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steve2470

(37,457 posts)
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 03:37 PM Jan 2014

Bill Gates: There will be no poor countries by 2035

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101351736

As snowy Davos becomes engulfed in the hustle and bustle of another World Economic Forum, Microsoft founder Bill Gates took the opportunity to deliver an upbeat message in his annual newsletter.

The 25-page report, written by Gates and his wife Melinda, who are co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, argued that the world is a better place than it has even been before.

Gates predicted that by 2035, there would be almost no poor countries left in the world, using today's World Bank classification of low-income countries — even after adjusting for inflation.

"Poor countries are not doomed to stay poor. Some of the so-called developing nations have already developed," he said in a his annual note, published on Tuesday.


I think you're dreaming, Bill.
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Egalitarian Thug

(12,448 posts)
1. You're not reading this right. What he means is that by 2035 there will be
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 03:40 PM
Jan 2014

no countries, rich or poor, because they will have been declared obsolete by the global corporations.

notemason

(298 posts)
6. Hmm
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 04:02 PM
Jan 2014

Thought that title belonged to Welch, he even bragged about it, but I wouldn't argue the challenge. As Clapton said, “you take Sally, I'll take Sue, Ain't no difference between the two.

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
3. The definition of "poor" will have changed enough
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 03:45 PM
Jan 2014

by then

When I was a child, "poor" meant something different from what we now accept as poor.,

In Kansas, in the 60's, poor meant a crappy small rented house./apt, no tv, no phone, no car (or a very crappy car)...Just the basics.. Mom made your clothes, cut your hair,...toys were second-hand..you took your lunch to school..no vacations..

"Poor" back then could be "cured" by getting a good job or finding someone to share expenses.... No one was in debt because most "Poor" people could not get credit.

These days, poor is totally different.

pampango

(24,692 posts)
4. The Millenium Development Goals from the UN have made much progress since 2000.
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 03:49 PM
Jan 2014
The goal of halving global extreme poverty from what it was in 2000 was met by 2010 in spite of the global recession. The optimists are predicting that it is possible to eliminate absolute poverty (at least on national levels) by 2035.

It seems to me that it is the conservative folks with their "the poor will always be with us so why should be sacrifice anything to help them" mantra that stands in the way. Liberals don't usually look at abject poverty and say "I wish we could deal with it, but it cannot be done."

Johonny

(20,683 posts)
5. He sees an end to first world countries
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 03:49 PM
Jan 2014

all countries will be modeled after the third world where the wealth is stored up in a few people like him. Relatively there will be no poor countries but plenty of poor people.

Wounded Bear

(58,440 posts)
7. Notice he's talking about countries, not people...
Wed Jan 22, 2014, 04:05 PM
Jan 2014

As we all know, rich countries are perfectly capable of maintaining large populations of poor people.

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