The poor are…

The poor are lazy, stupid, drug addled – and it is their fault they find themselves in poverty. There are plenty of examples of people that have lifted themselves out of poverty… think Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner in the movie “Pursuit of Happiness” or Oprah, how about JK Rowling?

First of all, Gardner found himself impoverished (but for the grace of God go I) due to a bad business strategy. He had demonstrated the skills and drive necessary to be middle class prior to falling back. Oprah and Rowling on the other hand were gifted with a remarkable talent. That talent combined with a drive to succeed placed them in the top 1%. There are many examples of gifted people that work hard to hone their skills that escape poverty, so the logical conclusion is that anyone can escape poverty.

Using that logic, I should be Albert Einstein and each and every one of us in the top 5% income bracket should be titans of industry, inventors or President of the United States, since we started from a better position on the track of life. Clearly we cannot hold the poor to this standard.

Academic studies demonstrate the difficulties faced by the poor when trying to lift themselves out of their desperate situation, so can we blame them for not solving an impossible problem?

“A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent) — a country famous for its class constraints.” ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/us/harder-for-americans-to-rise-from-lower-rungs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 )

Previous studies have shown that wealth is a greater predictor of standardized test scores than race; the test-score gap between high and low-income students is now nearly double the gap between blacks and whites.

Is our reason for harboring this belief on the poor’s work ethic a salve we use to soothe our guilt, a mask to hide from our responsibilities to relieve the suffering of our fellow man?

It is time to lift the mask and recognize our responsibility to those that live in a chronic state of need for food and shelter

Some of my beliefs on poverty….

I believe that many of the poor suffer from a poor starting point, which leaves them unable to make the “right decisions”, perpetuating failure and leading to hopelessness.

            Princess is a 20yr old mother of 3, each from a different father. When asked if she understood her situation she was quite clear it was bad. When asked why, she said she had hoped each of the men would help her get out of her bad situation. She was contending with a history of an abusive home life, being a single parent of a family of 3 and the loneliness of deciding how to get a better future for her children. She knows she screwed up but has no idea how to fix her situation.

I believe that at some point being hopeless and desperate creates a cynicism that overwhelms common sense and emotions, leading to accelerate anti-social behaviors such as drugs, crime, and the abuse of their own children, which will perpetuate the cycle.

            Princess’s mom, Grandma to the 3 children, is just 16 years older than Princess. She is a mother of 4 and has a history of drug use, arrests for petty theft, dealing, and prostitution. She sees her minor children as a source of money and is willing to help with Princess’s children as long as the checks come with the kids.

I believe that before despair and hopelessness set in they want more and believe in the American Dream.

            When Princess was asked if she wanted a better life for her children her eyes filed with tears and she quietly said yes. When asked what she would give or do to get this better life, she firmly said “I’ll do anything” and then she said she would give her life to guarantee her children didn’t end up like her.

I believe our safety net methodology for solving poverty is a failure. A net is an indiscriminate tool treating all entangled in its boundaries equally. Our failure to address the needs of distinct groups (educational deficit, mental deficit, mental illness, drugs…) wastes a high percentage of resource.

I believe we can lift everyone that is willing to apply maximum effort out of poverty and for the rest we can minimize the hardships of poverty.

Blind to poverty…

The poor are lazy, stupid, drug addled – and it is their fault they find themselves in poverty. There are plenty of examples of people that have lifted themselves out of poverty… think Will Smith’s portrayal of Chris Gardner in the movie “Pursuit of Happiness” or Oprah, how about JK Rowling?

First of all, Gardner found himself impoverished (but for the grace of God go I) due to a bad business strategy. He had demonstrated the skills and drive necessary to be middle class prior to falling back. Oprah and Rowling on the other hand were gifted with a remarkable talent. That talent combined with a drive to succeed placed them in the top 1%. There are many examples of gifted people that work hard to hone their skills that escape poverty, so the logical conclusion is that anyone can escape poverty.

Using that logic, I should be Albert Einstein and each and every one of us in the top 5% income bracket should be titans of industry, inventors or President of the United States, since we started from a better position on the track of life. Clearly we cannot hold the poor to this standard.

Academic studies demonstrate the difficulties faced by the poor when trying to lift themselves out of their desperate situation, so can we blame them for not solving an impossible problem?

“A project led by Markus Jantti, an economist at a Swedish university, found that 42 percent of American men raised in the bottom fifth of incomes stay there as adults. That shows a level of persistent disadvantage much higher than in Denmark (25 percent) and Britain (30 percent) — a country famous for its class constraints.” ( http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/us/harder-for-americans-to-rise-from-lower-rungs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 )

Previous studies have shown that wealth is a greater predictor of standardized test scores than race; the test-score gap between high and low-income students is now nearly double the gap between blacks and whites.

Is our reason for harboring this belief on the poor’s work ethic a salve we use to soothe our guilt, a mask to hide from our responsibilities to relieve the suffering of our fellow man?

It is time to lift the mask and recognize our responsibility to those that live in a chronic state of need for food and shelter

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/edmund_burke.html#zpHdYwGYiHx0zHZy.99

Dallas is one of the wealthiest cities in the wealthiest country, yet more than 20% of our population lives in poverty. I am in the top 5% of American wage earners and missed the realities of poverty. The face of poverty that I knew was adult male, holding a sign at an intersection and depending on their appearance or a fleeting moment of empathy, I would give them money or buy them something to eat. When the face of poverty became all inclusive, families, women and children my temporal state of empathy became a hardened commitment to address the issue.

I refuse to believe that we (those of us with the means to help) can look into the mirror, see the suffering and feel it is ok to allow it to continue, without at least the decency to fight the good fight.

If you can’t see it in your heart for love of mankind, then someday you or your lineage will feel it in their gut for fear of mankind uprising. What, you say… this is America land of law and justice…IMPOSSIBLE! Look around, the disenfranchised are rising up today around the globe and have been throughout time, the vote merely a metaphor for those that feel oppressed, helpless and beyond a breaking point. So either for love or money we must address this ugly issue.

Certainly there have been Billions of Dollars spent and no/limited result, that is why I believe we need new approach, which I will be working with everyone willing to step into the fray to develop.

The beginning…

Epiphany  – Poverty is real…

I believed myself socially aware and have recently realized that I have been absolutely clueless about the realities of poverty.

My wife is a nurse for an elementary school in DISD and her nightly stories of the children has collapsed my abstract vision of poverty. An appalling number of her students are homeless, reporting to school from a shelter or the family car because there are insufficient shelter resources. Additionally the shelters are closed from 8am to 4pm so when a child is ill there is nowhere for them to go, they are on the streets feeling ill. More than 99% of the children rely on the school for 80% of their nutrition…on weekends, holidays and summer vacations they starve.

 This is “their fault” there is always work in America…a great lie I have been telling myself to lessen my responsibility. In truth most do work as day laborers, scavenging recyclables, to feed, clothe and shelter their families, but starting from a deficit there is no catching up and the futile effort locks generations into poverty.