Posted on 05/02/2017 1:25:43 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Beyond partisan differences over economic policies, there are stark divisions on a fundamental question: What makes someone rich or poor? Most Republicans link a person’s financial standing to their own hard work – or the lack of it. Most Democrats say that whether someone is rich or poor is more attributable to circumstances beyond their control.
The public overall is about evenly divided over which has more to do with why a person is rich: 45% say it is because he or she worked harder than most people, while 43% say it is because they had more advantages in life than others, according to a survey conducted April 5-11 among 1,501 U.S. adults. Opinion has shifted modestly on this question: In both 2015 and 2014, more attributed a person’s wealth to greater advantages than to a stronger work ethic.
In assessing why some people are poor, 53% think it is because of circumstances beyond their control, while 34% attribute it to a lack of effort. There has been little change in these opinions in recent years, according to a survey in December.
By about three-to-one (66% to 21%), Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say hard work, rather than a person’s advantages, has more to do with why someone is rich. By nearly as wide a margin, Democrats and Democratic leaners say the opposite: 60% say a person is rich because they had more advantages than others, while just 29% say it is because they have worked harder.
(Excerpt) Read more at pewresearch.org ...
It has always been obvious.
Being responsible puts you on the path to be rich. Far more conservatives are responsible and believe in being self sufficient.
Being irresponsible puts you on the path to be poor. Far more commie liberals are irresponsible and believe in owed entitlements.
Life is hard. It is harder when you are stupid.
first, come up with a new or better product or method of production, or predict changes in demand that provide a higher rate of profit than average.
next, reinvest that profit as much as possible rather than consuming it.
then, do that over and over for a long time
Because, It’s in the blood...
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
I was once accused of being “advantaged”, to which I replied:
“My brother killed himself, my sister can’t support herself, and I was disowned for 30 years. If that’s ‘advantaged’, I could do with a lot less of it.”
Good ole Cal Coolidge.
Parental attitude is a huge factor. When a child aspires to go to college and the parents response is, “what? you think you’re better than we are?”, I’m surprised the kid ever wanted to go in the first place (I’ve literally heard this said).
Parents can incentivize learning. How often does the child of two doctors grow up to be a doctor? Very often. Is it a product of good genetics or expectations? ...bit of both? The brain behaves like a muscle, the more it is exercised the more it can do.
When my son graduated from college everyone was a bit surprised by his lack of enthusiasm, as though he’d not really accomplished something. His answer was, “well, my dad has been telling me since I was two feet tall that I was going to get a college degree, it was always expected”. Of course, I felt a little bad....but not really!! :p
I just believe that a constant emphasis on the importance of an education is the trick, it must be ongoing. It’s a shame so many grow up having parents that aren’t concerned at all about it, basically kick their kids off to school because it’s free babysitting, not caring if they actually learned anything.
You make your own luck and riches have many measures. Good family is one lost on many these days.
Most Republicans link a person’s financial standing to their own hard work – or the lack of it. Most Democrats say that whether someone is rich or poor is more attributable to circumstances beyond their control.
It may be the Reverse if you worked for your money you become a Rep....if you fell in to your money.. you become a Dem
Thanks! Excellent quote. I read somewhere that Einstein said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
I’m with you, it is not black and white, either or. I would say the average direction of your financial state is a function of work ethic. A person born to poverty and a poor work ethic will stay poor while a person born poor but with a good work ethic will move upward at a rate commiserate with their talents. On the other side someone born wealthy but with a poor work ethic will have their wealth decline with a rate determined by their vices while someone born wealthy with a good work ethic will maintain or improve on their wealth depending on their own talents.
Random factors like accidental setbacks and opportunities available also play a role, but mostly are perturbations on the larger trajectory. Wealth also grows somewhat exponentially since as you gain more wealth a larger and larger portion tends to be invested in sources of wealth and not into consumption.
At a societal level though, we cannot excuse and encourage sloth by blaming someone’s conditions. We must encourage hard work and remind everyone they can move forward based on what they do with what they have. The Democrat way fails on both counts.
Speaking of determination. Take the examples of Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning. They were always the hardest workers on their teams, First to arrive, last to leave. Practiced during the off season too.
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