Why do we want to maintain a system that keeps us poor?

You know, I've come to accept that I'm a bleeding heart liberal.  I really try to care more about people than things.  When I get a pay check, I feel guilty that there are those out there without a job, or for those who are underemployed. And even though I give as much as I feel that I can away, I am overwhelmed at how little my donation is able to relieve over all poverty.

This seems to be the point of view of many liberals who try to equalize a sytem that only benefits a rather small portion of society.

In a free market workers are not people, they are merely inputs to production.  A free market seeks to find inputs at the cheapest possible price, and this pushes wages lower and lower.  Already wages at the lowest levels are lower than what it costs the worker to provide the labor. 

In my opinion one of the biggest problems facing our country is that our workforce is not being paid an honest wage for honest labor, they are being paid less, and expected to produce more.  Because employers do not compensate workers fairly, it then falls to the government to fill that gap.  Many of our safety net programs, like housing assistance, and food stamps and WIC, go to individuals who are working and not getting enough from full time work to make ends meet. 

I'm tired of seeing poverty in my community, that was aggrevated by a market.  A market, that while beneficial, works by keeping people poor so that they are willing to work below cost.  Giving the market incentives to create more of these types of jobs will only make the problem worse even if the market gets better.