Poverty - Conclusion (3rd of 3)

Conclusion

While the tone I’ve used has a tinge of sarcasm, it is to make a point. Poverty is inevitable for some, but a choice for others. The American dream has a chapter about capable people overcoming bad odds to pull themselves out of the poverty they were born into. We love those stories. They inspire us. They help us feel good about our freedom to achieve. But what we don’t hear, or want to hear, are the stories of kids who never made it out. Either by virtue of intelligence, or character, or a hostile environment, they remain sucked into the black hole of poverty. They have kids and the cycle repeats itself. Black, white, or brown, poverty is an equal opportunity destroyer.

Then there are the stories of reformation. The "I found the light" stories. Only it isn’t religion, it’s financial salvation people discover. The couples who cut up their credit cards, make Christmas decorations from old Coke cans, and clip coupons to save a fortune on groceries are in this group. Some of them are people who live on the edge of poverty, but by being clever and careful, they don’t fall into it. Others are people who fell into poverty and learned the hard way how to get out and stay out. We love their grit and determination.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to poverty. No free nation can make people take personal responsibility when they don’t want to. The best we can do is to educate people to make good choices and to protect the less able from being preyed upon by the unscrupulous.

There will always be people who lack the intellectual or physical capacity to earn a living wage or manage the money they earn. For these people, welfare programs are an essential safety net because education will not overcome their challenges. There will always be children born into poverty. For them, child care and education programs can provide one avenue of escape from the debilitating effects of poverty.

Society can keep the heads of the poor above water, but it cannot raise them out of it. Only by applying personal effort and using the social supports available can individuals make their lives a success.

The great challenge for the nation is to decide the roles of family, government, and charity in helping those who are not in a position to help themselves - but who could prosper with the help of others. With that decision must come the commitment to financially support those efforts. The challenge for government is to know what programs truly make a difference.

When the poor are poor forever, there is little to lose by attacking those who have what they need. Thus, it is in the best interest of all to continuously address poverty and its causes.