And it's wrong. There is an overwhelming religious mandate, often ignored by fundamentalists, to alleviate the plight of those who are in need. I think the greatest challenge we face is the growing chasm between the rich and poor people on earth.

I agree, the religious conservatives look morally bankrupt if they ignore this as a political platform.

I will never understand why governments let this happen, there must be a way in a rich country to get everyone off the poverty line. Its disgusting and greedy.

Governments represent in the sense of re-present the views of the people, like newspapers and tv news etc. They can safely ignore the plight of the poor and the marginalised because the 'people' do not make issues prominent. For instance among the majority it is easier to blame the poor, the vulnerable, the excluded for their plight. All we can do who are different is our best to provoke the issues into prominence. And, of course, daily be grateful for our own relative safety if we have it and help down and dirty with individuals who haven't. And when we ourselves are down on our luck to be happy to know that in real life there are those who will help us.

When you think about it, in today's world, there is no reason for this. The only thing that makes this a reality is GREED. Greed is a fundamental part of our world society and it is ingrained in each of us. To reach the next level of society people will ned to overcome greed and material wealth. This goes for both the haves and the have-nots.
Only after material wealth has been overcome will humans evolve to the next level of enlightenment.
The one who dies with the most toys doesn't win. At what point will possesions be the deciding factor if faced with global destruction.
I can't fix this but I'll bet if enough people gave it enough thought a solution could be reached.