ROFL, yeah mate, thanks for that correction. I was thinking myself, hang on how can the US tax payers make $5.9 trillion from a 10% donation, when
even the US GDP gives less with 10%. Ah well, I just woke up
when I started that post - 5 AM in the morning.
However it would be over $10.6 trillion if the top 25 rich countries gave 10% of their net earnings.
Repost, with correction, but the point still does not change. Just the math on US side and the fact that the web site I used for the data was giving a
per annum income, not a monthy income. It's easy to be confused when you see just $500 per year income.
Bikereddie, no I did not give �700. If I did, I would not have been "bragging" about it. I will not mention what I did give or not give. I was
pressured by peers. Further, anything can be discussed. Yes, even death tolls and the politics of situations. This does not make you any less
compassionate, it just means you are a detached observer with your feet firmly in the ground, and your eyes latched onto the world.
What I am trying to stress here that millions are in need of aid and always have been. Yet, I don't see �25 million being raised by British or
Americans in a day for them. What will happen when the media stop reporting? I expect it to drop by a landslide to an insignificance like it has
always been.
My point is, if we maintain efforts like this as a society, the poverty in our society will quickly become history. If we stress to our governments to
utilize our tax $$$/��� for healing, rather than warring, poverty the world over will be eradicated. However, and I beg my pardons from those who do
contribute regularly, I feel this is nothing more than a show that will be over in a couple of months and we will return to spending it on pizzas and
clubbing.
I am interested in a long-term solution to eradicating poverty. I am looking beyond the surface. We need a consistent system in place as a society to
aid the poor in our countries and in others. We can do it, if society as a whole lifts it's finger to put into action. What do we have to lose? A few
beers? A few nights at the clubs? A few pizzas?
I read recently in the Sikh religion that each man should give 10% of their net earnings to charity. Let's just see what a mere 10% could do:
Note: I am not including holidays in my calculations. As they are neglible in the grande scheme of things. The figures are all approximations and do
not
claim to be accurate. This is a very crude calculation to only illustrate a point:
UNITED KINGDOM:
The income per capita is approx �1100 per month
10% is �110 per month(approx �27.50 a week)
�110 * 30,000,000(middle class estimate)
= �3.3 billion per month or approx �39.6 billion per year
The income per capita of the upper(upper-middle) class is approx �2000 per month
10% is �200 per month
�200 *12,000,000
= �2.4 billion per month or approx �28.8 billion per year
Total: �68.4 billion or $131.9 billion per year
Now that figure is just the giving power of the UK public if they only gave 10% of their income to charity. That is more than 100 times what the
UK government(GDP: $1.66 trillion) donates.
If the UK government gave 10% of it's GDP: �166 billion or $320 billion:
The total power of UK to give is: $431 billion
The number of countries with around(margin of $100b's) the same giving power: France, Germany, Italy, Japan.
This means just five rich countries(not including US) have the ability to give way over $2 trillion in aid. They are not called rich for nothing.
UNITED STATES: (EDIT)
The income per capita is approx $3,133 per month
10% is $313 per month(approx $78.25 a week)
78.25 * 130,000,000(middle class estimate) Source:
en.wikipedia.org...
= $10 billion per month or approx $120 billion per year
The income per capita of the upper class is approx $6000 per month(I will take the higher figure)
10% is 600
600 * 11,000,000(upper class(top 5%) estimate)
= $6.6 billion per month or $79.2 billion per year
Total: $199 billion per year if they only gave 10% of their income
NOTE: The US population is 290 million, I have only considered the working middle class and upper class.
That is the US public giving power if they only gave 10% of their income to charity. That is more than 10 times than what the US government(GDP:
$10.99 trillion) donates.
If the US government gave 10% of it's GDP: $1.9 trillion, then:
The total power of US to give is: $2.1 trillion.
The 6 top rich countries have the ability to give more than $4.1 trillion combined in a single year.
What would $4.1 trillion do for the poor in the world? To put it simply, it would wipe out poverty everywhere in less than five years.
In the poor countries, $500 is enough to sustain for a year and is the average national income. $2000 per year is more than enough for the poor to be
able to stand up on their feet. How many poor people can be given $2000 each with a $4.1 trillion aid? 2 billion people.
That would be the eradication of poverty in the top 21 extreme poor nations(per capita income less than $1000) in the first year.
1. Sirerra Leone: 5 million
2. Ethopia: 67 million
3. Mayotte: 186,000
4. Somalia: 8 million
5. Tanzaina: 36.5 million
6. Cambodia: 13 million
7. Congo - Democratic republic: 58 million
8. Burundi: 6 million
9. Eritrea: 4 million
10. Comoros: 652,000
11. Tuvalu: 11,500
12. Yemen: 20 million
13. Madagascar: 17.5 million
14. Mali: 12 million
15. Kiribati: 100,700
16: Afghanistan 28.5 million
17: Rwanda: 8 million
18: Guinea-Bissau: 1 million
19: Zambia: 10 million
20: Nigeria: 137 million
21: Liberia: 3 million
Approx: 435.5 million would be lifted out of poverty
This leaves us with approx $3.7 trillion. $10 billion for each country for basic infrastructure, sanitation and medicine would be more than enough.
This would bring the total to $210 billion for these 21 extremely poor countries, leaving us with approx $3.5 trillion to spend on 1.75 billion from
other nations:
This would cover the rest of the top 79 poorest nations as well as infrastructure, sanitation and medicine. That's an eradication of poverty of 33%
of the worlds population in a single year. The rest, and note I have not mentioned India and China, and that is simply because they have enough
economic power to take care of their own population.
If the top 25 rich countries met their giving power, poverty would be completely eradicated in a single year.
Just how many of you want to end poverty for good? Just how many are willing to give up just
some of those expensive habits for just a year, so
that billions in the world can have the basic needs? Those who do, are the real generous, kind hearted, responsible and moral citizens of this world.
Those who give away pity in the form of peanuts, because that is what we give at this moment, should bite their tongue before saying they are
"generous"
[edit on 31-12-2004 by Indigo_Child]