07/14/10 Why do we actively avoid people who we think are homeless?
I have been conditioned to believe in the boogeyman from a young age. The boogeyman is a symbol for all things scary. I suspect that I am not the only person who has been brought up on this principle. The logic begins to skew when adults use the boogeyman to represent all things bad. The new spin is created when adults inject their own beliefs into the equation. The boogeyman then begins to represent the opposition of the social norm. This discriminatory method can be used to slander any outcast of any denomination. Any person who doesn’t adhere to the social norm is by way of logic, a scourge of society. The scourges do things that are bad like committing petty crimes while under the influence of malt liquor and illicit drugs. They are the visible stereotype of a person experiencing homelessness.
I’ve come to the conclusion that not all people experiencing homelessness are necessarily boogeymen (or boogeywomen, boogeykiddos, werewolves, etc). The hidden homeless are a perfect example of people who may in fact be trying their hardest to make ends meet, but just can’t catch a break. The individualist in me suggests that breaks are a natural occurrence just like unfortunate events happen to everyone. The trick is to be in position to take full advantage of the breaks when they come, and prepared to recover resiliently when the shit inevitably hits the fan. Some people don’t get the luxury of opportunity. It’s an unfortunate, but true statement. My vision is a result of being blessed with more opportunities than 60% of people. I’m glad that my parents worked for their wealth and have instilled a set of values in me. Their hard work has given me ample opportunities to succeed. Intergenerational opportunity exists, and my education thus far is a product of it.
When looking through my third eye, the boogeyman I see is a man in a suit. I imagine agent Smith from the Matrix movies. His freshly pressed black suit is complemented by his starch stiff white shirt, his face, expressionless. This boogeyman represents corporate America and sits at the end of the spectrum opposite that of a man experiencing poverty and food insecurity. There's something to be said about the enlightenment found in a minimalistic lifestyle. I bet buddhist monks and ascetics live much happier, fruitful lives than all of us caught in the rat race. Maybe all the boogeymen have it figured out, and it's the agent Smiths who have the formula wrong.
07/19/10 My feelings on TANF post 1996
I am completely supportive of TANF post 1996. Putting limitations on assistance is the first step in removing the allure of remaining on assistance perpetually. The emphasis on preparing the worthy poor to enter the workforce is the best solution. Doling out money without requiring any output from the party receiving the funds is like giving a man a fish. Giving the worthy poor the skills they need to find a job is like teaching a man to fish. By cultivating a work first, assistance secondary mentality, we are feeding the worthy poor for life. Forcing people who are in need of assistance to participate in work related activities is a system of checks and balances that insures that people who are given assistance are doing whatever is in their power to help themselves.
I believe that 24 months is plenty of time for anyone to receive technical training which would enable them to join the workforce as a trained, able bodied, asset. Even a stay at home mother of 3 has time to take online classes. These classes should be designed to give the student a marketable skill set. In the case of a needy head of household, vocational training is more important that higher education. Anyone in need of assistance should first be concerned with gaining skills which will allow them to find a job. The assistance should be used as supplemental income to help the needy families, not the primary source of income.
There are always exceptions to the rules, and I'm sure that some people need more than 5 years to get back on their feet. Those that need more than 5 years should be observed more closely to make sure they are still on the path to independence.
07/21/10 Reflections and a proposed solution
This class has definitely opened my eyes a little more to the problems associated with poverty in the US. An article published in the NYTimes back in 2007 says, “Children who grow up poor in the United States cost the economy $500 billion a year because they are less productive, earn less money, commit more crimes and have more health-related expenses.” (Eckholm). I believe the solution to poverty is in helping those in need, with an emphasis on children. In order to break the cycle, the culture of poverty needs to be broken. I believe change starts by giving those experiencing poverty the opportunity to succeed. On the first day of class, it was said that one way individualists would suggest to help people is to give them human capital. If communities were to work together to address the problem instead of sweeping it under the rug, perhaps more would get accomplished. I suppose by assisting parents, we are essentially assisting the children.
One day, I hope to own and operate a non-profit organization that takes the Sisters of the Road concept a step further. I envision a café with the same business model (hot meals for $1.25 or a negotiated amount of labor) as SotR, but with the addition of a bank of computers with free internet access. The bank would be comprised of recycled technology available at low cost via companies like Garten Services, Inc. (www.garten.org). I would use open source software on all the machines in order to save on licensing cost. These computers would be used to assist in job searching as well as cultivating job skills. Volunteers could teach classes on everything from basic computing tasks (ie: this is how you check your email) to administering a wireless network using a Linux server and client machines. I would approach Google with a proposal to use GoogleVoice to create a community voice mail service. A corporation like Google whose slogan is “do no evil” should be eager to showcase their product while helping a non-profit accomplish a noble task. To go along with a free voice mail box, I would dedicate a portion of the cafe to a P.O. Box system where I could give access to 100 or so individual mail boxes. The café would basically be a cross between the Worksource office in Vancouver and the Sisters of the Road café in Portland. By giving people the opportunity to cultivate job related skills, I would be teaching them to fish.
