USA: 37 Million Poor Hidden in the Land of Plenty

i wanna live in Utopia too *sniff* can I get an invite?

i dont remember making the decision to be born by a mother that was homeless, guess i missed the chance when they asked me....my fault.

anyway, you want to tell me if you work hard then eventually it will pay off? yea ok tell me that to my mom who was only 7 years old when her father left, they went homeless, now shes been working 2 steady job and at times a third when she can. thats just to pay the bills on this house and the chance for my sister to go to college. im not getting that chance unless i manage a full scholarship or some sort of way to finance it. this internet im using, my mom doesnt pay for i do. she isnt gunna pay for it, because she almost never home to use it. i wonder why shes so grouchy? maybe its the average of at least 60 hour work week, + however much they call her in for which can be anywhere from 7-21 hours extra work. maybe its the 5 hours of sleep for mostly all weekday nights. but yea, 15 years of working like that really pays off

in the end yea you survive, and you give your kids the chance to survive. but when do your kids get the oppertunities that these rich kids got?

i got districted to a school that had rich kids in it, is was about 45 minutes away (no idea why, i think because over crowded schools in my area) anyway i thought "this is my chance" yea well i was wrong. the teaching was better, but i just couldnt stay in that school. god forbid i ever missed the late bus, i wouldnt be able to get home. but that wasnt the problem, it was the kids. i was ridiculed not only by kids, but by teachers as well. what kind of school lets a teacher ridicule you to the point he makes up a very insulting nickname for you, and the entire senior class picks up on it? he was from that town though, so what should i have expected. of course the school was high tech from all the donations they got, but even though i was great at football to the point i might have been able to play college ball i wasnt given the chance because my parents didnt donate any money.

equal chances my ass.

you say its our faults for being born in certian families, then go to hell. i didnt choose this, this wasnt my bad decision.

yea sure we can all survive off this for the rest of our lives, but the slaves survived under harsh conditions wondering if there next meal would come through. but they worked hard and survived right? so whats the problem? the problem is maybe i want an oppertunity to do more then just survive to give my kids the chances to survive. they should be given the chances to be millionaires, not if they get lucky a middle class citizen.

I personally am sick of others blaming their problems somewhere else or on someone else. I will acknowledge that there can be certain problems holding people back such as education, lack of money, lack of transportation. But these problems are either something you could have done something about earlier in your life, or you need to perservere through. What happened to personal accountability, I'm seeing less and less as the days go by. No matter what someones problem is its someone elses fault. If I had a test tomorrow and I didnt study enough, whos fault would it be if I failed? Or in a real case of mine its my fault I didnt get enough financial aid to come to college because I checked the wrong box, my fault, not anyone elses.

Apoc:

If you live in poverty in America it is by your own choice or bad choices.

Ah. So people living in poverty only have themselves to blame, huh?

Are you black? Are you a visible minority? If not, might I suggest you keep your mouth shut??

You've just singlehandedly insulted 37 million of your own countrymen, and I am willing to take a warning from a mod for saying to you on behalf of them: stfu.

Poverty exists in America because of your "system". Ask around.

jako

Originally posted by ludaChris
I personally am sick of others blaming their problems somewhere else or on someone else. I will acknowledge that there can be certain problems holding people back such as education, lack of money, lack of transportation. But these problems are either something you could have done something about earlier in your life, or you need to perservere through. What happened to personal accountability, I'm seeing less and less as the days go by. No matter what someones problem is its someone elses fault. If I had a test tomorrow and I didnt study enough, whos fault would it be if I failed? Or in a real case of mine its my fault I didnt get enough financial aid to come to college because I checked the wrong box, my fault, not anyone elses.

well if you blew studying off to watch tv or play video games, then its your own damn fault. when you picked up a job so that your mom doesnt have to work a third job and maybe even work less on that second job so that 6/7 nights of the week you arent sitting home alone from an hour after you come home till you go to sleep, i guess thats your fault too. except the difference is that one you just lazy, the other one your tired of watching your exuasted mom come home and feeling like she just wants to give up on life. that might be it. try to throw the blame on them and act like will power and determination will get everyone out of the system, that they are ALL just too lazy and dont want to enough, im sure that this is the case for 37 million americans, 5 million of em just got up one day and said screw it ya know what, im just going to sit on my ass and complain instead of working. yea like that happens.

