There is a difference between starving in America and starving in some other country. It is simply that those in America aren't supposed to be hungry, cold, or unduly tired because we are in America. We are the place where people went to get away from overlords and oppressors. We had religious freedom, basic opportunities and all the sunshine people could handle. Ok, so maybe it hasn't all been rainbows and unicorn farts but we still thought we were better then that. We had hope that we could be better and grow and catch that golden ring. How many really hold out that hope anymore?
There are two articles that ask if poverty is a death sentence, both written by folks we allowed into office.
They both have points and reasons. They both have comments (that you know you should read) that show what their readers think. And they both lack a real honest clue to the real honest way of life that the poor deal with.
Sen. Rand Paul's article says that being poor is not a death sentence because the "poor" home in America may have things like a television, a microwave, and a car. He says that the poor doesn't die of malaria like they do in Africa, so it is all good. The poor are living twice as long as they did 100 years ago and those that die can be tied to poor eating habits, smoking, and other poor people. He also seems to think that you are only poor for a minute (or 15 years) unless you are of course too lazy to overcome the government funded dependency on the handouts of real taxpayers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has a different take. He says we are all dying because there is over 49 million American's without medical insurance or the real means to get it. He says the higher and political class doesn't care because the lower class tends not to vote (watch me) and there aren't major lobbyists fighting for the poor. He doesn't think of the poor as having this or that, but as not having the basics like a reliable car, meals everyday, and healthcare. He thinks about the fact that we have so many children living below the poverty line in our so called "rich" country. If you are poor you are going to live 6.5 years less then if you were upper or middle class. He thinks it's going to get worse because what was the middle class is now becoming the poor and the poor are becoming the dregs of our well off country.
Now go read the comments on both articles. Did you start shaking your head and sighing deeply as you read? Did you see the extremes in our nation? Did you see the total lack of understanding between the haves and the have-nots? Now I'm going to give you a third view based on someone who was a child that lived below the poverty line, lives there now, and for the record doesn't receive anything from the tax payers but medical for my kids and the amount a few of you drop into the tip jar up at the top of this page. (which I am ever grateful for)
What is a "poor" life defined as?
Depends on who you ask but we'll go with my definition because it is after all my blog.
A "Poor Life" is a life that is known for a daily struggle to get basic needs met. This means the family or person worries about food, shelter, warmth, fuel, education, and health care (and so on) almost daily. Does it mean that they have no comforts or happiness? No, and why do so many wish that on them? They live pay check to pay check and are one car repair, trip to the ER, or extra bill away from drowning. But many still see the gifts in family and country. They have hope and faith that things will get easier, better, and saner.
Can someone with those worries have a television, a car, or even a *gasp* video game? Yes. You don't know how they got them, who paid for them, or when they were bought. You have to have a car to get to and from doctors and work. You should be able to give children something that other kids have without people looking down their nose at you. And for those of you who seem to think people should sell these things if they are really that hungry, here's some reality for you: not everything has a resale value, people shouldn't have to give up their children's toys for food, and you NEED a car and home.
Jobs are not so easily found. In Michigan the unemployment rate is at over 11% and rising. Pay rates are not going up even though the cost of living is.
Food costs are rising. It is projected that the cost of eating will increase by 4.5% in 2011. Housing costs are high, taking about 30% of a person's income. Gas prices are unstable at best and painful for most.
There is a great article that speaks of the realities in numbers most folks can understand Here. Here is another on the class differences.
So how is "Poor" killing folks?
Lack of affordable healthcare and insurance is one way. If you can't afford the basics then somethings have to go. Insurance is one of the front runners. It is expensive, it is usually not enough to cover everything anyway, and it doesn't feed the kids.
Lack of dental care can be fatal. Did you know that? Yep, it's the truth. If you can't afford the doctor you sure aren't going to rush out to the dentists. Oh, and due to so many folks not paying their bills there is few doctors and dentists willing to take payments anymore.
Living in a tent, a car, or unheated home causes all sorts of possible ways to die. I know of an elderly couple that was using candles and kerosine to heat and light their home. He had worked years, she had raised a family. They weren't trash, the bills just got to be too much so their electric was shut off.
