Comments on: China: The Controversial Low Poverty Rate http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/ The world is talking. Are you listening? Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:54:38 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bumblebee http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1666954 bumblebee Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:41:45 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1666954 Wow, not a single intelligent poster here yet... You all forget one "minor" figure to calculate in - national debt. The US is in $15 trillion of national debt. Therefore, its entire lifestyle is financed on credit. China is not even in debt. It has $2 trillion in foreign reserves alone. Its lifestyle is actually living within its means. HUGE difference here, folks. Let the US pay back its debts and THEN see how many fall into poverty! Wow, not a single intelligent poster here yet…

You all forget one “minor” figure to calculate in – national debt.

The US is in $15 trillion of national debt. Therefore, its entire lifestyle is financed on credit.
China is not even in debt. It has $2 trillion in foreign reserves alone. Its lifestyle is actually living within its means.

HUGE difference here, folks. Let the US pay back its debts and THEN see how many fall into poverty!

]]> By: The “Global Economic Downturn”, and China « No More Chinese Communist Party http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1527300 The “Global Economic Downturn”, and China « No More Chinese Communist Party Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:06:22 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1527300 [...] Global Vices Online article  ”The U.S. society structure is like a olive that the country is formed by 10% rich people, 80% middle class and 10% poor people while China’s society is like a triangle that 20% people hold the 80% treasure of the whole country and the left 80% people just have 20% of the nation’s treasure.” [...] [...] Global Vices Online article  ”The U.S. society structure is like a olive that the country is formed by 10% rich people, 80% middle class and 10% poor people while China’s society is like a triangle that 20% people hold the 80% treasure of the whole country and the left 80% people just have 20% of the nation’s treasure.” [...]

]]> By: nanheyangrouchuan http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1207211 nanheyangrouchuan Sun, 18 Nov 2007 01:43:27 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1207211 You all will have to forgive Charles. Despite the last name, he has less China exposure than many white westerners. He can't even speak or write Chinese. He just hangs out in Seattle and harbors untold grudges against everyone for looking down on Chinese people. Charles also doesn't understand the power of nicotine addiction, which has a similar mechanism to heroin addiction and is slightly stronger. So regardless of the price, an addict will continue to pay for his or her fix. You all will have to forgive Charles. Despite the last name, he has less China exposure than many white westerners. He can’t even speak or write Chinese. He just hangs out in Seattle and harbors untold grudges against everyone for looking down on Chinese people.

Charles also doesn’t understand the power of nicotine addiction, which has a similar mechanism to heroin addiction and is slightly stronger. So regardless of the price, an addict will continue to pay for his or her fix.

]]> By: Big Silly Cat http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1206717 Big Silly Cat Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:47:30 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1206717 To Charles Liu: The cigarettes they smoke cost between 2 and 5 RMB a pack... so it does jive -- especially if you take into consideration that smoking also inhibits appetite. To Charles Liu: The cigarettes they smoke cost between 2 and 5 RMB a pack… so it does jive — especially if you take into consideration that smoking also inhibits appetite.

]]> By: Charles Liu http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1206456 Charles Liu Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:19:12 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1206456 Granted I've only visited couple villages in China, one thing I've observed is how much people smoke. Thus, if their income is $400 a year (3200RMB), how the hell do they support their multi-pack-a-day habit? They don't skip meals, as I observe my host family eat okay. Something doesn't jive. Granted I’ve only visited couple villages in China, one thing I’ve observed is how much people smoke.

Thus, if their income is $400 a year (3200RMB), how the hell do they support their multi-pack-a-day habit? They don’t skip meals, as I observe my host family eat okay.

Something doesn’t jive.

]]> By: Safod http://globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/comment-page-1/#comment-1204719 Safod Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:16:42 +0000 http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/11/10/china-the-controversial-low-poverty-rate/#comment-1204719 Human rights should not be politicized though I know that it is somehow inevitable. Nowadays, there are so many channels through which we receive new information so we also start to doubt the credibility of those reports. What we all need is the ability to think independently and critically, not just believing every word that comes from the government's propaganda machine. Regardless of whether China has a better system than the U.S. or vice versa, it is still a fact that both these countries as well as many other places on earth have poeple who are struggling everyday to make a living just to survive and are constantly suffering from the violations of human rights. They do not have the privilege like me and you to use the internet and learn more about the world. We should all turn our energies into looking at the root causes of poverty and act together to address these problems. We should listen more to grassroots voices and have a deep understanding of their problems instead of brushing it off as 'oh, they are poor because they are lazy', or 'Oh, China is too big so what can one do about these problems?' If we broaden our mind and be more sensitive, we will find out that poverty is always deeply rooted in an inequitable distribution system that is governed by a certain strong ideology (e.g. the belief that economic growth is the solution to everything). Those who benefit from such a system need to know that those that are being left out from the system are not irrelevant. When we all act together to ensure that every human being is able to enjoy his/her basic human rights, then I would be proud to say that we, the human race has achieved a high level of humanity. Human rights should not be politicized though I know that it is somehow inevitable. Nowadays, there are so many channels through which we receive new information so we also start to doubt the credibility of those reports. What we all need is the ability to think independently and critically, not just believing every word that comes from the government’s propaganda machine.

Regardless of whether China has a better system than the U.S. or vice versa, it is still a fact that both these countries as well as many other places on earth have poeple who are struggling everyday to make a living just to survive and are constantly suffering from the violations of human rights. They do not have the privilege like me and you to use the internet and learn more about the world. We should all turn our energies into looking at the root causes of poverty and act together to address these problems. We should listen more to grassroots voices and have a deep understanding of their problems instead of brushing it off as ‘oh, they are poor because they are lazy’, or ‘Oh, China is too big so what can one do about these problems?’ If we broaden our mind and be more sensitive, we will find out that poverty is always deeply rooted in an inequitable distribution system that is governed by a certain strong ideology (e.g. the belief that economic growth is the solution to everything). Those who benefit from such a system need to know that those that are being left out from the system are not irrelevant. When we all act together to ensure that every human being is able to enjoy his/her basic human rights, then I would be proud to say that we, the human race has achieved a high level of humanity.

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