"The poor shall never cease out of the land，" according to the<br >Bible. Rather than being a pessimistic forecast， this prophecy is<br >recognition that each society defines poverty in its own terms.<br > Poverty is a relative concept. It is primarily for this reason that in<br >the richest country in the world， one person in eight can be designated<br >as poor. In less affluent countries， poverty is equated with living at the<br >brink of subsistence. In this country， even the lowest-income families<br >are rarely confronted with the specter of starvation， though many are<br >the victims of an inadequate diet.<br > Inequality is a problem in all societies at all times. No system<br >distributes income evenly， nor necessarily should it. The reasons for<br >this inequality of income are many. Some are worthy and some are<br >unconscionable， but the trends are remarkably constant. Income<br >distribution today is little different from the pattern just after World<br >War II. The poorest 20 percent of all families receive only about one-<br >third the money income of the top 5 percent， and there is some<br >evidence that these figures may actually understate the full extent of<br >inequality.<br ><br >