"An injury to one is an injury to all."--motto of the IWW
Christians who read their holy book literally may take refuge in the thought that the "poor will always be with us", while Marx and his followers believe that for the first time in human history we have the resources to end poverty---thanks to capitalism.
However, today poverty is increasing, along with hostility toward the poor and government policies that say: we don't need you or want you, and we want you to disappear. There was an article last week in the Vienna paper, "The Standard" ("Der Standard":
http://derstandard.at/1328508137157/Armut-ist-unsichtbar-Eine-Million-Oesterreicher-arm-oder-armutsgefaehrdetabout
about poverty in Austria. (A million who are either in poverty or in danger of falling into poverty--in a population of around 8.5 million....) And the Guardian yesterday had a story about a family who starved to death in Japan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/24/family-die-starvation-japan?INTCMP=SRCH
(Two articles don't make a trend, but there is a trend.)
The reality of the situation is easy to see---but powerful ideologies (representing the interests of powerful individuals)--make us blind.
I can do no better than paraphrasing a Christian philosopher: If a man has more bread than he needs, that is not his bread; it belongs to the poor.....
(I couldn't have said it better myself.)
Recommended reading:
http://www.nationofchange.org/criminalizing-poor-welfare-cellfare-1330094117
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