Interesting report on the poor

[brunette8706]

No, I didn't SAY that. If you're going quote me USE MY EXACT WORDS please! And, don't take my meaning out of context. Read DUCKLITES posts she has written them so eloquently.

Once again there is ample opporutunity for people to provide for themselves. Yes, by all means if the person is disabled, mentally challanged they should recieve some kind of government assistance.

Brunette

 

[nightowlky]

But I'm not wrong. As you stated you came from a Well To Do Family. Well guess what I didn't. My mother got out of welfare by making things better for herself and her kids. She went back to school and got an education. It can be done, especially with all the government assistance out there.

Brunette

Going back to a previous post of yours:

I believe, most poor people live in poverty because it is a choice.
​

What choice did your mother make to live in poverty? Just curious.

 

[meloneyb21]

Maybe he finally got what he needed & deserved:

http://www.nbc10.com/money/9570489/detail.html

 

[brunette8706]

Going back to a previous post of yours:
I believe, most poor people live in poverty because it is a choice.

What choice did your mother make to live in poverty? Just curious.

***

Hi!

She had no choice at the time hence my father left her and her two kids. She was a housewife at the time without job experience. She did get foodstamps and worked hard to make ends meet. She knew what had to be done, she had to get an education to get a better paying job to support her children. She worked during the day and went to school at night. It's not fun, but once again it was a choice that she made. She didn't rely on the government assistance for life. It was a temporary "fix" until she got back on her feet. She made her choice, and I'm glad she did.

Brunette

 

[nightowlky]

Hi!

She had no choice at the time hence my father left her and her two kids. She was a housewife at the time without job experience. She did get foodstamps and worked hard to make ends meet. She knew what had to be done, she had to get an education to get a better paying job to support her children. She worked during the day and went to school at night. It's not fun, but once again it was a choice that she made. She didn't rely on the government assistance for life. It was a temporary "fix" until she got back on her feet. She made her choice, and I'm glad she did.

Brunette

So, when I posted several reasons for people living in poverty:

1) Lack of education
2) Joblessness
3) Mental illness
4) Medical disability
5) Loss of wage earner in the family
​

and you dismissed that list calling it "hyperbole", you were trying to do what exactly?

 

[meloneyb21]

This is a really good, informative post displaying everyone's different point of views on a sensitive subject. Can we not take it there? I don't want this to get shut down.

 

[brunette8706]

You're not getting my point. As I stated previously, I'm talking about people that are in poverty and or welfare generation after generation. I'm not talking about people that need a quick fix temporily to get back on their feet.

Of course people may lose a job, get divorced etc. And they have a right for assistance. But instead of staying on government handouts for life, there is a way out. The key here is education.

Brunette

 

[meloneyb21]

(Ok Meloney, you can go sit down somewhere now.....)

 

[gwcollins71]

If anyone is interested, there is a book called A Framework for Poverty by Ruby Payne. It explains alot about poverty and how difficult it is to overcome it. It also asks middle class how they would do in the world of the wealthy and puts perspective on how hard it is to break the cycle. I bought the book for all the teachers in my school to help them understand what so many of our studens live through.

This book is amazing! Every teacher at our district has to go through the training. It helps put everything into perspective. Although, it is still important to remember that not every situation is the same, but there sure are a lot of similarities.

Gretchen

 

[MyGoofy26]

It amazes me the amount of venom directed towards poor people. Can't just make a list of quick fixes to "prove" that the poor are lazy fools unwilling to make changes. Sure, a large number of people COULD make huge leaps with time, effort and willpower but some people simply can't. You can't tell someone who barely made it through high school (if they did at all) that education will cure all. Let's face it, some people just aren't that bright and don't have the intelligence to go further in school - I know there were a number of kids in my high school who couldn't get the minimum on the ACTs or SATs that they needed to go to even a community college after muliple tries! For most people YES, college is the answer but if someone was in remedial classes struggling to get even a high school diploma, probably not.

I don't know - I live in an area that there is a pretty good mix of incomes in close proximity to one another so I always see both sides of the argument when these topics come up. I see people in my town who have made careers out of working the system, and understand why people are angry. But I also see families who work their tails off so they don't have to depend on the system, but other than a good work ethic they don't have any truly marketable skills, not all that intelligent, and all those qualities you need to move up from entry level.

 

[brunette8706]

So, when I posted several reasons for people living in poverty:
1) Lack of education
2) Joblessness
3) Mental illness
4) Medical disability
5) Loss of wage earner in the family

and you dismissed that list calling it "hyperbole", you were trying to do what exactly?

*****

I did NOT dismiss your list as hyperbole. I dismissed YOUR context where you were writing miss-information about FEMA.

So once again do NOT say that I dismissed your list calling it "hyperbole" when in fact I did not. Please go back and re-read what I wrote.

Brunette

 

[Free4Life11]

You know this reminded me of Walmart and Chicago. Walmart wants into the city so bad yet some stubborn people (unions) are/were fighting it.

Did they ever come to a resolution?

 

[nightowlky]

<ahem>

I wrote:

As for poverty, there are myriad reasons why people live in poverty:

1) Lack of education
2) Joblessness
3) Mental illness
4) Medical disability
5) Loss of wage earner in the family

Shall I continue?
​

(Note the bolded part)

You replied with:

No you really shouldn't continue, because it's hyperbole.
​

How else is anyone to take it?

Besides, your post before that read:

There is NO reason anyone should be in poverty in the United States. NO-ONE!
​

So, by your own words, "There is NO reason" why your mom should have lived in poverty.

