Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has a proposal for former U.S. Sen. John Edwards — the self-appointed spokesman for anti-poverty efforts.

Gingrich outlined his proposal today during a John Locke Foundation Headliner luncheon in Charlotte.

Here’s my proposition for Sen. Edwards. I did an event with him recently in Los Angeles, and he talked about the passion he has to do something about poverty. And I think it’s very helpful and very noble that he has picked a topic that should matter to every American — both morally and in terms of our competing in the world.

But my proposition is very straight-forward. We know what works on the planet. We know that the work ethic works. We know that private property works. We know that the rule of law and independent judges work. We know that lower taxes — so people have more money in their own pocket, so they have a greater incentive to be creative and to work hard and to be entrepreneurs — works.

We know this because in 1960, South Korea and Ghana had the same per capita income. Today, South Korea is the 11th wealthiest nation in the world and a center of high technology. We know that because 20 years ago, the average Mexican had twice the income of the average South Korean. Today, South Koreans have twice the income of Mexicans. Well, you could say that’s just a unique country.

I’m half Irish. Twenty years ago, Ireland had a lower per capita income than Germany — by a big margin. Last year, Ireland had a higher per capita than Germany by a big margin. And the Bundesband has written that they expect Ireland to become the second-wealthiest nation in the world after the United States. And I can tell you as someone who’s an O’Dougherty, that’s inconceivable!

Ireland for 200 years exported its children all over the world because there were no jobs. What happened? They lowered taxes dramatically, they welcomed foreign investment, and they dramatically overhauled their schools so they worked, so their children can actually work in the modern world.

And so I would start by suggesting to Sen. Edwards that I agree with his concern — but that we have a profound difference about how the world works. My solution to poverty in America is simple and will sound like Reagan — which means the Left will ridicule it. And that is, I would like to see everyone who is currently poor become successful so they rose to middle-class standards, so there was nobody left who was poor because everybody was successful. (Applause)

The Left would like to transfer wealth to them in their poverty so they would make poverty more comfortable. That is exactly wrong. It’s morally wrong.

…

I think we’d have a lot of fun if Sen. Edwards would be willing to have a dialogue about whether conservative principles applied to saving the poor work better than liberal bureaucracies that clearly today are failing the poor. And that might be a very creative conversation that moves America a little further down the road toward genuinely helping people who currently can’t pursue happiness very well. 

Gingrich says he would look forward to working with the John Locke Foundation to make that dialogue happen.