1808 Poverty Has Answers But Not Cures
Poverty has existed since the beginning of civilization and won’t be going away now. That doesn’t mean that those less fortunate than others are cemented into their condition or that they merit treatment that seems to view them as some kind of helpless lower caste.
To properly get a grasp of poverty itself, how it exists in America, and how to address it, certain realities and principles have to be faced, the most glaring one being the utter failure of federal, state, and local governmental initiatives and programs to create more income independence. Over the last 50 years since the inauguration of President Johnson’s “War On Poverty” (War), improvement has been mediocre in terms of self-sustaining income. Paradoxically, rates of consumption by poor households has risen drastically.
Without including Social Security or Medicare, the United States has spent over $22 trillion on anti-poverty programs. The military costs of all the wars since the American revolution amounts to only one third of that total. From 1950 to 1965, the rate of income poverty dropped from 32.2% to 17.3%. Yet, since the 1970’s and the effects of the War on Poverty, the number of Americans who have been moved out of income dependence to independence has flatlined over the long term (“The War on Poverty After 50 Years”, Heritage Foundation).
Some researchers (“Winning the War: Poverty from the Great Society to the Great Recession”, The Brookings Institution) have moved to using spending/consumption statistics to measure poverty instead of income. The results look much better for the War. 80% of poor households have air conditioning. 92% have a microware. Almost two-thirds have cable or satellite TV service. But even using these rosy numbers, once the trends bottomed out, they also flatlined.
Regardless of one’s loyalty or aversion to biblical history, let alone its truth claims, an honest look at what it has to say is important to hear. One thing is abundantly clear from the outset. God is not blind, deaf, callous, or stupid. His promises for provision and justice for the poor and afflicted range throughout the Old and New Testaments. That care, however, rarely comes in the form of miraculous personal manna. Instead, God’s supply is His works in the hearts of people and the resources which He still owns and controls.
In the United States at least, the freedom of private individuals, organizations, and churches to be used by God to enter into the lives of the unfortunate is still a right and burden, the invasiveness and corruption of government notwithstanding. There are principles proclaimed in the Bible and validated without fail in history. Interestingly, most importantly, and utterly lost in most discussions, is an absolute balance of responsibilities for both giver and receiver.
In the biblical worldview, generosity of means, all kinds of means, is at the heart of aide to the poor, whether the sourcing is through the general public, the community of Jesus-followers, or individual private efforts. There is no expectation, let alone responsibility, for government to participate in income support or to create work. For example, all of the provisioning in Old Testament law was directed to the people, not their leadership.
All of that said, principle number one brings to mind the old adage “waste not, want not”. Those of us who have been blessed with abundance are to use those resources in the building up of the less fortunate. Hoarding money, materials, or talents is not a biblical option.
Principle two involves a pyramid of responsibility. Beginning with those closest in relationship to the poor carry the first responsibility to step up to the plate – whether relatives or those closest in association. From that point, the pyramid expands with solutions tailored to the problem. There is no place for “boiler plate” programs or cookie-cutter efforts simply for the sake of getting something done.
In our fallen world, there will always be folks whose circumstances are dire and beyond their control. But even for those in worst-case situations, the principle of responsibility, number three, also holds true, even if it means simply denouncing victimhood in order to begin one personal reconstruction. In the broadest terms, it means contribution. Few people cannot serve their illness-stricken or grieving neighbor, donate their stuff to charities, or volunteer at a soup kitchen.
There are other expectations for the poor. Work by the able-bodied is a no-brainer, no matter what the pay scale is. All people including the destitute are expected to work at solving the problems and behaviors that have contributed to the conditions they are in, no matter who caused it or how it happened. Finally, contrary to the conditions cited above that governmental “benefits” have created, it is assumed that recipients of aid take only what they need, not what they want.
If poverty were just a matter of victimization, in a perfect world, all the resources of abundance and justice could prevail. But it is not. All the imperfections, traumas, sins, and weaknesses of life remain. Government was therefore instituted of God to do justice, to hold predators of the poor accountable – the oppressors, scammers, embezzlers, those, even within the bureaucracy itself, that would create dependence in violation of all with which God wants to bless.
When those obstacles are cleared, we, the stewards of all the abundance that the poor lack in means, material, and know-how are responsible. Imagine what would happen if all Americans of all ideologies put their energy where their mouths are.