Radley Balko over at reason does a fine job skewering the idea that poverty somehow brings people together.
Let's put this idea -- rooted in a Jesus-at-the-temple ethos against material wealth, and often embraced by people who have never been poor -- to a common-sense test.
The poorest parts of this country, or your city: how do they rate in terms of violence and social discord? How does that compare to the wealthiest parts?
How about the stability of family in those areas? In fact, marriage and income remain closely correlated.
When the return on investment for crime rises, such as in situations of economic frustration and hoplessness, do we expect it to rise or to fall?
I put this is the same bucket as those who seek to "protect" native cultures from the ravages of economic progress. As if people choose to live in mud huts when they have other options.
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