For centuries, societies have wrestled with the same fundamental question: If the world produces enough for everyone, why do so many have so little? Economists, theologians, and philosophers across cultures have reached a similar conclusion: poverty is rarely the result of natural limits. It is the result of human decisions.

Modern data reinforces this truth. The United States today generates more wealth than at any point in its history, yet that wealth is increasingly concentrated at the top. According to federal income statistics, the top 1% now holds more wealth than the entire bottom 90% combined. Meanwhile, wages for middle-income and low-income workers have barely kept pace with inflation over the last four decades, even as productivity has soared. In other words, workers are producing more value than ever, but receiving a shrinking share of the rewards.

This imbalance did not emerge by accident. It is the cumulative result of policy choices, tax codes rewritten to favor capital over labor, loopholes carved out for the wealthy, and repeated rounds of tax cuts that disproportionately benefit those already thriving. Each time lawmakers pass another bill that shifts resources upward, they reinforce a system that contradicts the basic moral intuition shared across belief systems: that human beings deserve fairness, dignity, and the ability to meet their basic needs.

History shows that societies thrive when prosperity is broadly shared. After World War II, for example, the United States experienced decades of strong economic growth, rising wages, and expanding opportunity. Tax rates on the wealthiest households were significantly higher than they are today, yet the economy boomed. Middle-income Americans grew, and wealth, generated by homeownership, expanded. Some Families could afford education, healthcare, and retirement. That era wasn’t perfect, but it demonstrated a simple principle: when the economic foundation is strong for the many, the entire nation benefits.

Contrast that with the present moment. When Congress enacts permanent tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, such as those embedded in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. It widens a gap that was/is already historically large. These cuts reduce federal revenue, making it harder to fund public goods like schools, infrastructure, healthcare, and nutrition programs. The result is predictable: the wealthy gain more financial comfort, while working families face rising costs, shrinking safety nets, and fewer opportunities to build stable lives.

If we accept that the world contains enough for “All,” then we must also confront the uncomfortable truth that inequality is not a natural condition; it is a policy choice. And every time lawmakers choose to prioritize the wealthiest over the well-being of the majority, they choose a future where abundance coexists with unnecessary hardship.

A society that truly believes in fairness, whether grounded in faith, ethics, or simple human decency, cannot ignore the moral implications of policies that enrich a few while leaving millions struggling. The question is not whether we have enough. The question is whether we are willing to build systems that reflect the values that humanity demands.