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I realize that on an individual scale, it's always great to see a certain family get out of poverty and be able to take care of their kids, but doesn't one have to realize...
There will always be poor people no matter what. The world is like a bellcurve. There will always be people on the lowest end, no matter what. And while it may be heartwarming to help a person out of poverty, it is impossible to "eliminate poverty" as so many dreamers say they want to do everyday Even "reducing" poverty never works...
most of the world lives in what we call poverty. we think its something that needs to be fixed. LOL
no we need to be fixed. we think everybody should live like us.
Ever see those traveling medical clinics (RVs) that go especially to Appalachia to give people free medical treatment?
Most of the people have severly neglected their bodies for decades and by time the RVs roll in many are desperate for treatment. They say they can't afford health insurance or dental visits, etc., but at the heart of the problem is utter carelessness.
They eat terribly, drink alot of booze, have kids they can't afford, don't exersize unless it's called for at work. You could give them all $50K a year and they would use none of it for healthy living. Preventative healthcare is a joke to them. Spend $300/month for health insurance and they would want an immediate return on that $300... like say some cartons of cigs.
The Affordable Care Act assumes people give a crap about their health, but a huge percentage fundamentally do not. When absolutely desperate, they go to the ER or the traveling clinic as if they are treading lightly on the system.
Ever see those traveling medical clinics (RVs) that go especially to Appalachia to give people free medical treatment?
Most of the people have severly neglected their bodies for decades and by time the RVs roll in many are desperate for treatment. They say they can't afford health insurance or dental visits, etc., but at the heart of the problem is utter carelessness.
They eat terribly, drink alot of booze, have kids they can't afford, don't exersize unless it's called for at work. You could give them all $50K a year and they would use none of it for healthy living. Preventative healthcare is a joke to them. Spend $300/month for health insurance and they would want an immediate return on that $300... like say some cartons of cigs.
The Affordable Care Act assumes people give a crap about their health, but a huge percentage fundamentally do not. When absolutely desperate, they go to the ER or the traveling clinic as if they are treading lightly on the system.
I don't deny that people like this exist. In fact, if you to Appalachia, you would probably see a great number. Appalachia is an extreme concentration of hard core poverty and many people have lived like that for generations.
What I disagree with is that most poverty is incurable and that most poor people are poor because they want to live that way.
Let me mention a few stereotypes about the poor and poverty and debunk some of them:
Myth 1. Poor people throw their money away buying junk food at convenience stores instead of making healthy food choices. People who think this way should go to an inner city sometime. You will find an absence of the kind of grocery store chains that you find out in virtually every suburb. What you and I take for granted is not available to many poor who live in cities and urban areas. Supermarkets don't find these areas profitable to serve and so they build stores elsewhere. There is a term being used these days to describe what I am talking about and its called "Food Desert". If the poor had the same choices that you and I did, I suspect their dietary habits would be similar.
Myth 2. Poor people don't save any money and when they need a loan they do stupid things like borrow their money from a pay-day lender. Its the same situation that I described in #1. Go to a poor area in a city sometime and look for banks. You most likely won't find one. Banks generally don't establish branches in poor areas. Its not a good investment for them. They are looking for middle class and upper middle class people who live out in suburbs. Its harder these days to set up a checking account and establish credit than you think it is. I've talked to bankers and they won't just set up an account for any one anymore. If you have bad credit (and many poor people do) you may not get a checking account at all. The poor end up going to pay-day lenders, simply because their access to real banks and credit unions is quite limited.
Myth 3. The poor don't care about their health. I used to serve as a director on the board of a Community Health Center. These are health centers that are chartered and created by the US Public Health Service. They receive federal money and that allows them to create facilities and serve poor areas. Our health center was located in an inner city and was always packed with young mothers seeking preventative health care for their children. Older people came too and many learned to control chronic conditions like Type II Diabetes with oral agents and medications that prevented long term complications like blindness and kidney disease. Our clinic was always busy and did much good for a poor and struggling population.
Myth 4. The poor choose to drink and take drugs and cannot be helped. I think another way of viewing this is that people become alcoholics or drug addicts and that leads to poverty when they eventually lose everything that they have. We don't understand problems like alcoholism very well. However, they have much in common with diseases. Someday when we cure alcoholism, we may cure much of the poverty and homelessness that goes along with it. I do agree though that some people with these problems are beyond help.
Myth 5. The poor choose to go without dental care. Medicaid doesn't pay for dental care in many states. Dentistry is expensive. I know that after insurance, our family still spends over a $1000 year on mostly preventative dentistry such as teeth cleaning. Its pretty hard to pay the dentist when you have to choose between that and the light bill.
