What to do about child poverty

This morning, I listened to The Morning Show  [CBC Matt galloway] who had as his guest Armine Yalnizyan  [http://www.policyalternatives.ca/authors/armine-yalnizyan], and  economist from the leftist Center of Policy Alternatives. Armine claimed that 1 in 7 children live in poverty. Knowing that Armine is a socialist who is very much interested in using issues like child property as a vehicle for achieving her visions of government-controlled income distribution from the so-called "rich"  to the so-called "poor", I see this claim as bogus,  However, child poverty exists. To the extent that it does exist, it is a serious issue and worthy of discussion and our attention.

Last night, in a conversation with my wife who is Principal of a public school, she described what she stands for as the leader of her school - to ensure that EVERY student can be the best that they can be so that they can become productive, law-abiding contributors to society throughout their lifetimes. She also said that NO  child should be left behind and that every teacher and school demonstrator must do everything possible to ensure that each and every child achieve their potential.

While Armine's statistics on child poverty may be exaggerated for political purposes, my wife's professional goals are to be supported. It is in everyone's  best interests that every member of society become an economically productive citizen and, as unpleasant as the truth may be, there are some members of society who lack the resources to do much more than simply survive with in our increasingly specialized and automated employment markets. 

I believe that they strong private sector - one that is freed from unnecessary and counter-productive government interference -  is the best medicine to cure poverty for the majority of our citizens. To be realistic, however, I know that not everyone will benefit from the benefits of this vision. To the extent that some people will be unable to participate, solutions must be found so that no one gets left behind.

It is in the best interests of the Ontario Libertarian Party to address child poverty in its platform. I encourage our members to contribute ideas to a discussion on this topic. Non-OLP members are welcome to the discussion.

Please participate.