[ksenzee]

> Poor people are mostly poor because of the decisions they make. At least that is my experience.

That's the crux of the question. It might turn out that you were in a pocket of the poorest decision makers around, and that most people will do a lot better than they did. Or it might turn out that you're exactly right, and all we're doing is funding drug dealers and lotteries. That's why we need studies like this.