Dear Carol, Thanks for writing me on the subject of poverty. It is certainly disturbing that so many Americans enjoy such abundance without thinking about those who have much less. I have made a great deal of effort to make sure my campaign website addresses the problems of poverty: http://KevinCraig.us/welfare.htm My campaign motto is "Liberty Under God." As the Libertarian Party candidate for Congress, I believe liberty, not government bureaucracy, is the best direction to go to solve the problems of poverty. For the better part of a decade, I served the poor with a couple of friends by renting an old 12-room house in a "bad" part of town, and letting homeless addicts stay in the remaining rooms. We helped them get off drugs, get jobs, and save up first and last month's rent. We served tens of thousands of meals to thousands of homeless people, and passed out thousands of bags of groceries to neighbors. We took no taxpayer funds and received no salaries for our service. During these years we had an average of 15-20 homeless people living in our home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We had things stolen. There were some violent events. Some were mentally ill and left us at wit's end. We got our food by "dumpster diving" -- picking up discarded food from stores, hospitals, restaurants, and other charities. We prepared meals for the poor by cutting the fuzzy parts off the vegetables, and then we invited them into our home and joined them for dinner. I suspect most Americans would be horrified at the prospect of living in poverty with the poor, but these were among the most enjoyable and fulfilling years I've known. Let me address the specifics of your letter: > During the remaining weeks of your campaign, > I urge you to publicly address the issue of poverty > in our nation and the steps you propose to > take to cut poverty significantly in the next > five to ten years. I don't feel like I have any such steps. I have this terrible feeling that poverty is going to increase dramatically in next ten years. The recent bailout of rich bankers ("Fannie Mae" and "Freddie Mac") indicates a dangerous insolvency in our government. http://KevinCraig.us/message.htm http://KevinCraig.us/bankrupt.htm I believe another Great Depression is inevitable. The more the government inflates the money and credit system with these kinds of bailouts, the harder the house of cards will fall. Many families are going to suffer hard times when bubbles burst. The ironic thing is that these "hard times" are not going to be all that hard. Although I was born and raised in California, my parents were both born and raised in the Ozarks. I think they would have been accurately described as "dirt poor" even if they weren't living through the Great Depression. Both of my parents had loving parents and never thought of themselves as being "poor," despite the fact that my mother didn't have electricity until she was 10 years old. Whatever economic readjustments take place in the next few years, as banks fail, businesses collapse, people lose their jobs, and global respect for the dollar evaporates, Americans will still enjoy a standard of living which most people on earth would envy, and those who signed the Declaration of Independence would consider unimaginable luxury. In a real sense, true material poverty has been abolished. I have some statistics on my campaign website: http://KevinCraig.us/welfare.htm#Abolished Overall, the typical American defined as "poor" by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by those who want the government to give them other people's money to "help the poor." Every person who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 would say that the average person in "poverty" in America 2008 is wealthy beyond imagination. There are three billion people on this planet who would say that the average American "poor person" is wealthy beyond imagination. The issue we face is relative poverty. This is not really a problem for the poor, unless they envy the rich: http://KevinCraig.us/envy.htm It is a problem for the rich, if they ignore Jesus' command to take care of the less fortunate, and not set their hearts on the perpetual accumulation of wealth. http://KevinCraig.us/mercy.htm The real problems America faces are ethical and spiritual problems, not economic ones. The real poverty is in America's soul. During the years I worked with the poor, I tried to help them become truly successful. For me, "success" is not winning a lottery. It has to do with personal achievement and gaining the genuine admiration of others. As a Christian, I believe God is in control of the universe, and He promises that if we observe "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," we can have "a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence." (I hope you recall those phrases from the Declaration of Independence.) I believe the most important step we can take to "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" is to be faithful to God. Blessings come from God. http://KevinCraig.us/blessings.htm So in addition to meals and medical care, I tried to give the poor the bread of life: Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, -> that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth: but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: -> for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, -> and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:7-8 Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, -> that you may prosper in all that you do. Deuteronomy 29:9 And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, -> that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 1 Kings 2:3 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; -> And whatever he does shall prosper. Psalm 1:2-4 Of the thousands of people I've talked to who are deemed "poor" by the government and by themselves, the vast majority were not walking in the ways of the Lord. I would often use the Ten Commandments as a checklist. I usually would go in reverse order: 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. A. Do I agree with God's Word, that coveting is wrong? B. Self-examination: Am I filled with resentment from envying the rich and coveting what I don't have, and has this bitterness adversely affected others? I have concluded that covetousness is a major problem among the poor. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. A. Do I agree with God's Word, that falsehoods are wrong? B. Self-examination: Have I lied to cover up my character defects, or have I lied about others to make myself look good, and have these lies adversely affected others? Of course, the rich do these things, but they have a cushion of wealth which sometimes shields them from the effects of their sins. If a poor person lies to or about his employer, he could lose his job and be much worse off than someone with means. 