I don't think raising awareness about poverty necessarily equals "looking for a handout." Investing in education and health care, for example, can affect poverty and pertain to us all. This gets to Biden's question/statement re: our faltering sense of solidarity- do we have a duty to our country to pay more in taxes? BTW at least one person provide housing for a poor person, my mom! Finally, obesity is an issue in the poor community b/c of the diet dispropoprtionately consumed by poor folks. To assume someone is doing ok b/c they are fat is a serious mistake.