San Diego, California Talk Radio Station - 760 KFMB AM - 760kfmbPoverty. It's all relative.

What does it mean to live in poverty?

Today's 7:00 hour:

http://media.worldnow.com/kfmbam/podcast/the_mike_slater_show_4856.mp3

Victor Davis Hanson:

"Whether in the fights over the U.S. debt limit or the rioting in Athens, the common global theme is not poverty in absolute terms, but more often fairness — as in having about the same amount of things as others do."

That's brilliant. Poverty today in America CLEARLY isn't about absolute poverty like Haiti or North Korea poverty or Sally Struthers commercial poverty. Poverty today is a relative term.

"Sure I have more than I've ever had before, and more than my parents had and more than almost anyone else on the planet has, but that guy over there has more than I do. I'm living in poverty."

It's not REAL poverty. As the Heritage Foundation notes 99.6% of Americans who live in poverty have a refrigerator, 97% have a TV and stove, 78% have air conditioning, 30% have a video game system. This isn't real poverty, but compared to the person living in La Jolla, it's relative poverty.

Why is this dangerous? Because once the government can spread this misconception that there are SO MANY people living in poverty today, then other people are more likely to give the government the ability to steal from the rich to give to the "poor". Once the government convinces us that there are so many people who need help, then we are more likely to support government "spread the wealth" schemes.

And once we give the government the power to redistribute the wealth, then we lose control over how much they take and who they give it to. Now Pandora's box has been opened to a whole new level of corruption. Case in point: Green Vehicles in Salinas, CA. This should be criminal:

A Salinas car manufacturing company that was expected to build environmentally friendly electric cars and create new jobs folded before almost any vehicles could run off the assembly line.
The city of Salinas had invested (read: city officials FORCED taxpayers to invest) more than half a million dollars in Green Vehicles, an electric car start-up company. All of that money is now gone.

And here a good example of the illogic of the left from Congressman Jim Moran from Virginia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIix40JJSGo

I believe we have to stop our politicians at the source, and never give them the power to steal more from you in the first place.

*And one last note about people living in poverty. There are genuinely people who need our help. I believe the best way to help those truly in need is through private charity. But even if you think that there needs to be government welfare, if we continue to broaden what it means to be poor, we're hurting those who need our help the most.