Poverty in the middle
Recently I was listening to NPR and a discussion of the widening socio-economic differences in America. There are proclamations that more needs to be done to lift the impoverished out of their plight. Let me first establish that I am in no way suggesting that the impoverished should be ignored, however I grew increasingly frustrated as I listened to Talk of the Nation. Yes, people need a living wage, but I do not think raising the already inflated $7.25/hr minimum wage is the answer. No, one cannot live on 7.25/hr, but that is why it is important to improve yourself enough so that you do not have to work at the local fast food place as the only economic support for your family. Where is the incentive to improve if you keep raising the minimum wage? It only serves to undermine small business. NPR guests/callers also discussed the availability of welfare/food stamps/wic and how it needed to be increased for those making below the poverty line. OK, I understand that. Really, I do. Why isn’t there a limit on how long someone can receive assistance and what they can purchase with it? Exclude junk food, that would help the obesity issue since obesity and poverty tend to go hand in hand. A caller stated the crux of my frustration. She, a teacher, could not support her family on her income alone. With her husband unemployed her teacher’s salary barely got them by. I totally get it! That same teacher’s salary did not qualify her family for any type of assistance so she was stuck struggling just to buy groceries and keep shelter each month. What is wrong with this picture? She would have had it easier if she didn’t work. Why is it that “the system” does not encourage people to pursue something better? No wonder there are individuals perpetually stuck in the poverty cycle. It is not always that they necessarily want to be there, it is more likely that they can’t bridge the gap between living on assistance and subsistence. There is a gap and it is the middle that is hanging on trying not to fall in it. This past year corporate giants were being bailed out left and right. Government assistance was expanded in order to increase benefits to those who qualified. The middle? Ignored. Simplistic thought ramble, but there’s truth in it.
