Simply invest the $3000 at 5% interest, and give the $150/year to the Africans
to the Africans' warlords, who steal the money and use it to stay in power
Fixed that for you.
As P. J. O'Rourke says, speaking of something like a total of $200,000(?) per poor person spent by the American welfare system, it's a flabbergasting phenomenon that appears to be real: You can't fix poverty by giving people money.
I'd love it if the Singularity Institute had an endowment by the time you get out of school, but I wouldn't count on it if I were me.
Citation so very needed. 200,000 dollars to do what? And how often? And by what agencies?
"The American Welfare system" is an enormous patchwork of state, federal and local organizations with different mandates and populations served. It also does not tend to transfer much money at all. I've lived on Social Security Disability for years and it pays a little over 7k a year (try "bootstrapping" yourself on that budget). I make another 40 dollars monthly in food stamps. I am receiving the maximum amount possible from SSDI; the max for Food...
I'd be really interested to hear what the Less Wrong community thinks of this. Don't spoil it by reading the comments first.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.