The news media and leftists everywhere jumped on Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson's comments on Wednesday when he called poverty a "state of mind" in a radio interview.

Well, sorry leftists and your media parrots, Ben Carson is correct!

First of all, that wasn't his comment. He said that "a state of mind" was one of the problems, and he did spend a lot of time in his explanation of that point. He also explained where government plays a role in the solution. Gee, the media should have loved that point, instead, they ignored it. But, does anyone expect anything else from America's media? Incomplete quotes. Incomplete investigation. Non-existent introspection [into a comment from someone who knows a lot about the subject]. Desire to be fast and provocative in headlines and stories. Of course not. We have learned to expect all of this from our media. Especially in stories like this on one of the media hot button narrative templates, race, inequality, poverty and anything anti-Trump.

On the subject of poverty, there are two distinct sides to the debate. On the right - these people are just lazy and look for every opportunity to sponge off the government and other people. On the left - these people are all just average Joe's who have fallen on bad luck and need unending amounts of money to solve the problem.

Both of these positions are wrong and should be ignored.

Sure, there are freeloaders who sponge. Sure, there are average Joe's who have fallen on bad luck. But, that is not the problem. Those issues are easily solved. When you characterize all poverty as one of these extremes, then you cannot fix the poverty problem. 50 years of failure should be enough to prove the point for anyone!

Ben Carson grew up in poverty. He grew up in the stereotypical poverty in America today; inner city, single parent, crime, violence and a culture of dependence. He knows exactly what influences the cycle of poverty. Yet, the left, for no more than political reasons, will not listen to the man. And, he is a black man. Fits their race narrative, but, they still won't listen. Why? Because he became successful without blaming anyone. And, he is a Republican! In the Trump administration! OMG! So, the left and the media are required to demonize and be-little him.

Doesn't it make sense to listen to a successful man, a brain surgeon, with his personal experience, and think about what he has to say?

If you want to see a poverty program that is taking on all aspects of the poverty problem without concern for political leanings, check out Catholic Charities Fort Worth. They have partnered with the University of Notre Dame on a exciting new program, Padua, who's goal is to 'end poverty in Fort Worth'. The program is showing strong results initially.

From Business Insider with Carson's more complete Interview answer: