Eliminating Domestic Poverty

The role of any government is to ensure and protect the well-being and security of it's people. After all, if the citizens of a nation do not have the means to succed in life, the country itself will suffer. In respect to the issue of poverty, state governments must take it upon themsevles to try and alleviate this misfortune. We need to have citizens that know how to read, know how to write, know how to interact with each other, know the value and importance of punctuality, and how to carry themselves in today's world. A good point was brought up today at Bread; the importance of dignity. If we can preserve and foster the dignity and self esteem of the hardest hit people, society will finally be on the upswing.

feel that domestically speaking, it is absoluetly necessary for governments to adress dispairitys among people. Unforunately, the government (at least in the United States) does a horrible job of dealing with this issue. Sure, food stamps and welfare programs look great on paper, but when put into practice they fall well short of a creating a sustainible solution. The resources pumped into these programs do not go into solving poverty but rather feed the never ending struggle to get ahead. It's a vicious cycle and the gap between the rich and poor increases daily.

Now, some may argue that people are poor or homeless simply because they are lazy or irresponsible. While this is certainly plausible and does make up some part of the impovrished, a number of people find themselves struggling simply because they had a bout of bad luck. Back in New Hampshire, I voulunteer my time at the local soup kitchen. Most of the people we get there simply do not have the skills or resources to provide a hot, nutrious meal for themselves. Others are there more for acceptance and fellowship then anything else. I find that many common misconceptions about the "homeless" do not ring true. Sure, I would not reccomend going into Southeast DC alone, or wandering through Dorchester, MA at any time of day, but a good number of impovrished people just need a helping hand. They are not hopeless from birth. I don't believe people are born with a predisposition towards violence. But I digress, that is a completely difference discussion all together.

So the fundamental question is, should governments interve to try and alleviate poverty? The obvious answer is, "yes". We owe it to our citizens to ensure that they all have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." I know it sounds cliche, but it is the simplist way I can think of to describe why we must adress poverty. Luckily, there are a number of nonprofits such as Bread for the City that are doing a hell of a lot better than our government could ever do. Sadly though, they cannot continue to do what they do withouth the funding and support of federal and private donors. The rate of poverty is not declining, whilst all the factors that contribute to it (oil prices, inflation, housing costs) continue to skyrocket. There is no immediate solution in sight but as long as we keep committed to helping those in need and eliminate the popular stigma towards "poor" people, I believe there is hope out there.