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Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by HarryHirsch on Friday April 18, 2014 @12:23PM (#7609820)
and those who realize they have enough ignore the rich

If you only could. The problem is that in the US a great portion of taxes are locally raised and spent, and the way of dealing with poverty is to price the poor out of areas where they aren't wanted.

To get access to halfway decent schools you need to move to the suburbs, and what's available there in housing is hugely outsized. You cannot save on heating, cooling, cleaning and enclosed space, nevermind the commute, because that economic option does not exist. So you bite the bullet with everyone else and you cannot choose not to play the game.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by awda on Friday April 18, 2014 @01:12PM (#7610085)
I'm not sure you can't get halfway decent public schools in the cities, but they tend to be local to wealthier neighborhoods. And suburbs in the area I'm from tend to at least have apartments and townhomes, which are a nice middle ground (at least as far as saving on heating, cooling, cleaning, space, cost). The commute still sucks, of course.
Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by zhemao on Friday April 18, 2014 @02:07PM (#7610413)
In NYC at least, you don't have to live in a pricey neighborhood in order to get your kid into a good public high school. Your kid will, however, have to do well on a standardized test.
Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by grecy on Monday April 21, 2014 @11:30PM (#7625635)
> If you only could

I, and many people I know are doing it. Of course, like anything worth doing, it takes hard work and dedication, but it certainly can be done.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by zo1 on Friday April 18, 2014 @02:25PM (#7610515)
"Locally raised and spent"

If only. That would be a great form of funding community governance. Where local communities help themselves up, instead of practically begging for scraps from a wealthy government that really doesn't care until it gets them votes.

Change has to come from within. And it won't come so long as people think like you. i.e. "Change can come when funding comes from better places" Which completely ignores the real problems and real difficulties facing real people in those places you seem to not want to live in. Ask yourself why you don't want to live there.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by lilsunnybee on Friday April 18, 2014 @03:49PM (#7610936)
Local funding means wealthy neighborhoods are lavished with infrastructure, and can provide top of the line schooling and opportunities for their precious offspring.

Meanwhile any child unlucky enough to grow up poor is greated with decay and dysfunction at every turn, is never given the education nor the opportunities to succeed, or have interests much above basic survival. Upward mobility is basically zero. Welcome to feudal America.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by seanmcdirmid on Friday April 18, 2014 @05:53PM (#7611537)
Property taxes are very regressive in the sense that rich people typically live with other rich people. Ghettos and shanty towns are a direct result of thinking such as yours.
Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by zo1 on Saturday April 19, 2014 @03:35AM (#7612860)
Ah yes, so it's my fault that groups of individuals decided to not take care of their neighborhood, right. Sorry, no, but people need to take responsibility for their own actions. And I will in no way share blame for a second generation further ruining their kids' futures because they're too short-sighted and expect the rest of us to do it for them.

We as a society can only share blame for one generation. The next one is on the parents.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by seanmcdirmid on Saturday April 19, 2014 @08:33AM (#7613269)
Wow, so its poor people fault they and their children and their children's children remain poor. That is very libercrazian of you.
Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by zo1 on Sunday April 20, 2014 @10:45PM (#7619500)
No, I'm saying it's the parents' fault for their children remaining poor. Or did you not read anything I wrote and just blatantly jumped to conclusions?

As someone who has come from a poor family, I know full well what sacrifice and hard work can do to uplift your children's prospects in the world. Even if that means drastic life changes. And as a consequence of that, I will not accept peoples' excuses for remaining in poverty. Nor will I share the blame for their failings.

Re:Why isn’t New Zealand richer and more productive? by duncan_bayne on Sunday April 20, 2014 @01:49AM (#7616009)
Downvote for name-calling. HN doesn't need that.