America Won't Get Rich by Relying on the Permanent Poor

America Won't Get Rich by Relying on the Permanent Poor

America is a land of class mobility. That's what makes America a magnet destination for people all over the world: Come to America and make something of yourself. If you want great welfare benefits, try to bust into Europe; if you want to work for a living and get rich, come to the United States.

But for some Americans, there is no class mobility. There is a permanent economic underclass, and those who inhabit it have no ability to rise above their fiscal fate.

There is a reason for that: They make bad decisions.

Take, for example,...