Interesting, the key to rising out of poverty is property rights. Who'd have thunk it? Oh yeah...our Founding Fathers did!

And why do you think communism wants all property held in common? Because then all are equal in poverty?

I don't know about addresses but I DO know the overwhelming majority of those living in squalor have a criminal government to thank for their lot. Only the ruling class has wealth in Marxist dictatorships. And the American taxpayer is forced to finance the majority of them.

At birth, most of us start out evenly. Then opportunity of birth weighs in. You may have more options - to use or squander. The one without the opportunities will have to work harder to overcome the circumstances of their birth. At this point, the political/social environment in which they live will have a profound effect on any future advances they might or might not make.

Economics as outlined in the Old Testament involves four things:

1) Acknowledgment that everything really belongs to God and we are only stewards of earthly wealth

2) An essential right to property, with equitable portions given out to each family unit/tribe

3) A system for ownership reassignment, back to the original families, of any land that is sold or leased, to be done every 50 years

4) Generosity toward the weakest or most easily exploited members of society, specifically widows, orphans, and foreigners; this also includes fairness in business transactions

And that's about it.

It's interesting how the concept of property rights is so essential to this system. It's also worth noting that only land had to be returned to its original owners; any other wealth that was honestly earned remained the property of its owner, with no mandatory "spreading the wealth around" or forced participation in a communal economy.

Both liberal and conservative Christians seem to lack a basic understanding of these principles.

I should of specified in #2 above, equitable portions of land given out to each tribe (as assigned in the census described in Numbers 1).

I think lack of education is the biggest stumbling block for poor nations. If one can't read than theres not much reason for a mailing address. Without being able to read one also won't be able to fill out the most simplest forms required to start a business or obtain a loan.

The poor stay poor because of greedy power hungry elected fools like Berry Soterrible.

michael L- that's nice to know but Christians like myself are not under the Old Testament covenant, maybe you heard that Jesus Christ came, died and rose again on the third day. We now have a New Covenant.

Whatever the causes of poverty, the solutions available in the US Constitution and the Bill of Right's are, without a doubt, ignored by the leaders of the world's impoverished masses. And with that as a warning I think it's very fair and timely to question the direction that Barackula's boy are taking your waning superpower.

Zaugg, I also heard that He came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. None of the principles I outlined in my comment were invalidated by Christ's death and resurrection. If you disagree, then by all means explain.

I think lack of education is the biggest stumbling block for poor nations

And I think that's a dumb idea espoused by dumb liberals who can't see past their own noses, and whose solution to every problem is to throw money at it. C'mon, seriously, what the hell good is an education to you if you either can't own land or property, or the government is corrupt and arbitrary and can simply take everything you own from you on a whim? Education is great, but it's value rests upon a foundation of freedom, security, and honest government that guarantees that what's yours will stay yours. The only thing an education may give you is the desire to get out of whatever hellhole you happen to be in and go somewhere else. Of course, that really doesn't solve the problem, but then, liberals aren't very good at solving problems, only exacerbating them.