Advice for a King

Proverbs 31: 8-9

"Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Protect the rights of all who are helpless. Speak for them and be a righteous judge. Protect the rights of the poor and needy."

The Woes of the Poor

Lately one of my favorite subjects to discuss is the plight of the poor in America. After checking out a book from the library about world poverty, my eyes opened a little. I knew that the poor, workers and non-workers alike, have a hard time finding jobs and higher living standards. I took some notes and gathered some statistics. Perhaps some of them will surprise you. I'm not sure that the poor in America are just lazy bums who don't want to work.

-Those who leave poverty in the United States are likely to return to it. About 46% leave poverty each year while 19% return to it sometime later down the road.
-The U.S. has one of the highest poverty rates among industrialized nations.
-In households with low food security, a high percentage of adults skip meals or don't eat all day.
-Since 1975, practically all gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households.
-In 2005, the richest 5% enjoyed 22% of all income.
-After welfare, many Americans become working poor.
-More than 1/2 of families who are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families never receive aid.
-1/2 of the 26 million Americans getting food stamps are poor children.
-60% of those who could receive food stamps don't receive them.
-3.5 million people experience homelessness, 1.35 million are children.
-12-14 million Americans devote half their budget to shelter.
-More than 5 million households are defined as worst-case needs. Meaning that income falls below 1/2 local median and they live in substandard housing or pay more than one half their budget on rent. 2006.
-In 2003 93 million American adults had only basic prose skills.
-The U.S. entered the 21st century with the highest inequality among rich nations.

There will be more to come.

Poverty in America

This is something interesting that I read on the internet. The article is about a study done by Penn State researchers circa 2005. The study shows something interesting about the working poor in America. It is saddening to hear that poverty has gotten worse than in the 1960's. It is more saddening to think that poverty now is probably even worse now that the Great Recession has taken place. Just something to think about.

http://www.povertyinamerica.psu.edu/2005/07/

The Link

Had difficulty with the link for my last entry. I added the link as a comment so just click "comments" on that last post and it should be right there. If you have any difficulty finding the link just inform me.

The Philosophy of Ayn Rand

In AP English, our class has just finished reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand developed a philosophy called objectivism. While I could describe the philosophy for you, Howard Roark, the main character, actually explains the theory quite well in a courtroom speech. In the speech he explains why he dynamited Cordtland homes, a series of homes that he himself designed. When another character, Ellsworth Toohey makes adjustments to the building, Roark objects and takes action, breaking the law in the process. Here is a link to that speech, where Roark gives moral and philosophical justifications for his actions.

1 in 7 Americans Live in Poverty

I am sure that many people in America have turned on the news and have seen headlines that read something to the affect of the title of my blog. America is known as the land of opportunity, but this statistic doesn't really exemplify that statement. Perhaps America is going the opposite direction. Now, how should Americans feel about this issue? Conservatives would say that those are lazy people who don't want to work, while liberals would say that more government programs are needed. I somewhat disagree with both of these answers to that question. Americans should neither neglect the poor, nor should they satisfy their every want. America needs to find creative ways to make the programs it already has work and become more affective. Welfare, for example, is a system that at times does allow people to cheat the system and live solely off welfare checks. Food stamps do allow some people to buy extravagant meals that someone living in poverty doesn't need to live. The new health care bill may cause some people to get away with staying out of work, just to receive great health care benefits. However, not everyone that receives these benefits are lazy and cheat the system. Instead, a majority of them are working poor who need the money to feed their family, or need the health care for a sick child, or the welfare check to help pay for a higher standard of living. Some people, especially from the right, are mad that they themselves work hard, while others slouch around and don't even bother looking for a job.
Today, the American middle-class is dying. More and more people become poor while only a few become wealthy. America ranks poorly in social mobility. In other words, very few people climb the socioeconomic ladder. The view that those who become poor are lazy can be refuted with some simple statistics. For example, eight out of ten people who don't have health care are working poor. I do not, however, want to give readers an earful of statistics. I want to make the point that the poor in our country are fellow citizens whom we cannot leave behind while the top 1% of income earners rake in the cash. Programs in our nation must be made more efficient so that the poor are brought up out of poverty and into the middle-class. Eliminating the programs doesn't help anyone that is poor and underpriveleged. Instead, these programs should be refined to help them positively and move them along in the right direction.
Laws must be made to improve welfare and other programs that give the poor extra income. The government could issue debit-like cards that track a recipient's spending so that taxpayer money is not waisted. Otherwise, the card could be cancelled. The same can be argued for food stamps. Welfare should help and encourage people to find jobs. Our tax system should also be revised so that wealth is redistributed to the working poor and middle-class. THose who don't work might be encouraged to do so if they see the benefits that Americans get from the government if they work. These are just a few creative ways that these programs should be made more effective and efficient.
As a christian, helping the disadvantaged should be a priority on my list. God helps the weak and neglect. There is much to be done to improve the lives of Americans whether they are lazy or not. If Jesus walked the streets of New York City, would he tell all the bums that they are lazy and should get a job? Maybe to some, but he would also sit down and have a conversation with them, and would perhaps help them to get a good footing. Jesus dine with prostitutes, the poor, and the neglect. He did not point fingers and boast about the things he has done. Instead he would show them humbleness, kindness, and charity. Americans should do the same.

Proverbs

14:31 "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God"
18:1 "An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he difies all sound judgment."
19:17 "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done."
22:7 "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."
29:7 "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern."
29:14 "If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure."

America needs to take a closer look at these verses.