I could continue to speculate, but for the sake of brevity, I will conclude with a link to a song from the latest album from The Roots. I purchased, yes, I still purchase CDs, this album right around the time I started reading There Are No Children Here. Every time I listen to this song, I think about the Rivers (Walden?) family. I've enjoyed the perspective this class has given me.
If you're frightened of clicking a link forwarded by a student, I'm sure you can find a link to the song on YouTube.
The Roots, “How I Got Over”
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/114875/06%20How%20I%20Got%20Over.mp3
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
more journal entries for poverty class
07/07/10 Journal 6: Who do you least identify with from the film?
We recently watched Michele Ohayon's, “It Was A Wonderful Life”. The trouble with documentaries is, even if the film makes a valid point and is speaking about a just cause, the film often suffers from tunnel vision. By tunnel vision, I mean that we only see the story through the eyes of the director. We only see what she wants us to see. That said, I enjoy documentaries which tell the after story. At the very least, a summary of what happened to each of the characters in a relevant time range is necessary. I did, however, enjoy the part of the film that showed the cops auctioning off the BMW owned by the deadbeat dad. This Robin Hood-esque seizure of luxury items from the rich for the sake of helping the poor is exactly what is needed in these situations.
I have no sympathy for Josephine the college educated, starving artist who found herself homeless after a “bad financial investment”. I have trouble being compassionate for a woman who lived a lavish life, then lost it all due to her own bad decisions. She may have been led into that bad decision by deception, but it was her responsibility to take care of her assets while she had them. The fact that she never took the time to develop any real marketable job skills is also her fault. I am curious to know what her “honorary doctorate” degree is in, and also what she did to earn it. If you're good enough at painting watercolors to earn a doctorate degree, then how come you haven't held down a job outside of the art world?
I think it's important for everyone to cultivate relevant, real world job skills. It's part of the responsibilities associated with being a productive member of society. I'd love to sit around my house and make music all day, but I realize that I need to eat. Creativity is good, and it's good to cultivate it, but one should first take care of basic needs before allowing creativity to take over. If you aren't willing to toe the line long enough to earn a living, then you're destined to starve. Creativity takes a back seat to living within the confines of the real world in my book.
07/12/10 Journal 7: Response to professor comments
Q – What brought my parents to the US?
A – My folks wanted to raise their family in the land of opportunity. They wanted my brother and I to have access to the things the US has to offer as opposed to the poverty stricken Philippines. What they didn't realize is that all the opportunities you find in the US come accompanied by an American sense of entitlement amongst other evils.
Q – What did you think of Nickel and Dimed?
A – I absolutely loved it. I was a very broke college student at the time I read it, so I found it easy to identify with some of the budgeting dilemmas Barbara faced throughout the course of the novel. One of the jobs I had as a teenager was a member of the stock team (I put the cans on the shelf and made sure all the labels were facing outward) at the Winn Dixie of east Athens, GA. I had a hearty laugh at the part of the book where Barbara explained the atrocious uniforms she had to wear while employed at WD:Marketplace.
Q – re: drug testing for all of those who receive benefits, What would happen to those who test positive? What resources are in place for treatment? What happens to the children?
A – Those who test positive would be subject to rehabilitation. By rehab, I don't mean the celebrity rehab that involves a trip to an ocean front resort where you receive counseling for exorbitant amounts of money. I'm thinking rehab in a Horner-esque apartment. Only the bear essentials would be provided, ie: padded walls and peanut butter sandwiches. Upon successful completion of the rehabilitation program, benefits would be restored. I'm sure resources are slim, if in existence at all, for treatment. The children lose every time. I suppose orphanages and other shelters are over populated, and this solution would only result in another glut of children without a home, but is it better to bounce from orphanage to shelter or to live with parent(s) who are strung out on drugs?
Q – Do you feel this one observation has informed your viewpoint of an entire group of people?
A – I understand that my viewpoint is very biased, and that I shouldn't judge an entire group of people based upon the gentleman in my story. I now realize the mistake I've made in prejudging the population by only allowing such a small sample to determine the outcome for the rest. I also understand that TANF, SNAP, WIC, etc works for 85% of the people on the program (if not more). I shouldn't let one bad apple sour the entire bushel.
Q – re: food boxes, give folks less choice?
