An unexpected example of poverty in America

I have been reading about overcoming poverty lately. One thing that I’ve learned that poverty is much more than lack of resources. It is a mindset.

One example of this mindset is a present orientation. This is having no regard for the future because of today’s crisis. It also separates the distant consequences from today’s behavior.  This makes people susceptible to borrowing more money than they can reasonably payoff. This poverty can create a downward spiral where one bad decision is covered by another bad decision. Finally, access to other people’s resources who try to help becomes an expectation and  then personal responsibility disappears.

Unfortunately the poverty that I’ve described best describes the behavior of the US congress. Friends, let’s participate in the process and work to select and hold accountable office holders who understand that today’s actions have future consequences and that bad decisions in the past should be admitted and corrected rather than covered. In spite of what they try to tell us, character counts in our elected officials.

See also: It’s not rocket science: five doable steps that we can all agree on to get our government on track

Books and Book Reviews on Helping Those in Need

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4. Wondering which places in America need help, here’s a start!