Even the heat (and cold) singles out the poor and elderly. They can't control the weather can they?
What does the "poor" give up, cut back on, choose between?
Here is an example that most of my women readers will understand completely. There are somethings that we just shouldn't have to take the crappy brand of and when we have to it slams home just what place we are at. A woman's monthly supplies should not have to be the cheap or homemade kind. They don't cut it. They suck big time. Add a medical problem that makes that time of month even worse and it makes them almost useless.
So the guys understand: think about toilet paper quality and using the wrong kind for the job at hand or not having any at all. Which is not at all a rare thing in the world of the poor.
It is cheaper to buy easy crap food then to buy all the different fixings for a standard meal. And for those of you who are going to jump in with the "grow and can your own" line, please allow me to point out that that isn't always an option. Not all of us live in an area that makes that possible, have the know how, or the supplies to make it work. And it's hard to dig out the extra cash for anything when you are in the hole 3 paychecks down the line as it is.
Gas in the car must come in at the top of the list because you have to get to work, the doctors or what ever. You are really careful not to use it on nothing but the musts. It's like gold to the poor working man.
Food for the kids or the mom's medicines is a no-contest contest. Most parents put their kids first. Not all of us but a lot of us. Forget extras like school pictures, hair cuts, and Christmas. No new dresses, no parties at the bar, and no ice cream from the truck that makes that annoying noise.
Some poor deaden their pain in any way they can.... drugs and drinking are the normal self medication, but most of us just argue with our spouses or hold them that much closer. We write a blog, work our piece of the American pie, or volunteer at the local shelter. We find our way to deal, to find happy and be a family. It doesn't mean we like it, deserve it, or don't wish for at least comfortable.
The Poor Voters Count:
The following are real people, real families, real voters:
A family of 4 in NY has a working adult, a disabled adult, and 2 children. There is one car. They live in a house that is paid for with the help of family. There is the normal gas, electric and water bills to pay. A cheap cable/ phone/ internet bundle to help bring in extra pennies from some on-line work. There are dollar store birthdays, no trips to fast food, and no vacations to Disney. This nice Republican family follows the "right" path. No drugs, no drinking, none of that trashy stuff folks have come to mind when they think of the poor. They VOTE. Yet they face hunger monthly. They have to pick diapers or medicine, food or gas to get hubby to his job, birthday cake or the internet that earns those pennies.
A family of 5, in another state, has a recently disabled adult that had worked most of his life, a disabled full time mother who has done her job for over 19 years, 2 disabled children and one tenacious almost teen. They live in a paid for house that may be taken for back taxes, their car belongs to someone else, and they too have the normal household bills. They have gotten family help to get the basic help for their kids. Therapy is sometimes cheaper when done at home but there is a cost in that as well. They spend over 15 hours a week getting the kid's needs met. Then there is doctors visits and trips to get the help they need to get dad back to work. He has been off work for months and still they are struggling to get the help he should be entitled to since he put in the money in from his paycheck for the over 25 years he worked. They are Democrats that follow the "right" path. They don't do drugs, smoke, or steal from others even if they live in the 'hood. They have to pick medicine or food, struggle to have gas to get to therapy, and put of medical care because there is no money for it. And they VOTE.
Too many people judge others without understanding. Too many don't understand that while the poor may be rich in love and tenderness, they still know hunger.
I, myself, have laid curled up from the pain of no food for days. I was young at the time. A child - when I had no say. And as an adult I have made the choice to know that hunger again so my children wouldn't. No one understands how that feels if they have never known that kind of hunger or that choice.
I am watching this country with both hope and fear. There is no one size all fix but I would hope that people will be more open minded about the needs of the lower class and understand that a hand up isn't the same as a hand out but that both are sometimes needed and interchangeable. But I fear there is too much of a MY MONEY attitude to allow for the proper changes and adjustments to be made so that there is a balance between it all.
Be nice to each other please.
(Please ignore formatting issues: blogger is not acting like a good boy today)
