contra impoverishment(ideological and otherwise)

Food for thought...some quotes that I discovered recently:

"beware those who either detest poverty or are proud of it"
--Charles Bukowski, from "the genius of the crowd"
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"Before I got into the music business, I was determined
to live a life of dire and grinding poverty. I remember my
uncle saying, 'You are so proud of being poor - what’s so
great about poverty? You would do a lot better to be a
little more industrious, a little more frugal. If you’re really
concerned about the poor, becoming poor isn’t going to
help them, it’s just going to ease your conscience. If you’re
really concerned about the poor, go out and make a fortune
and spend it on them'"

"To take pride in poverty is equally as wicked as taking pride
in wealth."

--both quotes from Rich Mullins (Christian singer/songwriter)
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Mullins for his bio, etc.