Rubio on poverty: Solutions, not soft-headed rhetoric or hard-hearted scoffing

Marco Rubio is a bright, articulate man who may- and I say may- be what we need  in the Oval Office. I like the way he thinks.

A couple of things, though. That so many Americans are making more than their parents did at their age completely ignores inflation. And it is simply not true that America is a place where anybody can get ahead.

But then, Sen. Rubio addresses that in the rest of his speech. It's not about the greed of "the one percent." It's not about demonic corporations. It's about the stuff Sen. Rubio describes in this speech: the breakdown of marriage, the evolution of the economy which has left so many behind, and our reliance on stopgap measures rather than pro-active solutions.

This speech is impressive. As the caucuses approach, the polls make me question my support for Jeb, not because I don't still believe in him, but because I wonder whether he's a viable candidate in this crazy and irrational year.

Rubio, on the other hand, is seemingly the only candidate acceptable to me who has a chance. And as I said, I like the way he thinks.

We need solutions, not blubbering or emoting on one hand or mean spirited cliches on the other. And maybe Marco Rubio can supply them.

CEO's ought to make more than thrift shop cashiers. But thrift shop cashiers and their children need to have some hope of some member of the family becoming a CEO some day. That's not happening in America anymore.

I disagree with one thing Sen. Rubio says. The War on Poverty helped countless people to live with some degree of dignity and security. So do the government programs that so many conservatives who are more hard-hearted than hard-headed complain about.

We need something new. And perhaps Marco Rubio can provide solutions for a change.