Poverty???

Poverty is not such a major “problem” in the U.S. as it is a major excuse for the Democrats to shove socialism down our throats. The “official poverty line” of $23,350 , doesn't include all the government handouts like welfare, food stamps, and free housing, which makes the “poor” actually richer than the “middle class”. Stealing from the rich in the form of “adequate taxes” is Communism, and destroys the American dream. Why should I work hard and try to better myself when I know the government will just take everything anyway, to give it to some fat, shiftless bum? Welfare and other public assistance programs are not a temporary “safety net”, but a punishment for hard work and entrepreneurship and a reward for laziness and indigence.