Wealth Disparity & Potential to Contribute

Since every blog has at least one great rant... here it is!

Something that has always been a concern of mine is the welfare of others. Whether it's someone I know, someone from around the world, or even an animal, their well-being is important to me. Now, I understand that there are limitations to what you can do for others but I find myself questioning why people in positions of power and wealth do not step up to do more. Recently there has been a lot of talk and tension about the wealth disparity in America. Between the Occupy Movement, disgruntled workers, and major progress in humanitarian advocacy it seems that the general public is beginning to catch on to these issues and injustices.

After learning about all of these issues regarding poverty and the 1% living so well off while the 99% lives on so much less, not to mention those living below the line of poverty; it has become quite apparent that one of the main problems preventing us from finding a solution is the lack of awareness. You cannot fix a problem until you know that it exists. And not only that, but you also have to understand the extent to which the problem exists. I strongly believe that if people could see the degrees of poverty that individuals are forced to endure on a daily basis, they would be more motivated to provide assistance.

While advocacy and awareness are all very important, in all honesty, I strongly believe that a great deal of the problems in poverty could be alleviated if those living well beyond their means chipped in. If a millionaire donated just 1% of their income that would be $10,000. Just to put that in perspective, you all have heard those commercials that say you can feed a child in poverty for 10 cents a day. Think about the difference that could make. I'm no math major but if you took that $10,000 and you used it to feed children at the 10 cent rate, you could feed 100,000 kids.

Crazy right? But it definitely puts things in perspective.