Re:What really drives the poor
by burgerbrain on Saturday June 25, 2011 @05:14PM
(#2696598)
Sudden unforseen and expensive illness in the family isn't really all that common though. Furthermore, it is only really a problem in countries such as the US which don't have affordable healthcare for the poor.
There certainly are many people in this world that are poor because of a series of very unfortunate incidences that put them at a disadvantage. However, I think it's pretty clear that despite how common that may be, it cannot begin to explain the majority of poverty in "1st world" societies.
Re:What really drives the poor
by Unseelie on Saturday June 25, 2011 @06:17PM
(#2696731)
No, sudden unforeseen and expensive illnesses aren't that common. Sudden costs are. Costs don't even need to be unforseen, they just have to be more than you can deal with on a timescale.
There certainly are many people in this world that are poor because of a series of very unfortunate incidences that put them at a disadvantage. However, I think it's pretty clear that despite how common that may be, it cannot begin to explain the majority of poverty in "1st world" societies.