I think poverty is a byproduct of our fallen nature. People aren't perfect and the governments - which are just institutions created by people - reflect this. That being said, there are some inherent issues is a government trying to solve poverty - the scale is too great and their methods tend to be very inefficient. On a local level, things can be handled more properly, but very few people are willing to contribute the resources necessary to attack this problem. I'm sure that it can be reduced by a greater degree, but I think the poor will always be with us.