It was understandable to be poor when all the world was poor. It is understandable to be poor in those nations today that make the accumulation of wealth a crime for most people. It is not understandable to be poor (for long) in the US where one can reliably get out of poverty simply by doing three simple things: 1) get a high school diploma 2) get married 3) get any job Only about 2 tenths of 1% of those who satisfy those three requirements incomes below the official poverty line. Like most libertarians, I dislike the government. I don't care what a person's income is. When I was self-supporting on an income of $200 a month in 1979, I was below the poverty level for a single person myself. I am not enamored of the rich or poor members of the dependendant classes of course. I try and keep in mind that 80-90% of the "take" in government programs for the "poor" goes to unpoor government employees. DCF