Are you black? Are you a visible minority? If not, might I suggest you keep your mouth shut??

Hmmm...well, black folk got something called "hood rich"--where it don't matter how poor you are as long as you look like you got cake...and of course icing!

As explained so nicely by the Big Tymers

Gator boots, with the pimped out gucci suit
Ain’t got no job, but I stay sharp
Can’t pay my rent, cause all my money’s spent
But thats ok, cause I’m still fly
Got a quarter tank gas in my new e-class
But that’s alright cause I’m gon’ ride
Got everything in my moma’s name
But I’m hood rich da dada dada da

STILL FLY

Now, I'm not saying anything just that poor don't have color or race in this country...and some poor folk do it very well in America if they know how to use the system.

Originally posted by grimreaper797
so whats the problem? the problem is maybe i want an oppertunity to do more then just survive

Reaper, everyone has a story. My father died shortly after I was born from injuries he recieved in WWII. Mom never had more than a 6th grade education, raised five kids alone by working her arse off taking whatever jobs she could get. My grades were not good enough out of HS to get me in college so I joined the Navy. I earned my GI Bill walking through rice patties of Vietnam with the 2nd Marines. After getting out of the Navy I went to Technical college to get enough Credits so I could transfer to a 4 year program. I went to classes at night and spent many an entire evening studying just to take a shower and go to my full time day job. I worked digging ditches, washing cars and waiting tables on weekends to further make ends meet. I lived in rooming houses, weekly Motels and slept on peoples couches. I volunteered to work in soup kitchens just to get a meal. I knew where every hand out in town was. I lived for months at a time on nothing but bread and peanut butter just so I could buy books and supplies. I wore handme down clothes from the Salvation Army. All this and more I did just to get a degree. All around me today are people that didn't have to work to get where they are because they came from families better off than my own. No one gave me anything, I worked for it and earned it on my own. I am not special, I am not particularly smart, I just wanted more and I fought and scratched my way out to get it.

saphronia: and you know what those hood rich people do? its called drug dealing. they didnt get it out of thin air, its a job alright, just not a legal one. believe me that what they meant. plus that rapper is an idiot. no body does that. they do use all their money, but they arent worried because the crack heads will keep coming back

whofluggum: are you rich? do you have to worry about your finacial situation? do you have to constantly make sure your not using too much money? if you have to be careful of how much money your spenting whenever you go to spend it, your not close to rich. these rich people, and even there kids, throw money around like it was literally worth nothing more then paper. one kid from around here robbed the girls locker room, came out with over 3 grand in money and stuff. in a damn highschool locker room. expensive types of ipods, 300 dollar cell phones, hundreds of dollars in cash you know they didnt need in school. but it doesnt mean much to them. to me im worried about if my 15 dollars will get stolen out of my locker when i go to school.

in my lunch i have this kid and he loves lunch period. i asked him why he said because school lunch is the only time he gets to have hot food other then the cheap soups like ramen chicken noodle soup. even then sometimes he cant because they dont always have gas and electric.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by grimreaper797]

ummm....the poor have it made in this country...they have roofs over their head, food on the table, medical care when they need it....they are ohh so much better off than the poor in other countries.

and well, if they don't like being poor, well, that's their fault, they're lazy, they made stupid dicisions in the past they are paying for now, blah, blah blah!!

I bet for every one that is getting help from the government, to have the food, the shelter, and especially the medical care, there's another that's turned down for whatever reason. they fall through the cracks. ya know what, I am very familair with those cracks!!

to be honest....if we were so lazy like some claim, we wouldn't have gone without needed medical attention, we wouldn't have lived in housing that didn't even meet hud standards, we would have had three meals a day!!

but, dang!!! my husband made a stupid decision when he got out of the military, decided to become a machinist, and make a living building those nice machines everyone uses to to help them make money. when we had our kids...we could afford our kids!! the cost of living was lower, and well, quite frankly, his wages were higher then than they've been most of those years my kids were growing up! he worked hard learning this occupation, paid his taxes....some of which went toward grants and scholarships that I bet at least a few on this board used to help get them thru college....

he's a proud man, he's gonna work....but ya know what.....that decision right there, the fact that we weren't lazy, that we did work, when all was said and done....well, all I can say is that we would have been better off in so many ways if we had just not worked so hard, taken to drinking obsessively, and well, umm.....just taken minimum wage jobs in your local convenience store.....

and, well, my opinion is that this is the problem, right there. you can be dirt poor, and have what you need, or you can luck out and be one of those "preferred" people that are overly endowed!!! but if you are just honest, hard working people trying to live your life, well, you just might find that that hard work, that decision right there, can really take it all away!!

it can really take some of the incentive out of working too danged hard!!

