It was just last night that I first heard about the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

John Edwards was Jon Stewart’s guest on The Daily Show. Edwards has said for some time now that it is morally wrong for a wealthy country such as the United States to have millions of people working full time and still living in poverty. His leadership role (a two-year, part-time position) at the Center on Poverty involves study of the causes of poverty, development of 21st century ideas for what can be done about poverty, and keeping the issue as a priority in public policy and awareness. Edwards sees a post-Katrina window of opportunity that might stay open or might be transient.

I like the fact that Edwards calls poverty a moral issue. He seems more interested in making a difference than in making excuses.