A – Yes, that is the idea, but thanks to our resident diabetic-former-Comcast-installer, I now understand that this stipulation doesn't allow wiggle room for dietary concerns. My counter argument is, would you have diabetes if you were concerned with your diet before being diagnosed with the disease? The first solution that comes to mind is, still limit the choices by giving allotted food boxes, but make 20% of the boxes “diabetes friendly” (and also one for those gluten intolerants). I'm discriminatory against vegetarians/vegans, but honestly, that's a dietary choice. Beggars can't be choosers.
Q – re: monthly drug testing, for what? Most drugs leave your system within 72hrs.
A – I was unaware that most drugs course their way through your system in 72hrs. That fact essentially invalidates all the drug screens that I've had to take over the course of my career. I suppose if you're truly addicted to a substance, it's probably hard to go 72hrs without it, so that kind of validates the need for drug screens prior to employment. However, the fact remains that my logic is flawed.
Q – re: less morally responsible parties, ?
A – This comment was made to point a finger at the classic case of a wealthy politician feeding his wife and 2.5 kids while also “taking care” of a single mother with a child or two of her own. I'm referring to the people who have found themselves in a bad financial situation because they fathered multiple children from multiple women while always having a stable of girlfriends “on the side”.
Q – Did “they” pay into the system already?
A – Perhaps they did, but I'm willing to bet if you're throwing a fit about the state not paying for your crappy beer, you aren't exactly a model citizen, and you're most likely trying to use every advantage available to you even if that requires being dishonest about what you feed your kiddos. Exploiting the system by using TANF or SNAP to improve your lifestyle is not what those funds were appropriated for.
We recently watched Michele Ohayon's, “It Was A Wonderful Life”. The trouble with documentaries is, even if the film makes a valid point and is speaking about a just cause, the film often suffers from tunnel vision. By tunnel vision, I mean that we only see the story through the eyes of the director. We only see what she wants us to see. That said, I enjoy documentaries which tell the after story. At the very least, a summary of what happened to each of the characters in a relevant time range is necessary. I did, however, enjoy the part of the film that showed the cops auctioning off the BMW owned by the deadbeat dad. This Robin Hood-esque seizure of luxury items from the rich for the sake of helping the poor is exactly what is needed in these situations.
I have no sympathy for Josephine the college educated, starving artist who found herself homeless after a “bad financial investment”. I have trouble being compassionate for a woman who lived a lavish life, then lost it all due to her own bad decisions. She may have been led into that bad decision by deception, but it was her responsibility to take care of her assets while she had them. The fact that she never took the time to develop any real marketable job skills is also her fault. I am curious to know what her “honorary doctorate” degree is in, and also what she did to earn it. If you're good enough at painting watercolors to earn a doctorate degree, then how come you haven't held down a job outside of the art world?
I think it's important for everyone to cultivate relevant, real world job skills. It's part of the responsibilities associated with being a productive member of society. I'd love to sit around my house and make music all day, but I realize that I need to eat. Creativity is good, and it's good to cultivate it, but one should first take care of basic needs before allowing creativity to take over. If you aren't willing to toe the line long enough to earn a living, then you're destined to starve. Creativity takes a back seat to living within the confines of the real world in my book.
07/12/10 Journal 7: Response to professor comments
Q – What brought my parents to the US?
A – My folks wanted to raise their family in the land of opportunity. They wanted my brother and I to have access to the things the US has to offer as opposed to the poverty stricken Philippines. What they didn't realize is that all the opportunities you find in the US come accompanied by an American sense of entitlement amongst other evils.
Q – What did you think of Nickel and Dimed?
A – I absolutely loved it. I was a very broke college student at the time I read it, so I found it easy to identify with some of the budgeting dilemmas Barbara faced throughout the course of the novel. One of the jobs I had as a teenager was a member of the stock team (I put the cans on the shelf and made sure all the labels were facing outward) at the Winn Dixie of east Athens, GA. I had a hearty laugh at the part of the book where Barbara explained the atrocious uniforms she had to wear while employed at WD:Marketplace.
Q – re: drug testing for all of those who receive benefits, What would happen to those who test positive? What resources are in place for treatment? What happens to the children?
A – Those who test positive would be subject to rehabilitation. By rehab, I don't mean the celebrity rehab that involves a trip to an ocean front resort where you receive counseling for exorbitant amounts of money. I'm thinking rehab in a Horner-esque apartment. Only the bear essentials would be provided, ie: padded walls and peanut butter sandwiches. Upon successful completion of the rehabilitation program, benefits would be restored. I'm sure resources are slim, if in existence at all, for treatment. The children lose every time. I suppose orphanages and other shelters are over populated, and this solution would only result in another glut of children without a home, but is it better to bounce from orphanage to shelter or to live with parent(s) who are strung out on drugs?