Originally posted by grimreaper797
whofluggum: are you rich? do you have to worry about your finacial situation? do you have to constantly make sure your not using too much money?

Am I rich? Thats a relative term, depends on what is rich? I am comfortable.
But it hasn't always been that way. I had my share of finacial worries. I know what it is like to be unemployed, have the repo man take your car and home. I know what it is like to ask friends and family for money and a place to stay. I know what it is like to be hungry, bathe in gas station rest rooms. I know what it is like to think you are at your lowest point and there is no hope. Been there, done that. But I would never let someone tell me that I couldn't do something and I didn't dweel on other peoples fortune. I went out and made my own. Just in case someone wants to inject that it is harder for a black or a minority, I am Native American and it was a black man that told me to get off my arse, fight for what I wanted and to never let anyone including myself stand in my way. America is full of opportunities. I wasn't satisfied to wait for opportunity to come knocking, I busted down the freaking door and made my own.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by WHOFLUNGGUM]

[edit on 22-2-2006 by WHOFLUNGGUM]

[edit on 22-2-2006 by WHOFLUNGGUM]

[edit on 22-2-2006 by WHOFLUNGGUM]

Everyone can get into a "who has it worse" or a "I know someone that had to eat their own feet" contest... but it skips the point...

I beleive that what Souljah was trying to say, was that the American dream isn't so easy anymore...

We all have stories of a relative that worked their way up from the bootstraps...
Praise America say Amen...

but the point is, that it is a little harder to do that these days for various reasons...

case in point: how many kids were left alone in the "ol days", while the parents worked? can't do that now, or DHS comes and takes the kids...

how about insurance? a little hard to stay ahead of the game, if the companies will only insure the parts that are healthy...

Public transportation is usually only available in bigger higher cost of living cities... and cars are impossible to own/drive for less than $5,000 a year...(usually at least $15,000, insurance, car payment, maintenance, gas)

education is the primary key... and that is one place we used to excel...
we now suck...
education used to be the great equalizer... it is now the great restrictor to a class society...

If the government really wanted to fix the poor problem, then they would make sure that public schools were equal in materials support...

as it is, the urban schools will never have the students of computer science... why? because they cant afford computers...
but go to the rich side of town, and computers all over the place...

equalize the education system, and you will see an equal opportunity society

yea pretty much, education is the key to the future, and we are now 22nd and 28th in the world for math and science...pretty sad. we are in a decline and unless we do something things will only get worse.

saphronia: and you know what those hood rich people do? its called drug dealing. they didnt get it out of thin air, its a job alright, just not a legal one. believe me that what they meant. plus that rapper is an idiot. no body does that. they do use all their money, but they arent worried because the crack heads will keep coming back

I would say you missed the point, but, oh well. Just think if your mom chose not to work so damn hard. She'd have access to things like TANF which will fill your belly. And, she could get all of her bills paid (except cable but, you can steal that). I've got cousins that aint never worked a job. They get that social sercurity check after their TANF runs out. These chicks do braids and baby sit for women like your mom (all money under the table)--boyfriends (he aint never worked either) that drive Excursions and of course they live with them for free in a Section 8 HOUSE--twenty dollar rent at the most. Two big screen t.v.'s and funiture nicer than mine. Clothes, shoes, manicures and pedicures. Kids got the nicest gear too. That's working the system...hood rich. You can walk up in some of these houses and think "oh my god you is posed to be poor".