8. Thou shalt not steal. A. Am I agreed with God's Word that stealing is wrong? B. Self-examination: Have I cheated others to gratify myself? Theft is a major problem in poor areas. Not theft of food or necessities. Theft of car stereos, etc. "Something for nothing" is a desire that plagues too many poor. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. A. Am I agreed with God that lust, fornication and adultery are wrong? B. Self-examination: Do I lust and have impure thoughts and actions, and has this behavior adversely affected others? This is a major problem among the poor. Promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases are a major problem. Broken families perpetuate a cycle of poverty generation after generation. Statistically speaking, if you give someone parents who keep their marriage vows, you give that person a ticket out of poverty. 6. Thou shalt not kill. A. Am I agreed with God's Word on the sanctify of life? B. Self-examination: Have I been willing to hurt other people to protect myself? One of the leading causes of death among blacks in poverty is other blacks. This problem is not caused by the color of their skin. It's caused by their spiritually impoverished culture. 5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. A. Do I agree with God's Word on the honor due to all my superiors? B. Self-examination: Have I been angry at my parents, employers, and other superiors, and is our relationship broken? I was astonished at the number of homeless people I met whose parents were willing for them to live at home while they worked and saved up money for a place of their own, but their parents put "restrictions" on them, and they wanted to be "free." Broken relationships are a major cause of poverty. Too many want to be "free" of personal responsibility and God's command to respect others and ask forgiveness for our disrespect. It's humbling to say "I was wrong." Cooperating with authority is a prerequisite to genuine success. 4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God A. Do I agree with God's Word on the requirements for work and rest? B. Self-examination: Have I been working as I should, and am I able to rest, and trust God when I should? "The Protestant Work Ethic" is dead among many in poverty. Our society has reduced the command to work six days down to five, but too many don't even want to work five days a week. Again, too many believe the empty promises of getting "something for nothing" that infect our culture. Laziness and covetousness are related. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain. A. Do I agree with God's Word on the Sanctity of God's Name? B. Self-examination: Do I take the Lord's Name in vain? Do I keep my promises? I don't see a lot of reverence for God in the "rap" music of many that are labeled "poor" by the government. This commandment also has to do with oaths. Politicians have to take an oath of office. This oath is pretty much meaningless in our day. But a failure to keep promises and be a man of your word will keep one in poverty. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. A. Do I agree with God's Word as it governs worship? B. Self-examination: Do I cover up my character defects with religion and false spirituality? Too many people in poverty are mixed up with bogus religions that promise pink cadillacs if their money goes into the offering plate. And the next generation and the generation after that are in poverty. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. A. Do I agree with God's Word that God is God and I am not? B. Self-examination: Is my relationship with God broken because I am trying to be my own god (Genesis 3:5)? I guess these are my "Ten Steps to Eliminate Poverty." For generations, the following words have been attributed to James Madison, "The Father of the Constitution": We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves ... according to the Ten Commandments of God. > The Preamble to the United States Constitution > raises the "general welfare" as one of the > responsibilities of the federal government. The > general welfare is suffering, as attested to by > the Census Bureau poverty report for 2007, released > the last week of August. Madison would have strongly disagreed with the use of the "general welfare" clause to give the federal government power to eliminate poverty. A discussion of that clause is here: http://KevinCraig.us/general-welfare.htm I'm somewhat qualified to dissect the Constitution because I studied law before I worked full-time with the poor. I passed the California Bar Exam (said to be the toughest in the world) but I was denied a license to practice law because my allegiance to God is greater than my allegiance to the government: http://KevinCraig.us/nolawyer.htm > Although the number of > families living below the poverty threshold held > from 2006 to 2007, those below fifty-percent of > the poverty level fell deeper into poverty; and > more households joined that group. The number of households is increasing because the Family is breaking up. People who used to live together now live apart in separate "households." > The only > income group with any gain in > income was the top 10 percent. Since I graduated from college, my income has been below the federal poverty level most years. I don't begrudge the rich. Most jobs are created by the rich. America's problems are deeper than numbers. So are America's blessings. http://mises.org/story/1229 > As you campaign for election in November, I will be > watching ads and listening to what you say about > reducing poverty. I am not accepting any campaign contributions from PACs, unions, corporations, or other powerful special interests. So you won't be seeing any radio or TV ads from me. I'm depending on word-of-mouth and the fact that email is free. My webpage and blog are where you can find out about my platform: http://KevinCraig.us http://blog.KevinCraig.us > I believe that as a > nation we have the potential to reduce poverty significantly. I would agree, but that depends on what is meant by the word "nation." If "nation" means 300 million Americans, there is certainly a great deal that can be done. On the other hand, if "nation" means "the government," the government in Washington D.C. is completely bankrupt. Any increase in expenditures by the federal government is actually taken out of the pockets of the poor: http://KevinCraig.us/pockets.htm > I am calling for the reduction of poverty by > fifty percent in ten years. What plans do you > have, and will you share them with constituents, > in the weeks ahead? If elected, • I would work to abolish all government welfare programs. • I would