An Arkansas representative who wrote on Twitter over the weekend that poverty is a "personal choice" has apologized for the post, saying it was "poorly worded."
State Rep. Stephen Meeks, R-Greenbrier, said in a comment posted Saturday on the social media site that being poor "in America is a personal choice, unless there are mitigating circumstances."
"A homeless man can go to school, get a job driving a truck making $70k per year and in 20 years become a millionaire," Meeks wrote in the Twitter post. "In America you can work hard and change your future -- if you chose."
Meeks said Monday that he originally wrote the post in response to a woman who said she was poor because of the government.
"I understand that there can be situations where there's health issues, addiction, family circumstances, things like that," said the four-term legislator, who is also a Papa John's Pizza delivery driver. "But I also know from personal experience that someone in poverty can change that and change their life."
Meeks deleted the post after receiving thousands of replies in response, many of which were critical. He said he deleted the post because "things were getting out of hand."
"A lot of those responses were negative," he said. "Unfortunately people took the intent and twisted it."
Blake Rutherford, an Arkansas native and political commentator who served as an adviser to three attorneys general, said in a Twitter post that Meeks has "no business serving in the legislature."
Jesse Gibson, president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and chairman of Little Rock Parks and Recreation, wrote that Meeks' comment was "the most tone deaf, insensitive, and clueless statement imaginable."
Actor George Takei also weighed in, calling Meeks a "completely moronic and out-of-touch representative."
Meeks continued to post throughout Saturday asserting instances in which the poor became wealthy, including a series of "myths" and "truths."
He tweeted again Sunday morning, describing the original post as a "poorly worded tweet expressing my belief in the American dream."
"Based on the responses there are a lot of people who believe the American dream is out of reach," he added. "That is something we need to change. I apologize to anyone I offended that was not my intent."
Some on Twitter continued to criticize Meeks, writing that his apology did not address his assertion that those in poverty choose to be there.
Billy Fleming, an Arkansas native and former member of the White House Domestic Policy Council, wrote that the "wording wasn't the problem."
"The sentiment that poor people are poor because they're somehow defective was," Fleming wrote.
State Desk on 11/20/2018