Hard core poverty does exist in this country and some people are truly past the point of assistance. However, its untrue to claim this is most of the poor or in your words that "the vast majority don't give a crap about their health". Honestly, I would hope that someone who thinks as you do would try to get actual facts rather than simply rely on stereotypes to answer such an important question. In truth, there are many, many different reasons why people are poor. We can't fix all poverty, but it doesn't excuse ignoring it either.
I don't deny that people like this exist. In fact, if you to Appalachia, you would probably see a great number. Appalachia is an extreme concentration of hard core poverty and many people have lived like that for generations.
What I disagree with is that most poverty is incurable and that most poor people are poor because they want to live that way.
Let me mention a few stereotypes about the poor and poverty and debunk some of them:
Myth 1. Poor people throw their money away buying junk food at convenience stores instead of making healthy food choices. People who think this way should go to an inner city sometime. You will find an absence of the kind of grocery store chains that you find out in virtually every suburb. What you and I take for granted is not available to many poor who live in cities and urban areas. Supermarkets don't find these areas profitable to serve and so they build stores elsewhere. There is a term being used these days to describe what I am talking about and its called "Food Desert". If the poor had the same choices that you and I did, I suspect their dietary habits would be similar.
I have been to the inner city.......there are plenty of grocery stores there.And finding a convenience store/gas station in the inner city is not easy. Maybe it is based on what city you are in....
Myth 2. Poor people don't save any money and when they need a loan they do stupid things like borrow their money from a pay-day lender. Its the same situation that I described in #1. Go to a poor area in a city sometime and look for banks. You most likely won't find one. Banks generally don't establish branches in poor areas. Its not a good investment for them. They are looking for middle class and upper middle class people who live out in suburbs. Its harder these days to set up a checking account and establish credit than you think it is. I've talked to bankers and they won't just set up an account for any one anymore. If you have bad credit (and many poor people do) you may not get a checking account at all. The poor end up going to pay-day lenders, simply because their access to real banks and credit unions is quite limited.
I am not sure what you mean by this. Most of the pay day loans will not give out a loan without being able to set up automatic payments......by using a bank account or some kind of collerteral. The lack of a bank has nothing to do with the poor being able to get a loan. Credit and/or ability to pay back do.... Again, I am not sure what city you are in.....but, in my city there are plenty of banks.
Myth 3. The poor don't care about their health. I used to serve as a director on the board of a Community Health Center. These are health centers that are chartered and created by the US Public Health Service. They receive federal money and that allows them to create facilities and serve poor areas. Our health center was located in an inner city and was always packed with young mothers seeking preventative health care for their children. Older people came too and many learned to control chronic conditions like Type II Diabetes with oral agents and medications that prevented long term complications like blindness and kidney disease. Our clinic was always busy and did much good for a poor and struggling population.
Poor are more likely to use the ER as a doctor....because of their lack of health care.
Myth 4. The poor choose to drink and take drugs and cannot be helped. I think another way of viewing this is that people become alcoholics or drug addicts and that leads to poverty when they eventually lose everything that they have. We don't understand problems like alcoholism very well. However, they have much in common with diseases. Someday when we cure alcoholism, we may cure much of the poverty and homelessness that goes along with it. I do agree though that some people with these problems are beyond help.
Some poor do drugs and drink.....
Myth 5. The poor choose to go without dental care. Medicaid doesn't pay for dental care in many states. Dentistry is expensive. I know that after insurance, our family still spends over a $1000 year on mostly preventative dentistry such as teeth cleaning. Its pretty hard to pay the dentist when you have to choose between that and the light bill.
Hard core poverty does exist in this country and some people are truly past the point of assistance. However, its untrue to claim this is most of the poor or in your words that "the vast majority don't give a crap about their health". Honestly, I would hope that someone who thinks as you do would try to get actual facts rather than simply rely on stereotypes to answer such an important question. In truth, there are many, many different reasons why people are poor. We can't fix all poverty, but it doesn't excuse ignoring it either.
I have know poor people who went to a dentistry school and received either free service or a greatly reduced amount.
At least the poor don't suffer. In the US, I mean. I'm sure there are some who do, but after you take out the drunkards and drug addicts, it's a small number. And for that small number nothing more can be done. Every single conceivable material necessity is available to them. But they have to be at least reach out to take them.
The people in America, even the poor, are among the top 5% in the world in terms of living conditions.
As to housing, etc, in Appalachia, their homes are no different than the home my father was raised in on a farm in East Texas. It is just that we now expect everyone to live in a nice brick home with air conditioning. I am 65, and owned the family home. It didn't have electricity until the REA came into the area in the 30's and we still had kerosine lamps when we sold it in case of outages. Grandma still used the outhouse until the 60's. and I can assure you that she didn't consider herself 'poor'.
"The poor you will always have with you." -Jesus (Mark 14:7, Mathew 26:11, John 12:8)
"We can eliminate poverty" -Liberals
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Even "reducing" poverty never works...
