When Jesus gave the parable of the "good Samaritan" and spoke of others caring for their neighbors as well as the stranger, we forget that, in His example, the guy the Samaritan helped was robbed and beaten and left on the side of the road for dead. Plenty of people passed by and saw him laying there and switched to the other side of the road rather than help the poor guy. So this one in need was truly destitute and unable to get up and go on with his life. Many of the "poor" Americans with their hands out are sitting there on the side of the road with their chubby hands outstretched expecting to have every need or want satisfied.
I think a huge savings in "entitlement" spending could be realized if we as a society decided to help only those who really needed it and not just because they were too lazy to get up to go to school or work. Hunger is a big motivator. We could solve a lot of our economical problems if MORE people were educated, motivated to work, had the skills AND the incentive to do well and stuck to it to better their lives. It's like a domino-effect. More highly educated and enthused workers mean more higher paying jobs because they spend their wages on products and services that employers need good workers to provide. More taxes get paid, to boot! A Socialistic or Communist society only benefits those at the top running the show - the schmo at the bottom gets used and he loses his incentive to do any better because it will get taken from him anyway. Capitalism works - if it really is instituted.
It’s all in perception. WE know that the poor in this country would be considered ‘middle class’ or better, by many in the rest of the world, but when they look at themselves in relation to others in THIS country, they are poor. Saying they’re not poor won’t make them not feel that way, it will only turn them against anyone who’s saying it. Not a way to win friends and influence people.