Poor Rich People Camels and Needles

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"it is easier for a camel 

to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man 

to enter the kingdom of God"

I have been ranting on a fair bit recently about the imbalances between the haves and the have-nots in Ireland. The rich are getting richer by 4% to be accurate, while the poor are getting poorer by 19%.

It would seem that that those without money actually possess something much more valuable than mere money and property.

Rich Isolated by their Wealth

A study just published in Berkeley shows that the rich are much less likely to reach out to others in times of trouble.

It is generally accepted that in times of trouble people are drawn together.  The UC Berkeley study would suggest that while the less well off tend to reach out to one another in times of crisis, the fat cats are more apt to seek comfort in their money and material possessions. 

The Rich are Meaner and Addicted to their Money

The poor rich people - trapped in aloneness by their wealth and possessions! Additionally, they are addicted - like drug addicts - to their money. Another study shows that the rich are much more tight-fisted when it comes to giving to charities.

The study, conducted by the Chronicle of Philanthropy indicated that those earning between $50,000 and $75,000 year give 7.6% of their disposable income to charity.
 
Now compare that to the meaner 4.2% for people who make $100,000 or more. 

Then look at the lousy mean - wealthy people making $200,000+ their charity rate was a super mean and tight-fisted 2.8%.

The survey found that religion was the large factor in the exercise of giving and charity. Areas known to be more religious were more generous than those that are not. 

Somehow, I think these guys at Berkeley and the Chronicle of Philanthropy have not discovered anything new - all this behaviour was well documented more than 2000 years ago!!






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