Q – Do you feel this one observation has informed your viewpoint of an entire group of people?
A – I understand that my viewpoint is very biased, and that I shouldn't judge an entire group of people based upon the gentleman in my story. I now realize the mistake I've made in prejudging the population by only allowing such a small sample to determine the outcome for the rest. I also understand that TANF, SNAP, WIC, etc works for 85% of the people on the program (if not more). I shouldn't let one bad apple sour the entire bushel.
Q – re: food boxes, give folks less choice?
A – Yes, that is the idea, but thanks to our resident diabetic-former-Comcast-installer, I now understand that this stipulation doesn't allow wiggle room for dietary concerns. My counter argument is, would you have diabetes if you were concerned with your diet before being diagnosed with the disease? The first solution that comes to mind is, still limit the choices by giving allotted food boxes, but make 20% of the boxes “diabetes friendly” (and also one for those gluten intolerants). I'm discriminatory against vegetarians/vegans, but honestly, that's a dietary choice. Beggars can't be choosers.
Q – re: monthly drug testing, for what? Most drugs leave your system within 72hrs.
A – I was unaware that most drugs course their way through your system in 72hrs. That fact essentially invalidates all the drug screens that I've had to take over the course of my career. I suppose if you're truly addicted to a substance, it's probably hard to go 72hrs without it, so that kind of validates the need for drug screens prior to employment. However, the fact remains that my logic is flawed.
Q – re: less morally responsible parties, ?
A – This comment was made to point a finger at the classic case of a wealthy politician feeding his wife and 2.5 kids while also “taking care” of a single mother with a child or two of her own. I'm referring to the people who have found themselves in a bad financial situation because they fathered multiple children from multiple women while always having a stable of girlfriends “on the side”.
Q – Did “they” pay into the system already?
A – Perhaps they did, but I'm willing to bet if you're throwing a fit about the state not paying for your crappy beer, you aren't exactly a model citizen, and you're most likely trying to use every advantage available to you even if that requires being dishonest about what you feed your kiddos. Exploiting the system by using TANF or SNAP to improve your lifestyle is not what those funds were appropriated for.
Monday, July 12, 2010
poverty blog round 2
06/28/10 Journal 3: Combating the culture of poverty
I can identify with the culture of poverty school of thought, but I have little sympathy for those caught in the cycle. The young children have no recourse, and there should be a support system for them, but the adults should be held accountable for their actions. By feeding a starving child, you are contributing to the health of that child. By educating the impoverished, and giving them the opportunity to succeed, you are contributing to the health of the entire village. We watched a video in class which showed examples of people who dedicated their lives to helping the poor Appalachian people. A care giver ran a free clinic, but she had to pack a pistol along with her brown bag lunch every day in fear of someone robbing the clinic of their fool’s gold (prescription pills which fetch a high price, but really only rot the community from the inside out – pun intended). Another noble ran a dentistry practice where he gave the Mtn Dew fueled peasants new teeth in hopes of donating one essential piece of human capital. These two play an essential role in the process. I’m sure they educate the people on the dangers of HFCS laden drinks (especially in the baby bottles of 2yr olds) when consumed in unison with Oxycontin, but are they playing a broken record in a roomful of deaf people?
To break the cycle, philanthropists should focus on the children. Those of malleable mind are the fertile soils where we should be planting seeds. The adults who are caught in the cycle are more than likely caught in their destructive mindset as well. Giving money to adults in hopes of them spending it on their children is a lot like giving money to Saddam Hussein in hopes of him spending it on the common Iraqi people. Dangling the carrot in front of the face of the horse is of no value when the horse has 2 broken legs and an addiction to Oxycontin. I’d like to see tax dollars (or donated funds) go towards drug rehabilitation and education. A portion of the proceeds should also go towards drug testing for all of those receiving benefits. This would help to insure that the efforts are not wasted.
