Comments on: The Poverty Puzzle

By: Nathan Pralle

Nathan Pralle — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:39:32 +0000

Julie: 1) Correct, I wasn’t dissuading people from donating to shelters or banks, but at the same time, I don’t see these actions truly improving the situation as a whole. Sure, it matters locally, but it doesn’t actually come up with a solution to the PROBLEM, and that’s what I’m kinda going for. 2) The question is, would more available and accessible shelters foster more laziness (per point #3)? I don’t know. But sleeping in the cold may be a bit more of a motivator than getting a warm bed every night. Just my first thought, I guess. 3) Agreed that laziness for many is a problem, however, as Marie points out, it isn’t always. So it’s definitely a complex machine to turn around. 4) Agreed on childcare; that’s a big problem for lots of folks. I don’t have a clear solution to that that at the same time discourages from having children if you can’t afford it.

Courtney: I think you’re right for some situations — lazy is a problem. But economics, greed, politics, situations, and all sorts of things present issues. Unfortunately, it’s not a one-solution-fits-all sort of problem.

Marie: Yeah, as you pointed out, there’s a lot of factors at work, and it’s difficult to point all-encompassing fingers at any one or any one thing.

Atlanta: Greed doesn’t care how many workers, only about efficiency. If I can run my business on 15-fewer workers and squeeze the same amount of work out of them, I will — it’s more efficient. Greed comes into play at a universal level because the things I have I am not willing to give up to you if you don’t have them, even if you are worse off than I. Not only are we taught such things (whoever has the most, wins) but it’s part of our survival nature to not just give up what we’ve fought for to others. (You don’t see a lion sharing with hyenas, right?) That’s what I mean by greed playing a role.

By: Atlanta wedding photographer

Atlanta wedding photographer — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:32:06 +0000

I'm not sure that I got what you were saying about greed. Greed doesn't make people poor. That would be silly. It seems that greed would want as many workers so that more production could be made which would result in more money. Greed then pushes everyone to work to make as much as you can. Did I miss anything. Atlanta wedding photographers last blog post..Meaningful Goals, Meaningful Priorities, and a Meaningful Life

By: Marie

Marie — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:42:31 +0000

It’s not all about laziness. My family recieves food stamps because my
dad, who was the main source of income in my family, was put in prison a year ago.
Michigan, where I live,is in economic turmoil and has one of the highest (it might have THE highest)
amount of unemployed people. Plus, when life takes a big steaming dump on you
it’s not always easy to rise to the top so quickly without help. My mom lost her full-time job
due to situations not in her control and she is 52. Now, who wants to hire
a 52 year old woman with only extensive, specialized skills and no fancy BA? No one here.
Employers are going for the young degree-holders (barely), not
the older people who might be a liability, who cost more. So it was hard for my mom to
get a job that paid a living wage. We had to turn to assistance, even with me working full time and my 17 year
old brother doing what he could to support his family. So there are people who actually
need the help. Are there people who abuse the system? Of course. When I worked as a cashier
I saw people buying mostly junk food with their food stamps and not wholesome food for
their families. But that’s human nature. Greed. There will always be folks who abuse
it. But you have to think of those who are in need.
I myself used to think that people who got government assistance didn’t want to put
in the effort to make more money. “They’re just sitting at home, doing nothing, feeding
their kids Kraft Macaroni and makin’ more babies”. Now that I work two jobs, one full time and the other part
time, along with my mom and brother to keep our house, we know that it’s not always the case.
I wish the attitude toward government assistance wasn’t always that people are lazy and wont
help themselves. One should assume first that the aid is needed.
It’s about being understanding and seeing the larger picture.
I appreciate the work it takes to put food on the table but I also know that you
sometimes need some help to get by and I’m thankful every day for it.
Another thing: Food stamps aren’t always something you can live off. You’re not
getting a free ride.
The amount you get depends on how much money you make.
If you make an amount monthly that the government deems you can live off, you’ll only
maybe get $50-$100 a month for a family of three or four. So it’s not like the government
is handing people these HUGE SPECIAL CHECKS that everyone else should be envious about.
“Here! Go by 500 boxes of pizza rolls and pixie sticks!
Just what you wanted!”
It’s more like “Hmm..how can I make this $100/$50/$200 last a month with a huge
teenage boy and two other mouths to feed?” Plus, most government checks/food cards
don’t cover anything else but food items. No diapers. No dog food.
No toilet paper. So believe me, we’re not getting anything
special here. We still have to work for the extra money, ironically.
It’s not a desirable situation.
I think it’s great that there is help for those who know they can seek it.
Foreclosure is a huge problem here and I know banks and companies are working hard
to help people stay in their homes. Our bank had a program that allowed us to cut
our house payment nearly in half!
Sure, you can say GO TO COLLEGE, but frankly, my friends who have BA/MAs are
making less than me here. Most are moving out of state. Sometimes you can’t
always grab life by the balls. We have No Worker Left Behind Act where the state
of Michigan will pay for your technical education. This way you can go find a job
here and be productive. But..it’s all about FINDING a job in the first place and
that’s another story.
Troubled times, indeed, but there are ways you can help yourself.
I agree with Julie when she said there needs to be more places for the homeless to go.
There needs to be more help for those that are struggling and these people need to know
where to go to get help or to seek advice. Bottom up or top to bottom.
That’s just my two-cents and I’ve been saving those up for a while

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:36:29 +0000

I'm completely uneducated when it comes to economic policies and why things work the way they do, but, I think for some people, it is about laziness. Poverty is easy. Okay, this is coming out wrong. But I think you know what I mean. You go to the food bank and you get some food. The government sends you a check and some food stamps and then you make some more coin by standing on a street corner with a cardboard sign. I don't know. I'm just cynical, I think. And making umbrella statements. Courtneys last blog post..My Husband, The Animal Rights Activist

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:39:44 +0000

Wow! This is a huge topic. Some of what you wrote I agree with and some I don’t. We’ll see how far I get.

1) I worry that some people will read this and think that their donations to food banks, homeless shelters, and job training options are not good. I don’t think that is what you meant. I think this is just not the ideal because that means that system is failing.

2) I have never understood why we cannot build more homeless shelters so people start out with having a place to go out of the elements. When people have a place to come home to, take a shower, and get a good night’s sleep, I think that many other daily life processes become easier.

3) While greed might prevent people from sharing their wealth with others, I also believe that laziness has been coddled too long. I do believe that every person can hold a job, including those who have reduced physical or mental function. I pose stuff envelopes and raking leaves as an example. There is a reason that people who are willing to work more than one job are less likely to stay in poverty is because they are not lazy. That said I do think that there are several infrastructure supports that could be put in place to help people continue to progress. One – job training: this does not necessarily mean classes but perhaps on the job training provided by companies who receive tax breaks, etc to provide this service. Two – Child care so parents don’t have to worry about where their child is after school or before school or make sure they are in school. Three – acknowledge as a society that we have to pay jobs that need to be done well enough for people to live on.

4) I also think that if people sleep from 10pm-6am, work from 7am-3:30pm, take a learning opportunity from 3:30pm-5pm (including household budgeting, healthy meals and cooking, child development, etc.), and then intern from 6-10pm; that some people could be actively progressed from homelessness to basic living.

Anyway, I have to go, but perhaps I will check in again to write more.