I would like to make a controversial statement: The lack of money is not the reason for poverty.
Um, Dave- you smoking something? Isn't the definition of poverty exactly that? No money?
Yes. But lack of money is the RESULT of poverty, not the reason. Poverty is a condition, one which results in not having any money. See, if poverty could be cured by simply giving people money, poverty would have been wiped out a long time ago. Ever since LBJ announced his famous "War on Poverty" fifty years ago, we've been throwing money at it at astounding rates. I read a figure that said we have spent $16 trillion dollars combating poverty, and the rates are about the same as they were when this war began.
Money is not the solution to poverty. So, what is?
The solution is simple: look at what causes poverty and do the exact opposite.
Huh?
Yes. There are three things in life that are almost surefire guarantees of poverty. So, the solution to poverty is to do the exact opposite, and that will lead you to prosperity. Here are the three things that cause poverty:
1) Dropping out of school. People who fail to finish high school have extremely limited employment options. They are far more likely to live in poverty, engage in crime (which leads to incarceration, further diminishing job prospects), rely on public assistance, etc. To truly combat poverty, we need to increase high school graduation rates. Parents need to be held accountable for allowing their children to drop out. Students need to know the true consequences of dropping out of school. Until we do this, we will always have poverty.
2) Having children outside of marriage. Marriage is belittled and criticized and mocked in today's society, but in reality, married people prosper much more financially than single people do. Children who are born outside of wedlock (now making up 42% of American births) have a 63% poverty rate. Run that by me again? Yes, 63% of children born to unwed mothers live in poverty.
Want to eliminate poverty? Commit to Biblical sexuality- celibacy before marriage, fidelity within marriage. Yes, it's that simple. Wait until you are married to have children. Oh, by the way, Biblical sexuality would also eliminate the AIDS virus, STD's, etc, but that is another story.
3) Unemployment. This is a complicated issue, because there are two sides to this coin. One side says, "If there are no jobs, how can we get one?" That's a legitimate statement. Sometimes there are no jobs to be found. Other times, however, people just don't want to work. They are lazy, unmotivated, and waiting around for someone to take care of them. The people that truly want to find a job eventually do. Their poverty is short-lived, if at all. It's the second category that poverty will overtake.
When these three issues are present, throwing money at it won't help. As long as people are dropping out of high school, having children outside of marriage, and refusing to work, there will be poverty. Plain and simple. So, to eliminate poverty, we need the time-tested, age-old formula that will always lead to prosperity.
1) Stay in school.
2) Wait until you are married to have children.
3) Find a job and KEEP that job.
That's it. There is your solution to poverty. That is the path to prosperity. It always has been and always will be. The extent to which a society emphasizes those three things will determine its poverty levels. When those things are no longer emphasized or occur in lessening degrees, we will see rampant rise in poverty.
When we've been fighting a war for 50 years and we haven't seen any results, it might be time to change strategies. Social programs, welfare, etc have been around for 50 years. They haven't changed a thing. Poverty rates are where they were before we started those things. Maybe its time we start looking at the three things that will put everyone on a path to prosperity.
Or, we can just keep throwing money at it. It doesn't solve anything, but it makes us all feel better.
Um, Dave- you smoking something? Isn't the definition of poverty exactly that? No money?
Yes. But lack of money is the RESULT of poverty, not the reason. Poverty is a condition, one which results in not having any money. See, if poverty could be cured by simply giving people money, poverty would have been wiped out a long time ago. Ever since LBJ announced his famous "War on Poverty" fifty years ago, we've been throwing money at it at astounding rates. I read a figure that said we have spent $16 trillion dollars combating poverty, and the rates are about the same as they were when this war began.
Money is not the solution to poverty. So, what is?
The solution is simple: look at what causes poverty and do the exact opposite.
Huh?
Yes. There are three things in life that are almost surefire guarantees of poverty. So, the solution to poverty is to do the exact opposite, and that will lead you to prosperity. Here are the three things that cause poverty:
1) Dropping out of school. People who fail to finish high school have extremely limited employment options. They are far more likely to live in poverty, engage in crime (which leads to incarceration, further diminishing job prospects), rely on public assistance, etc. To truly combat poverty, we need to increase high school graduation rates. Parents need to be held accountable for allowing their children to drop out. Students need to know the true consequences of dropping out of school. Until we do this, we will always have poverty.
2) Having children outside of marriage. Marriage is belittled and criticized and mocked in today's society, but in reality, married people prosper much more financially than single people do. Children who are born outside of wedlock (now making up 42% of American births) have a 63% poverty rate. Run that by me again? Yes, 63% of children born to unwed mothers live in poverty.
Want to eliminate poverty? Commit to Biblical sexuality- celibacy before marriage, fidelity within marriage. Yes, it's that simple. Wait until you are married to have children. Oh, by the way, Biblical sexuality would also eliminate the AIDS virus, STD's, etc, but that is another story.
3) Unemployment. This is a complicated issue, because there are two sides to this coin. One side says, "If there are no jobs, how can we get one?" That's a legitimate statement. Sometimes there are no jobs to be found. Other times, however, people just don't want to work. They are lazy, unmotivated, and waiting around for someone to take care of them. The people that truly want to find a job eventually do. Their poverty is short-lived, if at all. It's the second category that poverty will overtake.
When these three issues are present, throwing money at it won't help. As long as people are dropping out of high school, having children outside of marriage, and refusing to work, there will be poverty. Plain and simple. So, to eliminate poverty, we need the time-tested, age-old formula that will always lead to prosperity.
1) Stay in school.
2) Wait until you are married to have children.
3) Find a job and KEEP that job.
That's it. There is your solution to poverty. That is the path to prosperity. It always has been and always will be. The extent to which a society emphasizes those three things will determine its poverty levels. When those things are no longer emphasized or occur in lessening degrees, we will see rampant rise in poverty.
When we've been fighting a war for 50 years and we haven't seen any results, it might be time to change strategies. Social programs, welfare, etc have been around for 50 years. They haven't changed a thing. Poverty rates are where they were before we started those things. Maybe its time we start looking at the three things that will put everyone on a path to prosperity.
Or, we can just keep throwing money at it. It doesn't solve anything, but it makes us all feel better.
You forgot having eight or more children!
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