Do you think poverty is a byproduct of society? What role if any should government play to reduce it?

When oligarchs control resources, they [can] create economic classes like we have today.

There are some cultures where poverty, or prosperity, is still directly linked to where on the social ladder you are born. Caste systems do still exist.

In the US I do not accept that is a set in stone reality. Anyone that is willing to get an education and apply them self can rise to a comfortable standard of living. Social and economic conditions make that easier for some than others, but if people from disadvantaged areas will reject certain behaviors and work for their betterment it can be done.

I don't know how the government can play an effective role in the process other than providing access to educational opportunities. I just don't see it as the government's job to drag people up to any particular standard of living. Though I am not sure that certain governmental policies are not designed to keep people in poverty and thus dependent on government programs for subsistence.