why do the poor suffer so needlessly in this country,when we spend billions to help others,we ignore our own?
406798
Because our country is currently run by Republicans, who historically could care less about the plight of the poor and helpless.  The mindset is: "If I can be wealthy without government handouts, then everyone else can too."  They can't see that the American dream does NOT exist for a lot of people, especially minorities, and that some people have many more obstacles than White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.  It's really sad.  Hopefully we can get some Democrats in office who can help provide good legislation to help the poor and suffering.
489123
The poor need compassion when they're part of the [social] world, not after they leave it behind them, because by then it may be too late.\n\nTreat people well before they feel rejected, and help them out of rejection, but don't give handouts which only justify their position as poor. Help them be truly wealthy by improving their feeling of their benefit to others, not others benefit to them.
1031094
It's easy to 'assume' that everyone who receives assistance is just lazy and that no one suffers from any circumstances that requires our society to help them. It is the perfect perception and makes it a lot easier on the rest of us to feel good about ourselves.\n\nBut in fact, bad things do happen to good people sometimes and there are those who are neither lazy or trying to steal your pennies who do need some assistance.\n\nBut then again, are you your brother's keeper?\n\nProbably not.
1116648
You've got some really great answers on here. I'm an especially big fan of "it's there own fault they are poor." Spelling on that would be "their" by the way. I just love these generalized comments. They don't take into consideration people who lost jobs, people who were abandoned at birth and never received a proper education but were continuously passed through our foster care system or elderly folks who never had a chance to save because their money went to their families and now they can't survive on a Social Security check. Nice empathy there.
1142927
Because our government isn't about alleviating poverty.  Its about getting government off the backs of the rich.
403368
There are many honest charities that work to help people in poor countries like Africa, one of the major ones is Feed the Children.  I don't know how good they are, since I have not donated any money to them yet.  Maybe if you are worried about how the money is spent, you could donate some money to the homeless and starving in your own country, or find a reputable organization that donates 100% of the money to children in poor countries.  There's also the Make-a-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to kids who have uncurable diseases.
520368
it's true what you are saying about people taking advantage...but not everybody ...some people are really poor and need the help..laws just have to catch those that take advantage of welfare ..because not everybody should pay....the laws need to tighten up on those individuals...that are taking advantage...but give welfare to the poor especially with really sick parent that cannot work,and need food for their children.
536703
People say giving aid to third world countries is ineffective as it is spent ad used up.  A lot of the time aid goes to the government, and the governments are often corrupt and spend the aid without it every getting to the normal people.  A lot of people prefer sending tools and animals as aid so money is not just spent.
1162749
Money isn't why some people are poor and have no jobs (which is still bogus, because they COULD go out and get a job).  Greed and human gluttony is the real problem.  Blaming money for starving people is like blaming your pencil for misspelling a word.
267504
The more "rich" countries have used and abused the more poor countries, after sucking up all their resources they leave them high-and-dry. Its so easy to ignore the rest of the world unless they have something you want, IE: oil, coal, coco beans, rice, cattle, etc.
196991
Because you can't exchange love for goods.\n\nFace it. We all need goods to survive. Long time ago, we used to exchange goods for goods. Now we exchange money for goods, so everyone needs to get money to get goods.\n\nDon't frown on people that don't *give* freely. We all work hard to provide for ourselves and our loved ones. The world is simply too big and the goods to scarce for people to just start *giving* out of the blue. Factor in there that there are many bad people out there too.\n\nIf you are desperate need of economic aid, there are many foundations out there that can give you and your family a hand. You also gotta try to get yourself outta the gutter... try to learn some skills and qualify for a job and work it up from there. You might say it's hard... but what's easy in this world?
582444
We have poor in this country, like the poor victims of Katrina. Why would I send my money to Mexico when there are people that need it here.
415473
Life is mean to people that don't have also, or in other terms "poor people", because people don't understand things they don't know. People are all for themselves these days. They are all about bettering themselves, and their family. They don't care about anyone else, and you are a "poor person", then you can't do anything for them so they don't care about you, therefore run over you. Since America is based on money, and money only these days. If you have a lot of money you can do a lot of things. Why...... because America is based on money, which is a good thing for the people who have the money, but It's LIFE for the people who don't
1085507
Hunger and poverty will always be around, but their burden can be lessened significantly.  While we cling to our faith that government will deliver us, provided that we let ourselves be taxed to death, no great dent can be put in the global issues of poverty and hunger.  \nWelfare and foreign aid do nothing but give harmful bureaucracies more and more power to abuse.  Such programs look good, but they create a system of force: govt steals from us, calling it compassion, making us victims who "gave at the tax office" and perpetuates a dependency on legalised theft.  That is not "social responsibility"!  This is a perversion of the concept of compassion, of charity, but as long as we trust religion and/or government to rescue us, there is no real help for the poor.  \n\nCompassion, NOT compulsion.  http://www.bureaucrash.com/
1062289
first guy is right. sad.\nbut the underdeveloped nations benefit from them also cause the \nlabor they get from them is higher than what they can earn from their own country
1154234
There are 2 kinds of people.  Those who help.  Those who hurt.  Either way, we all are the same in our needs for food, shelter, money, achievement (recognition).  So we take care of our needs either legitimately without hurting others, or we take from others and eventually pay the price (prison or blown away).  The best we can do is live our lives positively, make up our own minds and not ever let anyone else make us afraid or keep us from doing what we want to do.  Bad things happen to good people.  We need to stay mostly alert and aware.
1177441
You are right.  Charity begins at home.  Look after our own FIRST and then when they are taken care of, we can look past our borders and if our own are looked after, there will be that many more Americans to help others in the world.  I feel bad for Americans who can't get the basics that we freely give to illegal immigrants and to other nations in the world.  I think our government is too busy trying to "look good" to other nations by being so generous to others.  Look at our own victims of the hurricanes last year - most of them haven't been helped properly yet!  Clean up our own back yard before we start helping the neighbours so much.