No matter who tells you differently, the “hav’s” and the “have nots” will never get along. 

There cant be really wealthy people living happily ever after with really really poor people, it has never worked, but we just keep lying to ourselves in America that it can work. This is another one of those inconvenient truths that nobody wants to talk about because it opens up issues which are very hard to address, and although we make a great effort to help our fellow Americans who are in need, and fall upon hard times, we have always come up short.  

This issue is most complicated for practical reasons.There is a reason the rich want to hold onto their money.  There is a reason why poor people want more money. 

This problem is complicated, as with the other main ingredients we face. Like the others, it will not go away until we take to our heart and minds two things: 

Poverty in America is not someone else's problem, it is all of our problem, as Americans.

If we followed the natural law, we would seek to moderate disparities in life experience until we can achieve some acceptable happy medium, a more balanced approach.

******* (commentary; helpful context; im quite sure that teachers of this curriculum, who are being asked to create a curriculum within a curriculum, are intelligent enough to make the point). 

This does not mean that anything is broken with our current system.  It's not our laws that are broken, it’s the detachment from our moral duties (to self and others) which needs correction. We can have a merit based system and still be compassionate. It requires that we work together:being bigger people place our approach and our outlook to our whole lives in a context of the natural laws.

If we did this: we would easily create a better understanding between the rich and the poor, we would take down some of the fences and barriers to communication which would make the rich and poor come to a wide range of agreements, and policies, which would heal our divided nation. 

Those who could do more, would find it in themselves to do more, and those in need would not turn to looting in the streets and criminal behavior which is NOT helping their cause -extreme behaviors are unnatural on both sides of this problem. Extreme behaviors and positions widen the divide and only make the wealth gap worse.   Poverty is not a governmental problem, it's a moral problem, it’s a values problem.  Once we all understand that, we might finally get to the hard work of fixing it, and bridging the divides so that people live with less resentment and anger toward one another.  

Just like we don’t do enough to help fellow Americans overcome trauma, and to now blame themselves, we don't do enough to help people overcome the traumas of poverty.  We come to expect doing what we can, but never enough, as the American way of life. We come up short because we lack the underlying belief system which would give us the commitment. 

The general morality training that courses like this one provide, should result in long term sustainable improvement in this area.  

A belief in natural laws would have us believe that our compassion towards those who have less than we do, is our pathway, and is not a burden.  But right now in America we do NOT teach, learn or follow the guidance of natural laws.  This is why we have the terribly divided, and confusing society we have. - for so long.  

Our founders thought that Free markets can exist cohesively with an “egalitarian” approach to organized government. In 18th century America, the people placed a barometer of compassion at the forefront of our approach to government and politics; they knew that it wouldn't work unless each citizen was obsessed with morality.

Until we truly face up to the great difference in life experience between the ultra rich and ultra poor in this country, and make a concerted effort to address it, by various means, which are not anti american, not anti freedom, and not pro “socialism” we will never heal what is broken in America.

Resources: 5000 Year Leap by Skousen. 28 principles This resource explains the founders intent - most important is the recognition that free markets, and maximum liberty of masses of people require a moral people  or only a few wind up with the benefits.

Question; how have we lost the balance intended by the founders? Have adults in our society, and society overall become less moral? Less giving? Less compassionate? 

Is it possible that we can have less government programs, and more equal life experiences, if we were more committed to doing the right thing by those who need more than we do?

Discussion quotations: 

• “Courage is not only one of the great virtues. It is the form of all virtue at its testing point.” cs lewis

• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" Bible Verses; Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6;31

• "A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." dwight eisenhower