 

[brunette8706]

How else is anyone to take it?

****

No, you're wrong.

Let's look at the YOUR FULL POST...This is exactly what you wrote verbatim see below. AFter you said "Shall I continue", I in turn said:

No you really shouldn't continue, because it's hyperbole.

I DID NOT SAY NO, YOUR LIST IS HYPERBOLE. Like I SAID BEFORE, and I will say it again, you went on and on about FEMA. I disagreed and said:

No you really shouldn't continue because it's hyperbole.

Please do NOT twist my words around, or take it out of context. Thank you.

ONCE AGAIN, my mother did NOT live in POVERTY. She received government assistance. She got out of the Welfare rut.

Geez come on...........


***
Fraud exists in every facet of life. That's a fact and FEMA was ill-equipped to deal with a catastrophe on the scale of Katrina. Why don't you research how many millions were fraudulently paid out by FEMA during the 2004 hurricanes in Florida? Or would that conflict with your agenda?

As for poverty, there are myriad reasons why people live in poverty:

1) Lack of education
2) Joblessness
3) Mental illness
4) Medical disability
5) Loss of wage earner in the family

Shall I continue?

Yes, there was looting going on in NOLA but what was the greater tragedy? A few people carting off floodwater soaked bread and stereos or 30,000 people trapped for almost a week with NO FOOD, NO WATER, NO MEDICINE while the Secretary of Homeland Security twiddled his thumbs in Washington and only found out about those tens of thousands of people trapped while he was being interviewed (on Thur., 4 days after Katrina hit) by Robert Siegel on NPR (I was listening to that at the time he was interviewed) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/...storyId=4828771

But, that's getting off the topic.

 

[mickey's 4]

You know this reminded me of Walmart and Chicago. Walmart wants into the city so bad yet some stubborn people (unions) are/were fighting it.

Did they ever come to a resolution?

No the city aldermen are voting next week to make big box stores like walmart,target, home depot pay a living wage. The wage is about $10 per hour with and addl. $3 going for benefit. Target has already told the city of Chicago that they will pull out of all of thier location if they pass this bill. Walmart said that they will stop construction on the one store that is being built and pull out. This poposed law was suggested by the unions. Stores like walgreens,sears and some of the food store don't have to use this "livingwage" rule for their workers. Well some of them are union shops so it is o.k for their works to get paid little money for long hours. People are telling the city that they want jobs, don't run the companies away that will employ us.

 

[nightowlky]

Brunette8706, if your mother was on welfare, she was living in poverty. Otherwise, it means she was scamming the system. Welfare is not equivalent to self-sufficient level income.

And, I took nothing of yours out of context. The exact opposite is true and anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension skills can see your 1st line was directed at my question (which was about the list of things that could lead someone into poverty).

I'll take your ignoring me raising your "There is NO reason anyone should be in poverty in the United States. NO-ONE!" statement as acquiescence that you want to retract that statement.

 

[ducklite]

Maybe he finally got what he needed & deserved:

http://www.nbc10.com/money/9570489/detail.html

I'm so glad for him. THAT is a person who will turn his life around, I'm convinced of it. I hope he gets the job he got a lead on. If we had a location in that area, I'd at least ask him in for an interview.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

It amazes me the amount of venom directed towards poor people. Can't just make a list of quick fixes to "prove" that the poor are lazy fools unwilling to make changes. Sure, a large number of people COULD make huge leaps with time, effort and willpower but some people simply can't. You can't tell someone who barely made it through high school (if they did at all) that education will cure all. Let's face it, some people just aren't that bright and don't have the intelligence to go further in school - I know there were a number of kids in my high school who couldn't get the minimum on the ACTs or SATs that they needed to go to even a community college after muliple tries! For most people YES, college is the answer but if someone was in remedial classes struggling to get even a high school diploma, probably not.

I don't know - I live in an area that there is a pretty good mix of incomes in close proximity to one another so I always see both sides of the argument when these topics come up. I see people in my town who have made careers out of working the system, and understand why people are angry. But I also see families who work their tails off so they don't have to depend on the system, but other than a good work ethic they don't have any truly marketable skills, not all that intelligent, and all those qualities you need to move up from entry level.

My son has learning disabilities and a condition that qualifies him for SSDI. He does not receive it--has never even applied for it. Instead he chose (it was HIS idea, I never would ahve thought of it) a career path that would allow him to live a "middle class" life with no futher education. He is working for a grocery store, training to be a butcher. His only skill when he was hired was a good work ethic and the "WANT" to succeed.

BTW--most community colleges do not require SAT's/ACT's for admission, and many offer remedial classes in math and reading.

Anne

 

[brunette8706]

Brunette8706, if your mother was on welfare, she was living in poverty. Otherwise, it means she was scamming the system. Welfare is not equivalent to self-sufficient level income.

And, I took nothing of yours out of context. The exact opposite is true and anyone with a modicum of reading comprehension skills can see your 1st line was directed at my question (which was about the list of things that could lead someone into poverty).

I'll take your ignoring me raising your "There is NO reason anyone should be in poverty in the United States. NO-ONE!" statement as acquiescence that you want to retract that statement.

****


Someone please JUST SHOOT ME. I'm debating a person with myopic views....

Like I said YOU took my WORDS out of CONTEXT, there is NO WAY AROUND IT. I'm done arguing with you, because you PUT YOUR OWN TWIST ON my words. It's really not apprecated.

Have a GOOD NIGHT.

 

[nightowlky]

I'm just trying to get you to admit to your contradictory statements and for making accusals and misinterpretations both in your original posts and after the fact.