06/30/10 Journal 4: The system and those who abuse it
I get very angry when people take advantage of the system that’s been put in place to help those in need. I can vividly remember an experience I had while standing in line at WinCo. I was 18 or 19 at the time. I had moved out of my parents’ home and was living in an apartment which housed 2 adults. Unfortunately, only one of those adults worked, and at best worked 30hrs/wk. My budget for monthly groceries was less than $100. The list that I took with me was planned down to $.25 increments. As I stood waiting behind my cart, filled to just below the halfway mark with ground turkey (it was cheaper than ground beef at the time), Ramen noodles and bags of various bulk bin items, I couldn’t help but notice the gentleman in front of me. His purchases ranged from the everyday items like toilet paper and Hamburger Helper to the extravagant t-bone steaks and shrimp cocktail rings (yes, I said rings with an S). I saw his total exceed 3 figures, 5 if you count after the decimal, which I always do. This gentleman was obviously eating much nicer than I, and I assured myself that the Lexus parked out front couldn’t possibly be his. Much to his dismay, the cashier wouldn’t allow him to pay for his 24 pack of Budweiser with his EBT card. Even though the surf and turf he was about to enjoy was completely courtesy of the state, he had to pay out of his own pocket for his libations. Preposterous. What kind of country makes a man pay out of his own pocket for such crappy beer? I mean, he’s got a family of 4 to feed, and the V8 in that Lexus sure burns up a lot of dinosaur blood.
I’m not saying we should do away with the system altogether, but I am a fan of regulations. Someone mentioned in class that “the man” will watch how you spend your state assisted funds (ie: if you shop at WalMart too much, you’ll get a cease and desist order in the mail). Food should be allotted through government run organizations. Families in need of assistance should be given food boxes much like the ones assembled at the Oregon Food Bank. The box would contain enough sustenance for a family of four to subsist for four weeks. These boxes will be priced on a prorated schedule based on monthly income much like the discounted lunch programs in public schools.
07/05/10 Journal 5: Assets from a previous lifestyle
There has been mention in class of people driving up to government offices in Lexus-es (or is it Lexi?). I wouldn’t normally nit-pick a statement like this, but it’s come up a number of times, so it got me thinking. If people retain things from a “previous lifestyle” they must also retain the mindset of that same lifestyle. I suppose that keeping up with the Jones’ doesn’t stop, even when you’re in situations of financial desperation.
If you’re receiving state benefits, you should be subjected to monthly drug testing, as well as an extensive background check. By extensive, I mean turning your financial records over to the state. This painstakingly long process would create jobs for those qualified. For starters, we could pay unemployed financial advisors to comb over the records in search of people who drive cars worth in excess of $50,000 (any arbitrary number would work here, I just picked 50k for the sake of illustration). There could be guidelines for what would be considered a “luxury item” or “excessive spending”. For those who meet these requirements, state assistance would be given sparingly. If you’re in need of state assistance to feed your family (-ies in the case of some less morally responsible parties) you don’t necessarily need the title to your BMW 745i. I’m sure your wife’s Range Rover works excellent for picking up groceries, but do you really need to haul the kids to and from the beach house every weekend? I’m sure all of the newfound time you’ve got due to unemployment goes well with the steak and shrimp you just purchased with your EBT funds, but the rest of us would like a chance at life in your shoes instead of just having to pay for it via unemployment insurance.
My point is, rich people who retained possessions from their previous life as a gainfully employed CEO shouldn’t get to draw from the state assistance bucket just because their severance package ran out. If I’m struggling to put food on the table, the first thing that comes to my mind is, how can I liquidate my current assets in favor of feeding my family? If I can sell my $75,000 Benz which I paid off between rounds of golf at the country club and lunch meetings with corporate bigwigs and use the proceeds to buy a Camry and still have $20,000 to feed my family with, I guess I’ll just have to wait for my next severance package to purchase the newest status symbol.
I can identify with the culture of poverty school of thought, but I have little sympathy for those caught in the cycle. The young children have no recourse, and there should be a support system for them, but the adults should be held accountable for their actions. By feeding a starving child, you are contributing to the health of that child. By educating the impoverished, and giving them the opportunity to succeed, you are contributing to the health of the entire village. We watched a video in class which showed examples of people who dedicated their lives to helping the poor Appalachian people. A care giver ran a free clinic, but she had to pack a pistol along with her brown bag lunch every day in fear of someone robbing the clinic of their fool’s gold (prescription pills which fetch a high price, but really only rot the community from the inside out – pun intended). Another noble ran a dentistry practice where he gave the Mtn Dew fueled peasants new teeth in hopes of donating one essential piece of human capital. These two play an essential role in the process. I’m sure they educate the people on the dangers of HFCS laden drinks (especially in the baby bottles of 2yr olds) when consumed in unison with Oxycontin, but are they playing a broken record in a roomful of deaf people?
To break the cycle, philanthropists should focus on the children. Those of malleable mind are the fertile soils where we should be planting seeds. The adults who are caught in the cycle are more than likely caught in their destructive mindset as well. Giving money to adults in hopes of them spending it on their children is a lot like giving money to Saddam Hussein in hopes of him spending it on the common Iraqi people. Dangling the carrot in front of the face of the horse is of no value when the horse has 2 broken legs and an addiction to Oxycontin. I’d like to see tax dollars (or donated funds) go towards drug rehabilitation and education. A portion of the proceeds should also go towards drug testing for all of those receiving benefits. This would help to insure that the efforts are not wasted.
