Assuming your numbers are correct, a more accurate title would be "An economically rational poor person would choose not to work a minimum wage job." If it is

Assuming your numbers are correct, a more accurate title would be "An economically rational poor person would choose not to work a minimum wage job." If it is true, it is a problem that would need to be corrected. However, even if it were true and corrected, it would not eliminate poverty, or even necessarily change the work habits of the average poor person. Only the poor person who makes solely rational economic decisions. If I could find a poor person who I could be guaranteed made wholly rational economic decisions, I would certainly employ them (and at a good wage), because I don't even make wholly rational economic decisions and I could benefit from it. e: This comment doesn't really present the tone I was going for. Poor people are in that situation for many reasons. Maybe they were born into it, maybe there's systems that keep them from improving, maybe they don't have educational opportunities, maybe where they live has no opportunities available, maybe they have a mental health issue, maybe they have a physical issue. There's a ton of social, psychological, and economic issues that can make or keep someone poor. Rarely would I ever call it the fault of the poor person, because rarely does someone choose to be poor. If there's a situation where a healthy and clear headed person who can always make the right financial decision, and they choose to not work because it's economically smarter for them to do so, then there's a real systemic problem. However, I don't think that's the case, because anyone that perfect would be able to find some employment at a better than minimum wage position at the moment. Therefore, I think the issue of poverty needs to be addressed from a combination of education, social, economic, psychological, and systemic angles.