I read something this morning about the great gulf between the rich and the poor. I would like to point out a few things about that gulf and about some of the attempts to erase it.

The Bible tells us that the poor will always be with us. It also tells us to be compassionate to the poor. We need to define what that compassion looks like and make sure our compassion is actually helping the poor.

In America in 2026, the federal poverty line in the contiguous United States is set at $15,960 for a single individual and $33,000 for a family of four. This is the guideline that determines eligibility for federal assistance programs. Federal assistance programs can range from help with housing, groceries, education, child care, etc. But do these federal assistance programs help eliminate poverty or do they encourage poverty?

There is something called human nature that often tends to take the path of least resistance. It is the reason socialism and communism do not work. If a person knows that they can live comfortably with very little effort, their ambition might suffer. If a person understands that they cannot have the luxuries they want without working for them, their attitude toward work might change. Have our social programs, which have allowed those taking money from the government to have things that go beyond necessities, placed a ceiling on the goals of the recipients? Am I going to be poor for generations because I know I will have everything I need without working? Am I going to teach that value to my children?

Poverty does not have to be forever. Think of the stories we have all heard about legal immigrants who came to America with little or no money and became wealthy. One of my ancestors was a tailor who fled persecution in Europe, came to America, began working as a tailor, and did very well. Another was an Irishman escaping the potato famine who managed to put all of his children through college. The cure for poverty might be in bringing welfare back to our local communities and making it much less comfortable.

If we are complaining about the gap between the rich and the poor, we need to look at the role our government policies are playing in maintaining that gap. The opportunity to learn the skills that lead to success is available in America. We need to encourage people to learn the skills they need to escape poverty and to encourage those in poverty to join the workforce if they have not.

Poverty in America is NOT the fault of people who are considered rich. To say that is class warfare and is a tenet of communism.