Are We Poor or Are We Broke?

Due to the economic conditions hitting this country and the world I have heard many opinions lately on the impact on the poor, how the government needs to take better care of the poor, and how the poor in this country are getting a bad deal. This is a leadership opportunity right in front of us!

As a wise man once told me; "There is a difference between being broke and being poor. Being broke means you are temporarily out of money. Being poor is a mindset." This is a mindset that will not be corrected by government handouts. It needs to be corrected by a change of attitude and opportunity.

The timing is perfect for this!

In America over the next ten years we are going to have a short fall of available people to fill skilled labor jobs. In fact, the short fall is predicted to be around 10 million open jobs without the skilled people to put in those jobs. Here is the opportunity for the government to do something about this!

Instead of weekly checks and food stamp programs, the government should pay to enroll these people in training for those jobs that need to be filled such as manufacturing, construction, plumbing, and other skilled labor jobs. Organizations get to fill jobs with qualified workers, the poor get to develop self-esteem by providing for themselves, and this is their opportunity to change the direction they are heading.

If money is the problem then being broke can be rectified by this approach. Welfare started out as an effort to give hardworking people financial support because there were no jobs available. We now have jobs available; therefore, we need to shift our support to funding the training for these jobs. Not just give out money to be squandered.

If poor is the problem, then we need to make strides to teach the poor how to make better life choices, how to learn to create a better focus on the right path, how to regain the strength, commitment and discipline to make some positive changes for themselves, with the help of the rest of us!

The worst thing we can do as a society for the poor, is to just take care of the poor. Like any business situation, merely throwing money at a problem doesn't solve a problem. And if welfare and government housing was the answer to solving this problem, then why are we still in this situation? Bad choices. Bad decisions. Bad habits that repeat themselves generation after generation are what cause the poor to be poor. I hear comments about how life is against them and they have no opportunity. Here it is! This is the opportunity to take care of people in need of self-sufficiency.

If we really want to help the poor and at the same time help out country we need to establish some skills training and accountability and separate the broke from those with just poor attitudes. The broke we can make whole again. Those with their hand out not looking to help themselves, not looking for a break, not looking for an opportunity, not looking to change bad life choices and just expecting someone to take care of them will be left to deal with that decision.

We have the opportunity to make poor simply a bad choice and on the other hand help those looking for opportunity to change their situation.

We can either feed the poor until they become completely reliant on someone else to take care of them, or we can teach them how to care for themselves and turn around their lives. Which choice do you think makes the most sense?

Which choice is your business model to get through this recession?