Hi, David
I agree with you in that gans view is that if we give the undeserving poor a chance, then they will somehow become affluent. In many cases this is true, but this is however capitalist America and if you work hard enough and make good spending decisions then anything is possible, even the undeserving poor becoming affluent. Like Gans stated in his essay the "help" that the poor receive is often a hinderence.