Stlhd,

The point of the disucssion was poverty being a choice in this country rather than being inflicted upon people by others. Your example of the widow is rare. For everyone of your examples demographics show you a half million that are caused by substance abuse. Nothing wrong with a hand up for those willing to try. If we opened the borders the majority of our poor would either get with it or die as there are a million people waiting to live 10 to a one bedroom apt in the worst slum in america to have a shot at what they turn down. Opportunity. "

Desperation leads to high crime and the conditions above which effects us all in the long run."
Horse hocky to that crappola. This would assume that these are people that have always done the right thing at every turn and only out of lack of options turn to crime. Wrong! these are people that have always taken the easy way out and crime is just another bad decision in a long list.