"This is the big mistake that the left makes in their thinking about poverty. They believe it's a fundamentally material problem." While I'm sure the left is d

"This is the big mistake that the left makes in their thinking about poverty. They believe it's a fundamentally material problem." While I'm sure the left is different in the US, that seems backwards on a global level. It's generally the left that emphasizes immaterial things like education, maternity leave, kindergarten etc. while the right focuses on economic measures like lower taxes. "you can't break the cycle by just throwing money at people" Throwing money at people seems like a very effective way to limit the bad effects of poor people. Drug addicts with money tend to do drugs, while drug addicts without money tend to do robberies, burglaries, go to prison etc. "believe that he is master of his own destiny" The mindset that you should fend for yourself and don't be a burden is much more prevalent among the poor. More prosperous families tend to try to give their kids all the advantages they can. If anything the poor needs to adopt a culture of entitlement.