06/30/10 Journal 4: The system and those who abuse it
I get very angry when people take advantage of the system that’s been put in place to help those in need. I can vividly remember an experience I had while standing in line at WinCo. I was 18 or 19 at the time. I had moved out of my parents’ home and was living in an apartment which housed 2 adults. Unfortunately, only one of those adults worked, and at best worked 30hrs/wk. My budget for monthly groceries was less than $100. The list that I took with me was planned down to $.25 increments. As I stood waiting behind my cart, filled to just below the halfway mark with ground turkey (it was cheaper than ground beef at the time), Ramen noodles and bags of various bulk bin items, I couldn’t help but notice the gentleman in front of me. His purchases ranged from the everyday items like toilet paper and Hamburger Helper to the extravagant t-bone steaks and shrimp cocktail rings (yes, I said rings with an S). I saw his total exceed 3 figures, 5 if you count after the decimal, which I always do. This gentleman was obviously eating much nicer than I, and I assured myself that the Lexus parked out front couldn’t possibly be his. Much to his dismay, the cashier wouldn’t allow him to pay for his 24 pack of Budweiser with his EBT card. Even though the surf and turf he was about to enjoy was completely courtesy of the state, he had to pay out of his own pocket for his libations. Preposterous. What kind of country makes a man pay out of his own pocket for such crappy beer? I mean, he’s got a family of 4 to feed, and the V8 in that Lexus sure burns up a lot of dinosaur blood.
I’m not saying we should do away with the system altogether, but I am a fan of regulations. Someone mentioned in class that “the man” will watch how you spend your state assisted funds (ie: if you shop at WalMart too much, you’ll get a cease and desist order in the mail). Food should be allotted through government run organizations. Families in need of assistance should be given food boxes much like the ones assembled at the Oregon Food Bank. The box would contain enough sustenance for a family of four to subsist for four weeks. These boxes will be priced on a prorated schedule based on monthly income much like the discounted lunch programs in public schools.
07/05/10 Journal 5: Assets from a previous lifestyle
There has been mention in class of people driving up to government offices in Lexus-es (or is it Lexi?). I wouldn’t normally nit-pick a statement like this, but it’s come up a number of times, so it got me thinking. If people retain things from a “previous lifestyle” they must also retain the mindset of that same lifestyle. I suppose that keeping up with the Jones’ doesn’t stop, even when you’re in situations of financial desperation.
If you’re receiving state benefits, you should be subjected to monthly drug testing, as well as an extensive background check. By extensive, I mean turning your financial records over to the state. This painstakingly long process would create jobs for those qualified. For starters, we could pay unemployed financial advisors to comb over the records in search of people who drive cars worth in excess of $50,000 (any arbitrary number would work here, I just picked 50k for the sake of illustration). There could be guidelines for what would be considered a “luxury item” or “excessive spending”. For those who meet these requirements, state assistance would be given sparingly. If you’re in need of state assistance to feed your family (-ies in the case of some less morally responsible parties) you don’t necessarily need the title to your BMW 745i. I’m sure your wife’s Range Rover works excellent for picking up groceries, but do you really need to haul the kids to and from the beach house every weekend? I’m sure all of the newfound time you’ve got due to unemployment goes well with the steak and shrimp you just purchased with your EBT funds, but the rest of us would like a chance at life in your shoes instead of just having to pay for it via unemployment insurance.
My point is, rich people who retained possessions from their previous life as a gainfully employed CEO shouldn’t get to draw from the state assistance bucket just because their severance package ran out. If I’m struggling to put food on the table, the first thing that comes to my mind is, how can I liquidate my current assets in favor of feeding my family? If I can sell my $75,000 Benz which I paid off between rounds of golf at the country club and lunch meetings with corporate bigwigs and use the proceeds to buy a Camry and still have $20,000 to feed my family with, I guess I’ll just have to wait for my next severance package to purchase the newest status symbol.
Monday, July 5, 2010
New shit...for school, but entertaining nonetheless
I've been tasked with writing a journal for this Human Development class I'm taking this summer. This class, HD403 is entitled, Families in Poverty. It's very depressing, but somewhat educational. Most importantly, the class meets two graduation requirements, so in the name of Maximillion Eduardo Fischency, I elected to complete the course. That's Max E. Fficiency if you didn't catch that the first time around. Think about it...yeah, that's right. Clever, huh?
