cool glass of water, a blanket at night, a place out of the rain, food in their stomach, and love for one another).

StarsChildren wrote:
Basically a return to feudalism?

Owners of land, the means of production, information would benefit from abolishing money in our current world, privilege would go back to skin colour, heredity or worse to the most ruthless aspirant, by abolishing money there would still be the residue of hierarchy imposed from the Feudal Ages, centuries of Christianity and centuries of Capitalist exploitation of the working man, inequalities in property, land, intelligence, information, skills, etc etc.

No, more like Universalism... something that is universal in scope. An acceptance of everyone, a basic respect for any sentient being... no land owners as one cannot own the land... no difference being seen in race, no difference being seen in gender, or species. A universal caring for one another.
Yes there would be problems, yes there would be those wanting all the power and others wanting none, yes there would be those that had to be dealt (like child molesters) and those areas would have to be decided on as a universal community.

A fine vision:
"more like Uni­ver­sal­ism… some­thing that is uni­ver­sal in scope. An accep­tance of every­one, a basic respect for any sen­tient being… no land own­ers as one can­not own the land… no dif­fer­ence being seen in race, no dif­fer­ence being seen in gen­der, or species. A uni­ver­sal car­ing for one another."

I see progress in that direction as we speak tbh, what do you think of the EU and UN as a framework to achieve this aim, if under more democratic control? i personally see the existence of such institutions and tools of governance as making our job a lot easier if we try to achieve those aims.

www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/

^The people on this list could instantly end world poverty if they wanted to.

When the majority of people on earth wan't things to change the world will change it's that simple.

We are still the minority that's why things on earth are the way they are.

Thanks for the Original Post RA, I'm gonna read a bit more and might volunteer some of my time!

I don't know enough about the EU and UN to comment on that, and I wont pretend that I do.

But I ultimately see a self governing population as the ultimate achievement. One without need for a government because they live their lives morally, honorably. It's a lot to hope for. And to begin with, maybe forever, a world would need a type of government...one where everyone had a say, it was open and honest with the people of this planet, but at this moment, I don't see a government as such. Wars are still being wagged in the name of countries (and I have heard of UN backing, can't say for sure), but as long as wars are fought and innocent people (and animals) die as collateral damage, than that is not the government that can help bring a world into one universal collection. And often times these wars are not based on anything more than petty arguments and a piece of land that they have yet to realize is not there for someone to own, over the natural resources of this planet that was given to all, not just a few...an as far as oil goes, it's basically the blood running through the Earth, keeping our mother providing for us, and we're draining her and arguing over who gets to do it. Until a government rises, or a population rises that says enough and stands up for not only their people and their neighbors but also the Earth and all of the children (humans and other species alike) there will be no peace. So a "fine vision" is just about all it is right now.

I apologize RA for taking this thread off topic... but I do think the end of the way things are now would mean the end of poverty worldwide. And I do agree, that list of billionaires would create quite a dent if they stopped stuffing their pockets with colored paper and plastic cards.