...but, you know what? You can't really explain the game so I'ma let it go.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by Saphronia]

nah i understand, im just saying, they making money, just the government dont know about it
all illegal jobs is what im saying. but see thats just furthering our countries demise, we are destroying it because people like that ARE the ones that are too lazy, the kinda people i look at like "damn you cant be better then that? you really that low" i mean it wont be like this forever, the more people like that suck outa the system the more our country declines. its a rapid vicious cycle, i refuse to do something like that. they dont need it, but use it anyway...pitiful.

good education is vital to a society, I am not denying that. but, well, a society doesn't need everyone holding bachelors or masters degrees. and to strive to get everyone to persue one would be a waste of resources. those who have the ability to excell and even those who have the desire, even if their ability is questionable should be given every opportunity to do so. that means all of our schools should be equipped to give them that opportunity. but those who don't have that ability, or the desire, well, that should be considered okay also. there's still a place for them in our society, as well as a valuable job that they can do for society. this is where this society is failing so miserably. it sees so little value for 80% or so of the occupations out there, so therefore sees no reason to pay those who work those jobs even enough to provide thier needs. although our society would probably collaspe without them!

yea, well then you would be surprised to know that i didnt get the chance to go into physics like i really wanted to because not enough people would do it so they didnt even have a teacher for it at the time. sure i can excel out of school but it makes it that much harder(alot harder) to do anything with physics now because i didnt take the class. education in schools sucks. i brought in info and showed the teacher that the book that we were using (made in 1971) was outdated, when i proved it she couldnt figure out anything to say in defense, two days later she quit. the teachers dont know anything, and when you prove them wrong, they just go somewhere else.

but also, if we had more people in science and maths, we would be making bigger advances in technology and regain the image we actually once had, a thriving nation. the society we live in and all live in will depend on the information and knowledge they have. the more they know and learn, the more their nation and society thrives for obvious reasons. if i ever make anything of myself where ive got the money to do so, education is something ill do everything in my power to promote and see gets the proper attention. thats what im striving for, to make a change for the places that dont get the same oppertunities when it comes to young kids. so they DO get the oppertunties that everyone SAYS they have(which they dont and i know right now) ive been told to be realistic but gotta have something to live for.



[edit on 22-2-2006 by grimreaper797]

and yet, most of the advances that have been made, were made by my father's generation. those that served in WW2. They're the ones that initially invented the computer, created the nice highway system we have, put tv's in every home, lights in every house....not to mention indoor plumbing in some areas.

my father wanted an education, there just wasn't any opportunity for it...so, well, now, financial means doesn't play such an important role. I believe that all these grants and such came into being because of people from his generation.

but many from his generation didn't have these opportunities, and yet they accomplished much more than their kids, or their grandkids...
it seems like all we've done is drive this country into the poor house!!

for some reason, I don't think giving people the opportunities is really the answer. they have the opportunities....or more do now than in past generations. but well, they also seem to have an insatiable greed also!!

[edit on 22-2-2006 by dawnstar]

actually id say it was more there parents generation, our grandparents. times when einstein was doing relativity and new theories were forming, since our education rates have been declining, technology in america is no more, but it might also be because all our corporations move out of the country, like Jay Bulworth said in the movie 'Bulworth'

"american corporations move out of america to get cheap labor, thats the american way"

what we need to do is educate our children so that they can take the lead in technology again, whatever country has the best technology stays in the forefront. why do you think america has been the superpower...technology. as we decline in educations we will lose our superpower status to the country who consistanly holds the highest education.

also education during the begining of 1900 wasnt anything close to what it is now. its more competitive now because theres so much more to learn and advance in. before it was pretty much undiscovered territory, once they noticed it was there it became a race to who can gain the most ground. plus growing populations doesnt help to say the least.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by grimreaper797]

by what I hear, einstien wasn't liked much by his teachers...they thought he was dumb...

i know ive read his biography and his life work. his teachers didnt like the idea he didnt like newtons ideas, and they pretty much ignored him...made it real hard to get a job. but he also made it all the way to college and had a decent oppertunity to get there. it wasnt till his last years in college when he started to form his own ideas that he got a hard time. thats what happens when you go against the system. wasnt till two men...ah what were their names....anyway they showed how light curved around the sun during an eclipse and you could see a star when you shouldnt have to show how gravity actually curves space. (im not sure if it was considered space-time yet because that was one of einstiens ideas, im not sure if that came before or after the experiment study.) before that they didnt even take him serious really. soon as that experiment with the stars light curving around the sun, einstein immediately blew up and got crediblity.

[edit on 22-2-2006 by grimreaper797]