War on the Poor

I'm watching CNN at the moment, they were talking about how Washington is leaving the poor behind.  They featured Cornel and Smily's Tour. 

The bill that raised the debt ceiling contained several cuts that so many people supported... in theory.  It cut spending on medicare, medicaid, unemployment, and public aid.  And why not, right?  For poor people, the recipients are just living high off of the hog.  They have refrigerators, microwaves, and ovens!  Multiple televisions, and decent cars.

All I can say is WOW.  Refrigerators, really?  Let's forget for a minute that refrigerators and ovens come automatically in even government housing, they aren't actually owned by the poor people living there.  When you, you hard working middle classer, upgraded your television to the 42 inch television that you got at the Black Friday sale last fall you sold your old television in a yard sell, a newspaper ad, or a resale shop.  That poor person found it at a great price and bought it.  Or these luxury items (although I don't consider an oven or refrigerator should be considered luxury items at all) are left over from when they were part of the working middle class.  Remember, millions of people lost jobs since the crash that wrapped up the Bush Administration.

The only way to reduce government spending on the poor is to increase jobs.  That will cut more than anything the men and women in Congress can do.  Their proposed cuts will only increase the number of homeless and suicides in America.  You think I'm exaggerating?  Then let them make these cuts and watch.  Those that are too proud to get government aid, or don't have access to it any longer, and that feel they have failed their families will do the only thing they think they still have control over for their families.

Who Are The Poor?

Too often when people think about the poor they think about the erroneous stereotype:  lazy people, cheating the government out of money so they can live luxuriously without working.  Largely, that is a myth.

The people that will get hurt are the elderly that didn't get their cost of living increase because the increase is based on the prices of cars and houses, not gas and groceries.

The woman that left a domestic violence situation with her children, and is having difficulty getting back on her feet.

The family that lived off of an annual income of $50,000-60,000 last year before the job they relied on vanished.

The small business owner that is showing a loss because business has slowed down, but they can't sell their business because of the slow economy.  They're stuck with the business that is barely getting by, but having to draw food stamps to feed themselves.

The poor in America is the guy living next door that you know is struggling, but they're hiding their food stamps and struggles from you because they are too proud to admit to friends and family that they're hurting.

Helping them helps you, because the sooner they're able to get back to work and support themselves, the sooner they will have the finances and time to be there to help others.  The sooner they can get back on their feet, the better your property value will be, the more viable your own job will be, and the richer your community will be.

Be selfish, help the guy next door.