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economy
November 2008 
I'LL CLOSE MY EYES AND START AGAIN ANEW
Posted on Nov 18th, 2008
by 
diana nicholson
diana nicholson
Poverty in America
37 million Americans are living below the poverty line, and inequality has increased to a level not seen since before the Depression and the New Deal. I could batter readers with statistics forever, shock you with the percentages of children who go hungry and families who lack stable housing, but that would be missing the point.
The point is that an enormous number of people living in the richest nation in the world are struggling to get by, while a sliver of folks at the top just keep raking it in.
There are some who would point out that poor people in America are still rich by world standards, that compared with the 1 billion people who live on the oft-repeated "dollar a day," they are doing pretty well for themselves. It's certainly true that those of us who live in this country are very lucky to do so. But a key aspect of evaluating poverty is considering the ability to participate in one's society, and that is growing increasingly difficult for poor Americans to do.
The opportunities and choices available to low-income individuals and families are so different from those available to their wealthy and even middle-class counterparts that they might as well be living in another country. You're more likely to get sent to Iraq, more likely to go to jail, more likely to have an unplanned child, more likely to have asthma from breathing polluted air if you're poor. More likely to have to choose between paying for food (none of that organic stuff, either) and medical treatment, less likely to get adequate care if you choose the latter. Pointing out that there are still people in the world who are worse off in an absolute sense does not absolve us of the responsibility to address our own country's need.
Why is this important for young people? Well, first of all, young Americans make up a large percentage of those below the poverty line, a percentage that is increasing more rapidly than that of any other age group. As the gap between the rich and the rest increases, more and more of us young folks are likely to find ourselves flirting with poverty. But even those of us who are heading for jobs at Google should be worried about the principles of the country we hold so dear, the one that first declared that all men are created equal.
The invocation of the American dream is more disingenuous than inspiring these days; the America that we're inheriting is one that treats its own residents disgracefully. Poor people have become second-class citizens, and the stigma attached to poverty is justified by the illusion that we live in a meritocracy. Segregation is acceptable as long as it's rationalized by socioeconomic status, since that is supposedly determined by a person's choices in life. We don't like to admit that it helps to have been born into the right neighborhood, race, gender, family.
It's much easier to dismiss poor people as undeserving, unsavory, crackheads, welfare queens--not like respectable middle-class Americans--than to acknowledge the enormous problems that continue to plague our society. What it really comes down to is not morality or work ethic but that some of us have sufficient resources to cushion us from our mistakes and others do not. For millions of Americans, one fluke event can turn a delicate balancing act into financial free-fall. And when the government doesn't provide an adequate safety net, it's a long way down to the bottom.
I once read a study for a sociology class that showed that risk-averse people, when given a choice at a young age, choose to live in a society that is relatively equally distributed over one that is equally rich but grossly lopsided. Seems like a no-brainer, right? But as people age and find themselves in the higher brackets, the lopsided society doesn't seem quite so bad. People with power don't act to end the oppression of those without it unless pushed by some sort of force.
The growing gap between those at the top and the bottom of the socioeconomic scale is perhaps the greatest moral issue facing America today. If we, the young people of America, don't attack it with all the idealism and energy of our youth, who will? Desperate and afraid, we can turn on whoever seems to present a threat--immigrants, perhaps--or we can open up a constructive dialogue about the reality of poverty in America and what we can do about it.
There is a powerful need for Obama to put poverty back on the national radar. The grim stats on the ground and the lives intertwined with them demand a bold agenda. Beyond Obama such an agenda needs independent organizing to drive it, much the way the 1963 March on Washington eventually helped drive the War on Poverty. Ending a trillion dollar war and redirecting some of those resources back home is key as well.
Unless (and until) we tackle the gap between the very rich and the rest of America--including the growing number of people falling into poverty --it will be increasingly difficult to confront the major challenges of our time.
The truth is, lifting the boats at the bottom has historically been good for all Americans.
Access: PublicTagged with: poverty in america, zeropoverty.us, Zero Poverty US, willy mason, oxygen, gap between rich and the poor, economy, Obama
AMEN!AMEN!
good posting Diana…… Hope you are well…twb:)
ps–the USA is lucky to have you as an advocate for “a fair shake” for all
it is always easier to justify inequity when there are examples of greater inequity elsewhere. it seems to be a human trait to just accept the status quo; to accept the unfairness of the situation … and to not ask why or to try to act to change it!
just before christmas, we drove my kids home from Seattle.We made astop in North Bend for gas at the foothills as we headed over the wintry pass.during our brief hiatus we noticed three people along the street holding up advertising signs in near blizzard conditions. hours standing in the coldfor a discount outlet mall and their slashed prices! for minimum wage! we grabbed 3 hot choclates and $30 - jumped out and wished each of these people a joyous holiday. their smiles of joy were truly heartwarming …
and there is so much more each of us can do … we just need to find and hold the passion
Every day I talk to people about the current situation and what amazes me how everything and everybody is connected, this is simply a huge chain reaction, and the consequences are disastrous. In the beginning of it all, I heard on NPR ” there will be no person that will be speared in these hard times” Perhaps only few are speared, there are some who are making more money because of the state of economy, and I am sincerely happy for them. : )
There is rarely a day when I don’t talk to someone that is not losing their home, but this is an Interesting and terrifying change: before loosing a a house was a shame. Now it is often the best financial decision you can make.
Yes. It is.
I m not talking about the extremes, about extreme poverty, about healthcare that is nonexistent to some, or not humane (will skip examples) because it SEEMS that it SHOULD be taken care of by the Governemnt, (in my opinion, but maybe I am wrong)
but Speaking of EQUALITY: this is an utopia and it will never happen: there will always be differences between people no matter how perfect the system will be. It is not only about how much money we have , don’t have and who we are as persons.
And is equality really fair? (Fairness is another deceiving term by the way)
When I think of Equality , I have to immediately think of ETHiCS.
I don’t see anything wrong with the fact that a richer person can afford better health care, airplanes and private safer airports, better cars, nicer houses, better education- if that wasn’t the case there would be something wrong with the system.
Of course we see, the obvious is : in practice life of a richer person is worth more (in dollars) than life of a poor person. But who paid for this?
Can we really expect it will ever change?
If it changed would it be FAIR?
Maybe I am playing a devil’s advocate now, but what is really wrong with the fact that we are NOT created equal,we never will be, and we do not have the same opportunities.
Again… I am not talking about the extremes, only about the idea of equality.
I think you are talking about the “haves” & “have nots” Joanna….nothing wrong with that in my view. As long as it’s material driven…
what IS wrong tho is the exponentially growing division between the rich & the POOR…poor being not able to scrape enough to eat a balanced meal, if one at all. Stuck in survival mode & feeling their longevity shorten & their hopes & dreams dissipate. The sparkle that was once in their eyes is replaced with the vacant, resigned state of bewilderment, fear, anger & many more desparate emotions.
The big oil companies are partly to blame with their global bullying & greed but govts are in bed with them as they enjoy huge taxes on their products….in Canada for sure!
I’m stopping here because I don’t need to become even more gloomy with life right now. Things breaking down, extreme cold coming back & I just paid $300 for dec electric bill. The oil was $1000, vehicle fuel is sucking me dry esp in the cold…
having a very hard winter on many fronts & feeling very compassionate for the homeless but helpless to do anything about it!
hope this finds everyone well…twb:)
ps–have to get back to finding my misplaced “manifesting” manual;)
Patrick, see email….
Now you know.
I live in poverty a quarter of the year until Spring, then i’m working poor as a self-employed landscaper. I dont want government policys , i only want the liberty to do what i do.