Journal 1
This class is going to be much more interesting than I originally assumed. When I registered for this class, I was under the impression that I was making the best use of my time by enrolling in a class which qualifies as both a tier 3 and global learning credits. The topic of the class was of no concern to me, as I was only interested in maximizing efficiency. After sitting in the first lecture for about a half hour, I realized that I was sitting in a class intended for human development majors. This class is much different from what I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years of quantitative academics and a welcome change for a business major, indeed.
My opinion on poverty is skewed to say the least. I’ve been exposed to poverty by both American and Filipino standards. My parents emigrated from the Philippines in the early 80s while I was still an infant. Coincidentally, our first stop in the United States of America was in Portland, OR. I’m told that we purchased a station wagon (a Dodge Aries, beige with wood paneling on the side) and made our way to Athens, GA where my mom landed a job as a registered nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital. My dad owned an Asian grocery store before he landed a job as a materials handler at St. Mary’s. Both of my parents earned baccalaureate degrees in the Philippines before immigrating.
I grew up in the beautiful city of Athens, Georgia which lies approximately 52 miles northeast of Atlanta. Athens is a college town that lies north of the Fall Line and east of the Appalachians. I grew up in a small house in a less affluent side of town. At the age of eleven, my family moved into the suburbs of Watkinsville. To make a long story short, I grew up poor, but as my folks furthered their education by earning master’s degrees, they ascended the corporate ladder in the healthcare industry. At the age of 15, we took a 3 week “vacation” to the Philippines. Needless to say, the third world culture shocked the silver spoon in my mouth. I’m still feeling aftereffects to this day.
To symbolize the opening act of my rebellious stage, I moved out of the home my parents bought in the affluent part of Camas, WA at the tender age of 18. I learned how to support myself, and my unmotivated girlfriend at the time on a $10/hr part time job. Instead of taking advantage of state assistance, I found income whoring myself out as a computer technician and aspiring graphic designer. By exploiting market inefficiencies, I was able to make ends meet.
Around this time, I read “Nickel and Dimed” by Ehrenreich. It wasn’t long before I found a full time, $10/hr job to go along with my part time job and part time school. I graduated from Clark College with an associate’s degree in 2004. After realizing all of the graphic design classes I took weren’t enough to find a job as a graphic designer, I decided to go back to school in 2007 in pursuit of a business degree. While in pursuit, I worked as a contractor at Hewlett Packard. I used my leverage as a hardware tester to land a job as a quality assurance tester. Through references and on the job experience, I ended my career at HP as a Linux Software Technician. Unfortunately, my ~40k/yr job was shipped to Bangalore, India where three Indian engineers now perform my job 50% as efficiently.
Journal 2
My first journal entry conveniently leads me into my second. Of the four views on poverty as illustrated by the Seccombe text, I most identify with individualism. My parents grew up in a third world country where the Federal Poverty Line in the US would translate to lower middle class. For sake of illustration, a room at the Four Seasons in downtown Iloilo City cost 600 pesos in 1998. Even if you were to calculate for inflation, the price difference is still astonishing. Back in 98, the USD was worth about 40 pesos. The current exchange rate, as per finance.yahoo.com is 46 PHP to 1 USD. Cost of living is radically different in the Philippines, so I’m essentially comparing apples to oranges. My point is that poverty in the US is much different from poverty in the Philippines. I suppose that if you take the definition of impoverished as, “not having enough money to subsist within the confines of a given city” then being poor in the Philippines is the same as being poor in the US. However, I bet it’s much easier to live off the land on a tropical island than in the foothills of the Appalachian Trail.
That said, my parents were afforded the same opportunities as any US national upon immigrating. Having an educational background from a foreign country is definitely better than having a high school diploma or GED (or less for that matter) from the US, but in some cases, it’s just as irrelevant. I was fortunate that my mom had a job secured as a nurse before we immigrated, but I’m a firm believer that my folks would have found prosperity in the US whether St. Mary’s was willing to employ them or not. By saying that my parents are a “rags to riches” success story is cheating them of the hard work they’ve put in over the years. They improved their economic viability by making sacrifices so that they could both finish their respective master’s degrees and further their careers while my brother and I were still young.
I believe that everyone is responsible for their own actions, and America is, in fact, still the land of opportunity. The past few years have reduced the amount of opportunities available, but the supply is still ample. The Obama administration has made it abundantly clear that the supply will remain ample for the time being, and I am thankful for it. Because of the Trade Adjustment Act, I am able to claim unemployment benefits while finishing my bachelor’s degree. I also believe that the culturist view has valid points as well. The poor have an affinity to remain poor just like the rich are inclined to stay rich, assuming they don’t self destruct by way of various forms of addiction.
