Quote Originally Posted by mwilbert View Post
Of course bad choices help keep poor people poor, but the idea that education can fix that is dubious. The big difference between the rich and the poor isn't that the rich don't make mistakes, but that they can recover from them. The poor have no margin for error.

I'm all in favor of educating people, trying to teach them to make good choices, etc. I just lack your faith in that efficacy of that approach in getting people out of poverty, particularly in the current economic environment.
I miss your point here. Why can't the poor recover from a mistake. There are poor worldwide who manage to succeed. Just heard a speech by a guy who grew up in HUD housing in the ghetto and now is a independent businessman clearing about $2m a year. He's super-motivated because of his experience. And he works hard. So I don't know why a 'margin of error' matters. I'm sure its easier if daddy hands you cash -- but it doesn't seem to stop people in poverty from succeeding.