Originally Posted by Joker";p=&quot

Unfortunately, with a new job starting in a couple weeks, and plane to move very soon, I'm running very short on free time-- too short for long responses, but I will conclude with this:

Yes, for most poor, it is a choice, even if for many it is their only choice (those with families, small children whose welfare they are responsiblie for, etc.), but in the end, so what? I'm not sure what you were ultimately trying to prove with this statement, but it certainly doesn't mean that the poor are lazy and useless. If anything, it may only prove that they have a very different standard for success.

The majority of the poor are productive independent members of society just as the majority of the rich are.