More Proof We Can't Stop Poverty By Making It More Comfortable | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

More Proof We Can't Stop Poverty By Making It More Comfortable | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Combined, these 122 programs spent more than $591 billion in 2009, and are projected to cost even more this year.

That amounts to $14,849 for every poor man, woman and child in America. Given that the poverty line is $10,830, it would have been cheaper just to mail every poor person a check for $11,000."

"We focus far too much on making poverty more comfortable, and not enough on creating the prosperity that will get people out of poverty.

Observers have known for a long time that the surest ways to stay out of poverty are to finish school, not get pregnant outside marriage and get a job, any job, and stick with it."

"An enormous amount of evidence and experience shows that private charities are far more effective than government welfare programs.

While welfare provides incentives for counterproductive behavior, private charities can use their aid to encourage self-sufficiency, self-improvement, and independence. Private charities can individualize their approaches and target specific problems that are holding people in poverty."