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It Costs Too Much To Be Poor

Feb 13, 2014
by Caroline Miller
necessities are luxuries for the poor, Nicole Goodkind, unemployment benefits, Yahoo Finance
2 Comments

Normally, I don’t post petitions on my Facebook page. People know how to find causes they support without my help. But recently, I made an exception: a petition to Congress to pass the unemployment extension. As a child, I remember how important unemployment checks were to my mother and me during the lean times.

My petition hadn’t been posted long when someone countered: “Sure… Extend benefits but cut the funding somewhere else… It is insanity to think we can continue to pay for all this stuff!!!” A second reply soon followed. It suggested we cut the full salaries and medical benefits for members of Congress after they retire.

 We all have our favorite ox to gore. Unfortunately, the poor, being the least politically savvy, are the first to be sacrificed. They pose no threat to the rest of us, so it’s easy to dehumanize them and blame them for the poverty they endure. They should “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” is a phrase most often heard.

 People who express this latter view assume that a paycheck will melt financial worries away. It doesn’t, as Nicole Goodkind points out in Yahoo Finance. http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/no–you-can-t-just–bootstrap–yourself-out-of-poverty-172104522.html. What’s needed is a living wage so that life’s necessities don’t remain luxuries. Owning a car is prohibitive for many who are poor, but so is public transportation. During World War II, my mother worked swing shift, her second job, at a small parts aircraft factory in California. Monday through Friday, I watched her disappear into the night – the thumb of her one hand stuck out, hoping for a ride because she didn’t have bus fare to get to work. Hitchhiking was dangerous. We both knew that, but she had no alternative.

 Giving the poor a living wage makes them consumers and lifts our economy. Giving them extended unemployment when times are tough is a similar investment. In plain words, meeting the needs of the poor is good for the heart and economy of the country.

hitchhiker

 

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of www.squidoo.com)

 

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2 Comments
  1. Christine Webb February 13, 2014 at 9:46 am Reply
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/housing-the-homeless-can-save-money/ Perfect timing for this heartening and encouraging blog, Caroline. According to a recent story on 60 Minutes, it's also true that all of us benefit by giving the homeless, apartments. This particular example highlights the, "100,000 Homes Campaign," as it is being implemented in Nashville, TN. Wonderful stories and more examples of how giving a hand up can change the direction of a life. Thank you for sharing.
    • Caroline Miller February 13, 2014 at 11:15 am Reply
      Thank you Chris for your comment. I did not see the 60 Minutes program but I'm glad to know the word is getting out on the consequences of allowing this gap between rich and poor continue to grow.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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