@Begin
@Participants:	NS007
@Age:	28
@Sex:	M
@L1:	AmE
@FatherL1:	AmE
@MotherL1:	AmE
@AcademicBakground:	PhD
@OtherLanguage:	French=8;Japanese=3
@Topic:	money
@Comments:	NoTitle
@Coder:	2006-10-19 DataInputBy MURAO Remi;
@Version:	2.0
*NS007:	I am not an economist, but when I look at money I see a limited resource.
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*NS007:	This resource is one that is not distributed equally amongst people, and if anything is possessed disproportionately by the few at the expense of the many.
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*NS007:	Every dollar that we save in the bank for a rainy day is one that a hungry person doesn't have to spend on food.
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*NS007:	On the other hand, if we have no money in savings, then what are we to do when we are hit with sudden and unforeseen expenses?
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*NS007:	In this essay I would like to discuss this delicate balance between greed and necessity.
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*NS007:	It is sad that this is a world which has such an enormous gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'.
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*NS007:	You can look at a TV program and see children in parts of the world starving because they cannot afford food, uneducated because their community cannot afford a school, and ill because they cannot afford basic vaccines.
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*NS007:	Then you flip the channel and see a program showing the lifestyle of a billionaire who has so much money he cannot even begin to think of ways to spend it.
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*NS007:	How much does it cost each year for the billionaire to maintain his fleet of 3 private jets, many of which may spend most of the year in a hangar?
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*NS007:	Does it cost enough to feed a small village in poor region of Africa?
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*NS007:	Does any one person really require so much luxury, or is having it simply a manifestation of greed?
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*NS007:	I receive a scholarship which pays my tuition and gives a stipend for living expenses which covers my basic needs.
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*NS007:	I have had the opportunity to apply for other scholarships which would in effect supply a second monthly income and allow me some small savings.
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*NS007:	In other words, it would give me a layer of luxury above what I need to survive and I would be one person consuming an income meant for two.
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*NS007:	I cannot bring myself to apply for something extra, knowing that I would be dipping into someone else's opportunity.
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*NS007:	It is a difficult position for one to be in because although I do not want to be greedy, it is also a reality that at any moment I could suddenly require a large sum of money.
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*NS007:	For example, if I were to fall ill and need a surgery or transplant which is not covered by my medical insurance, I would find myself needing to draw on my savings.
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*NS007:	If money was distributed equally in the world, would there be enough for everyone to have a livable income and also enough savings to act as a safety blanket?
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*NS007:	I do not know the answer, but I do know that it makes me sick to see people flaunt their wealth in a world where millions of children are born into poverty with no chance of escape.
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@End