The ‘Risk’ of Being Poor

One of the big questions I have is- Why are there so many 'poor' in this country? We spend billions on education and there are many different types of professional schools, there are millions of dollars in grants and scholarships so why are so many unable to find work, even in good times? I taught 7th grade in a middle class area and so many of my students just refused to do anything productive in class or at home. Parents seemed ok with this because nothing ever happened after the hours we spent counseling with them. These students may have graduated with d's and have a high school dipolma but they have no real knowledge, no work ethics, no ambitions and very little common sense. They have no idea of how to look, act or fill out a form