What does “There’s a Machine here” actually mean?

It means that the driving force under and behind poverty is mechanistic. It’s always working, and it doesn’t have down days.

Where did this Machine come from?

It was developed over time. It became a driving part of the U.S. Economy about 200 years ago when multiple industrial, shipping and financial systems were integrated. We will cover its origin and evolution in more detail later.

What does this Machine do?

In short, it creates poverty - then it consumes poor people’s lives to extract profit. We call it the “System that Profits from Poverty”.

Why don’t most people see poverty this way?

There’s a good reason for that. It’s well hidden.

First, the machine in question has been around for a long time – in its current shifting form since around 1800 – and it’s seen many attacks on its continued existence.

It uses part of its substantial profits to create “protective processes” that neutralize any attempts to compromise its effectiveness.

Some of these protections are social confusion and distraction. Others include blame and conflict. It’s a very successful, continually updated, PR campaign designed to foster misinformation and misdirection while rendering change efforts ineffectual. And by making itself appear all-powerful, we feel powerless to change it.

So fostering a sense of powerlessness is part of what this machine does?

Yes. Because if most of us feel powerless then what better protection for the system?

Also, it’s invisible?

For the most part, yes – many don’t even know there’s a machine in play.

So where do we start to end poverty?

We’ll get to that – but first, let’s review where to NOT start.

Finger-pointing!

Below are three of the major reasons that we do not point fingers or blame poverty on people or companies.

1. It’s counterproductive:

   1. The poverty system is designed to absorb energy, including opposition.

   2. It’s myopic – a form of tunnel vision.

   3. It’s been tried over and over.

2. It’s divisive:

   1. Conflict repels almost all potential participants and allies.

   2. It arbitrarily creates “good and bad” people.

   3. It calls up the concepts of “guilt, shame and atonement” none of which is appealing.

3. It’s inaccurate:

   1. It misses the target where change is readily available.

   2. The system is layered, tangled, and deliberately opaque.

   3. The real opportunities come with in-depth understanding of:

      1. The system’s motivation

      2. Mechanisms

      3. History

OK – that makes sense. What’s next?

As you know, our company is founded on the belief that together we can End Poverty in One Generation.

Yes - That’s a big statement.

It is – and we didn’t pull this goal out of thin air.

So where did it come from?

It came from deep research into poverty, the poverty system’s motivation, mechanisms, and history.

And it came from our understanding of where society and business are today - what’s within our collective reach and how to use technology to get there.

So you’re saying your team knows that Ending Poverty in One Generation is possible and you have a plan to get there.

Yes.

First – as a team, we started this work seven years ago. And as individuals, we bring decades of experience, insight, and passion to address poverty in a new way.

Second – we based our approach, which we call “reverse-engineering poverty” on an in-depth socio-cultural history of the U.S., This Land Is Your Land, written by my co-CEO Rodney over the past 10 years.

Third – rather than every instance of poverty, what we’re ending is the “system that creates and profits from poverty”; something we believe is achievable in one generation. Later, we’ll explore examples of how embedded this system is and how it works.

Fourth – in the process, we will alleviate poverty for millions of people using our Level UP Apps, tools that allow them to bypass systemic barriers and “Level UP” out of poverty.

Fifth – in order to deliver and implement these solutions, we harness the goodwill and enlightened self-interest of more than 250,000 companies who want to, and are 100% ready to, participate on this journey.

Thanks Paul. You mentioned “address poverty in a new way”. That might be useful to expand on.

Sure. As most everyone knows, billions of dollars are spent annually on assisting people in poverty, and millions of people work daily on the variegated issues that drive people into poverty. This is essential and often selfless work.

Our work addresses the system that creates and maintains poverty, while empowering many of the people who live under its influence.

By the way, I’ll be introducing several new concepts that may be unfamiliar, so consider this a big-picture overview. It won’t answer every question. We will soon dig deeper with more background, examples of barriers, our Level UP Apps, and real-life stories.

Ok – I look forward to that too. For now, back to what makes your approach different.

Our solution combines an engineering approach and a classic conflict resolution approach.

We developed this because the machine or the system that profits from poverty has:

• a structure,

• a persona, and

• a history of successfully defending itself.

Here are our starting points:

• Identify the right problem: We’ve done historical research and identified the system that profits from poverty as the source and driver of poverty today.

• Understand the underlying processes: We’ve carefully researched the system that profits from poverty and its successful transformation over time.

• Don’t underestimate the system’s resourcefulness: This embedded system has been under attack for hundreds of years. No attack has even slowed it down. Its profits ensure its protection. For this reason, we will not attempt to change the system until we are well down the road to success, and then it automatically changes from within.

• Use the system’s strengths to our advantage: The system that profits from poverty has organized poverty and how poor people must interact with it. We can use its structure to intercept its processes and help people bypass its barriers.

• Embrace everyone: This includes the central tenants of our company:

  • No conflict, no finger-pointing.* Poverty is created by a system and not by companies or people.

  • We seek to create a no-blame welcoming environment and build the ethos of we’re all in this together.

  • We focus on our precise solutions and fitting them into the systems that already exist.

  • We convert no one, we use the communities already aligned with our ethos which is “people first” and “share the benefits” and can help us achieve our outcome which is to “End Poverty in One Generation”.

* Here's a story of how this philosophy enables positive change.

“John Lewis, when describing how he and Albert Bigelow were beaten in Rock Springs when they were Freedom Riders said, “Some police officers (including Elwin Wilson) came up and asked us whether we wanted to press charges. We said no. We come in peace, love, and nonviolence.”

That would be the seed that led to Elwin’s apology, 50 years later, for having been one of the men who attacked them.

• We all rise together: Successful movements and major change require big-picture thinking. This means we see everyone and every organization in our path as a potential ally. This allows for unexpected shifts and larger outcomes. It can bring contribution and participation from all quarters.

Thanks, Paul.

This was a good introduction to “The Machine” behind poverty and provides more insight into your mission.

And “We all rise together” is a good place to end this section.