Journal 1
This class is going to be much more interesting than I originally assumed. When I registered for this class, I was under the impression that I was making the best use of my time by enrolling in a class which qualifies as both a tier 3 and global learning credits. The topic of the class was of no concern to me, as I was only interested in maximizing efficiency. After sitting in the first lecture for about a half hour, I realized that I was sitting in a class intended for human development majors. This class is much different from what I’ve grown accustomed to over the past few years of quantitative academics and a welcome change for a business major, indeed.
My opinion on poverty is skewed to say the least. I’ve been exposed to poverty by both American and Filipino standards. My parents emigrated from the Philippines in the early 80s while I was still an infant. Coincidentally, our first stop in the United States of America was in Portland, OR. I’m told that we purchased a station wagon (a Dodge Aries, beige with wood paneling on the side) and made our way to Athens, GA where my mom landed a job as a registered nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital. My dad owned an Asian grocery store before he landed a job as a materials handler at St. Mary’s. Both of my parents earned baccalaureate degrees in the Philippines before immigrating.
I grew up in the beautiful city of Athens, Georgia which lies approximately 52 miles northeast of Atlanta. Athens is a college town that lies north of the Fall Line and east of the Appalachians. I grew up in a small house in a less affluent side of town. At the age of eleven, my family moved into the suburbs of Watkinsville. To make a long story short, I grew up poor, but as my folks furthered their education by earning master’s degrees, they ascended the corporate ladder in the healthcare industry. At the age of 15, we took a 3 week “vacation” to the Philippines. Needless to say, the third world culture shocked the silver spoon in my mouth. I’m still feeling aftereffects to this day.
To symbolize the opening act of my rebellious stage, I moved out of the home my parents bought in the affluent part of Camas, WA at the tender age of 18. I learned how to support myself, and my unmotivated girlfriend at the time on a $10/hr part time job. Instead of taking advantage of state assistance, I found income whoring myself out as a computer technician and aspiring graphic designer. By exploiting market inefficiencies, I was able to make ends meet.
Around this time, I read “Nickel and Dimed” by Ehrenreich. It wasn’t long before I found a full time, $10/hr job to go along with my part time job and part time school. I graduated from Clark College with an associate’s degree in 2004. After realizing all of the graphic design classes I took weren’t enough to find a job as a graphic designer, I decided to go back to school in 2007 in pursuit of a business degree. While in pursuit, I worked as a contractor at Hewlett Packard. I used my leverage as a hardware tester to land a job as a quality assurance tester. Through references and on the job experience, I ended my career at HP as a Linux Software Technician. Unfortunately, my ~40k/yr job was shipped to Bangalore, India where three Indian engineers now perform my job 50% as efficiently.
Journal 2
My first journal entry conveniently leads me into my second. Of the four views on poverty as illustrated by the Seccombe text, I most identify with individualism. My parents grew up in a third world country where the Federal Poverty Line in the US would translate to lower middle class. For sake of illustration, a room at the Four Seasons in downtown Iloilo City cost 600 pesos in 1998. Even if you were to calculate for inflation, the price difference is still astonishing. Back in 98, the USD was worth about 40 pesos. The current exchange rate, as per finance.yahoo.com is 46 PHP to 1 USD. Cost of living is radically different in the Philippines, so I’m essentially comparing apples to oranges. My point is that poverty in the US is much different from poverty in the Philippines. I suppose that if you take the definition of impoverished as, “not having enough money to subsist within the confines of a given city” then being poor in the Philippines is the same as being poor in the US. However, I bet it’s much easier to live off the land on a tropical island than in the foothills of the Appalachian Trail.
That said, my parents were afforded the same opportunities as any US national upon immigrating. Having an educational background from a foreign country is definitely better than having a high school diploma or GED (or less for that matter) from the US, but in some cases, it’s just as irrelevant. I was fortunate that my mom had a job secured as a nurse before we immigrated, but I’m a firm believer that my folks would have found prosperity in the US whether St. Mary’s was willing to employ them or not. By saying that my parents are a “rags to riches” success story is cheating them of the hard work they’ve put in over the years. They improved their economic viability by making sacrifices so that they could both finish their respective master’s degrees and further their careers while my brother and I were still young.
I believe that everyone is responsible for their own actions, and America is, in fact, still the land of opportunity. The past few years have reduced the amount of opportunities available, but the supply is still ample. The Obama administration has made it abundantly clear that the supply will remain ample for the time being, and I am thankful for it. Because of the Trade Adjustment Act, I am able to claim unemployment benefits while finishing my bachelor’s degree. I also believe that the culturist view has valid points as well. The poor have an affinity to remain poor just like the rich are inclined to stay rich, assuming they don’t self destruct by way of various forms of addiction.
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