by Rick Lowe

In this bloggers not so humble opinion, this article… by Larry Smith AKA Tough Call… is the best he's written on this difficult subject.

Using the World Banks standard that, “Poverty is hunger and lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job and living one day at a time…poverty is powerlessness and lack of representation.” he notes that "There are probably not many Bahamians who fall into these dismal categories."

I tend to agree.

He continues:

"Three years ago, a government study shed light on the living conditions of Bahamian families for the first time; after interviewing some 2000 householders around the country. The level of absolute poverty was defined for the first time in our history.

"Surprisingly, the main conclusion drawn was that there was very little real poverty in the Bahamas. And the conditions that contribute to it are relatively easy to address. Poverty in the Bahamas was found to be less than in Barbados (with about the same size economy) and also less than in the United States (with its much larger economy)."

Closing the article with the following points from Malcolm Gladwell:

“We are actually powerfully influenced by our surroundings, our immediate context, and the personalities of those around us.” “Taking the graffiti off the walls of New York’s subways turned New Yorkers into better citizens….In the end, tipping points are a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action…With the slightest push – in just the right place – (the world) can be tipped.”

The big question is, and this is where I think we have divergent views, who does the "pushing". Is that the role of the church and other civil society groups or the government? I think the former.

It's worth watching Dr. Richard Ebeling's lecture on the Economics of Liberty and the Welfare State at The Nassau Institute site ( http://www.nassauinstitute.org/articles/article995.php ) for some historical perspective on how we used to be concerned about each other through private charity before the power of the government changed our habits