work to inspire Americans to obey the commands of Christ. When Lyndon Johnson inaugurated the "War on Poverty" in 1964, he assured the public that “. . . this investment [of tax dollars] will return its cost many fold to our entire economy.” The "investment" is now about one trillion dollars per year. That includes Social Security, medical programs, and education programs that target the poor each year. http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2310 If a trillion dollars were simply given to those counted as poor by the federal government (37 million in 2005), it would amount to $27,000 per person. That’s $81,000 for a family of three, higher than the median income of all American families, and far greater than the poverty threshold of $15,577. Now let's ask if the "investment" in the government's "War on Poverty" and its army of social service bureaucrats has "returned its cost many fold to our entire economy.” Is the low-income population more independent and self-supporting than before the government's War on Poverty? Has the trillion-dollar expenditure eliminated poverty in America? Reduced it dramatically? Has the trillion-dollar expenditure reduced inequality? Are the egalitarians grateful to the American people for their sacrifices in this area, or are they continually carping about increasing inequality? Are more disadvantaged children being raised in stable two-parent families today than before the government's War on Poverty? Are the children in low-income families getting good educations that prepare them for productive lives as adults? Have the racial gaps in educational achievement been eliminated or greatly narrowed? Has illegitimacy been reduced in the low-income population? Is crime lower today than in the 1950s, before the government's War on Poverty? Government wastes an incomprehensible amount of our nation's resources. Politicians and their families are usually the primary beneficiaries of government programs. I believe true leadership does not seize money from taxpayers and claim to help the poor. True leadership inspires and empowers all Americans to work through voluntary associations and faith-based organizations to deal with economic and spiritual poverty on a local level. http://KevinCraig.us/mercy.htm http://KevinCraig.us/missions.htm http://KevinCraig.us/service.htm If a substantial number of America's churches and well-to-do families would do what I did on a smaller scale, and simply take a personal interest in one person in poverty, or one family in poverty, and mentor that person, working face-to-face, patiently and wisely, we would have no poverty problem in America. Government bureaucracies are not the answer. > The number of persons without health insurance in > 2007 was significantly higher than the number in 2006. > The good news is a decrease in the number of children > without health insurance, due to Medicaid and the > SCHIP program. However, over three million children > remain without access to regular health care. America had the least expensive and highest quality health care system in the world before government officials wanted to take credit for improving it. Their "reforms" are destroying it. http://KevinCraig.us/healthcare.htm > This in a nation that claims to care for > human life and for families and children! > It is frightening to think > of the loss of potential among children who lack > consistent health monitoring, many of whom are also > under-nourished. Health and nutrition are integrally > related to a child's ability to grow and develop to > meet their potential. I agree. I also believe that the government has proven itself untrustworthy and incompetent to address these problems. True leaders don't set up impersonal government bureaucracies to solve problems. True leaders inspire a legion of volunteers to work in a hands-on way with those in need: http://KevinCraig.us/missions.htm http://KevinCraig.us/service.htm > It is critical that future generations are capable of > solving national and > global problems as they continue to escalate. This loss > is not just that of the children, but more significantly, > of our nation whose citizens they are/will be. I agree. Our government's education system is leaving the destruction of minds and souls in its wake. This only perpetuates poverty. http://KevinCraig.us/education.htm I believe in "the Separation of School and State." http://www.schoolandstate.org/Case/case6.htm > I urge you to speak out, let all of us, your constituents > know what you plan to do about poverty when you are elected. > > Thank you, > > Sincerely, > > > Carol Griesemer > (417)-627-0030 > > > Carol Griesemer sent this message using the Capwiz·XC system > on the NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby > Web site. To learn more > about NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice > Lobby's issues, please visit http://www.capwiz.com/networklobby/. This suggests to me that you're a Catholic. I'm a Protestant, in case you haven't already made that inference. But the years in which I served the poor in that 12-room house which we called "Isaiah House" were part of the "Catholic Worker" movement. http://www.occatholicworker.org If you're a Catholic concerned with social justice, I'm sure you're familiar with Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker movement. http://catholicworker.org An important part of our work at the Catholic Worker was being a witness for peace. We protested militarism at a nearby Naval Weapons Station every Friday for over 5 years. A major part of my campaign for Congress is against the war in Iraq and the trillions of dollars that war is costing us; resources which could be much better employed to raise up the poor and weak, not just in America, but around the world. http://KevinCraig.us/swords.htm http://KevinCraig.us/peace.htm If elected, I would work against war, and work to motivate Christians to follow Jesus' command to look out for "the least of these." http://KevinCraig.us/mercy.htm Both Republicans and Democrats are in the hip pocket of the military and powerful labor unions which are more concerned with their own members than with the poor. http://KevinCraig.us/minimum_wage.htm Among all the candidates for U.S. Congress, I strongly believe that I am the most passionate voice against the rich and powerful interests of the military-industrial complex, and the strongest voice in defense of the long-term needs of the poor. I hope you'll tell as many people as you can to vote for Kevin Craig in November. http://KevinCraig.us/contribute.htm Thanks again for writing and taking an interest in this important issue. Kevin Craig Libertarian Party Candidate U.S. House of Representatives, MO-7th Powersite, MO 65731-0179 www.KevinCraig.US blog.KevinCraig.US www.STOPtheSPP.US