The poverty rate today is almost exactly where it was in 1965, perhaps even slightly higher. A person's willingness to spend government funds on aid programs is not evidence that the person is himself compassionate. It is a mistake to use a person's political beliefs as the litmus test of his compassion. You might also inquire into how he responds to the needs of his relatives, friends and neighbors. True compassion is a bulwark of strong families and communities, of liberty and self-reliance, while the false compassion of the second usage is fraught with great danger and dubious results.
True compassion is people helping people out of a genuine sense of caring and brotherhood.
It is not asking your legislator or congressman to do it for you. True compassion comes from your heart, not from the state or federal treasury. True compassion is a deeply personal thing, not a check from a distant bureaucracy. Lawrence W. Reed is president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Midland, Michigan-based research and educational organization. This article appeared in the March '97 Georgia Policy Review.