Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It seems the focus on social programs at the expense of economic development keeps some parts of the country mired in poverty. It probably cost the federal Government the same to give out money or create jobs. It’s hard to get some people to change how they feel about themselves or their expectations of what having a life is. A certain percentage of the population will always feel that not having to work is enviable no matter how meager they have to live.
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]
I suppose you're right on this not all are motivated, but many are. They're called the working poor and there are way too many of them in this country. However we can make it easier for those who want to get themselves out of poverty/homelessness to do so, don't you think?
How much easier do we have to make it?
We have free schools and, yes, even inner-city schools manage to get kids into colleges. We have seemingly an endless array of programs from Head Start to Pell Grants. We have welfare, job training programs, public housing programs, Medicare, Medicaid, parenting classes, make work programs, and the list goes on and on and on. Heck, join the military and you not only get a decent salary, three hots and a cot, but they pay for your college when you get out. And that's just the government. Charitable institutions abound as well.
As far as the working poor are concerned, I think it bears a closer look. I used to believe that the working poor were the downtrodden in life. But now, after spending enough time around them, I find that most of them are the victims of their own decisions rather than some vast socioeconomic conspiracy--no matter what alibis they offer up for their predicament.
Success in life is actually pretty straightforward in our society: Do your schoolwork, show up to work on time, try to go a good job, keep learning new skills, don't blow your money, save for a rainy day, and commit to a lifelong partner. Do those things and, while there are no guarantees that you'll avoid bumps i the road, you are pretty much guaranteed at least a middle class existence over the long haul. But when you drop out of school, drift from one crappy job to the next, have a couple of kids by different guys by the time you're 20, spend your money on frivolous things, etc. etc., then there's no help for you. Because you first have to help yourself.
I mean short of throwing a net over these people and dragging them to the assistance office, what more should we have to do?
You're going to have to sew the straps on the boots, put their fingers in the holes, activate the mechanism in their brains that tells their arm to pull up and you're going to have to be the one to pump the pallet jack up yourself so these people can pull themselvesup by their own bootstraps.
that poster doesn't deserve facts and figures after making a statement like that.
"very few working poor"
disgusting and false.
It depends on the definition of few. I imagine it is a little accurate, to be "poor" you make very little money, the Federal poverty level for a couple is $14,000. Even if they both worked minimum wage jobs full time, they would be over double the poverty level.
If someone worked so few hours that they would be in poverty, most would opt for welfare, etc.
There are a lot of people who work and don't have much at all, it is difficult to get by in our current system.
Of course. We need to completely change our consciousness first. We have to shift from an "each man for himself" mentality to an altruistic mentality that will resolve poverty because instead of making choices based on money we will make choices based on global livelihood.
This is obviously many steps in the future but we can make it there one step at a time.
If you take the time to read, you will see that families making below $25k average 0.6 workers while families making from $25k to $50k average 1.0 workers per family. And the trend continues.
Bottom line is that upper income families are working more than lower income families.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
