Are you poor?

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Are you poor? Socio economic levels are measured in a variety of ways and by various groups of people. Government statisticians, private research groups, entities interested in particular segments of society, and so forth. From country to country and culture to culture it can mean vastly different things to information gatherers. Sometimes the results are critical to assist people in dire need of help. Sometimes the results appeal to product marketing. Yet, what is “poverty” beyond the numbers assigned to that group? When do the “poor” slip into official “poverty” or are the two terms the same? Researchers do know millions are not counted at all. They fall between the cracks.

I grew up in a home that by today’s standards would be considered poor. It was after WWII and everyone lived like we did, mostly. We never reached middle class the entire time I lived at home. My dad died at 38 and only after my mom remarried many years later did she finally arrive at what we might call “middle class.” I was grown then and on my own.

Sadly, my stepdad has been in a nursing home for about eight years and by some standards today at age 86 mom might be considered poor---again. Not at a poverty level but poor. She doesn’t think so when she compares how she lives to the rest of the world. In fact, she feels comfortable compared to most of her previous life, the part before and after I was born. Her life didn’t change to a more comfortable level until she met and married my stepdad and they combined incomes. My stepdad has a pension and so she remains at home living somewhat independently, but modestly.

When raising my own kids as a divorced mom I had many hilarious conversations with other divorced moms. Our kids all thought we were poverty stricken because none of us single parents could match the consumption level of two-parent families. Designer jeans, trendy colorful watches, snazzy sneakers, and the like. Fortunately, there were no electronics nor cell phones in those days. Those items slowly crept into our lives around the time my kids were grown, thankfully. I didn’t own a home after the divorce and it was challenging to find rentals in nice neighborhoods that I could afford. But I did. I spent three-quarters of my income on housing to keep us safe. I didn’t think I was poor but most of my friends did which I didn’t learn until many years later. They have often told me how sorry they felt for us. I guess when you are living in “the moment” labels aren’t significant. I kept us housed and fed. I didn’t think then---and still don’t think---that’s poor. Statistics gatherers do, however, because my spending did not match the middle class norm. I was a statistic and didn’t know it!

We had limitations two-parent families didn’t have. We had normal home amenities, a modest car that got us from Point A to Point B, and pizza and a video every Friday night. Still, our disposable income was disposed of rapidly. I had a decent job and paid the bills. That isn’t poor but it isn’t the middle class dream. I went to night school for five years and that helped some with a promotion at work but it was too little too late and soon the kids were gone. By the time I started earning more the kids were on their own.  

My dad had employment issues when I was growing up and he died young and it was hard on my mom so she worked in a cannery at night so she could be with me during the day time. My grandmother lived with us and she worked alternate shifts to cover time when my mom was gone. Due to employment depression my dad developed alcohol problems which is common. He dropped out of high school at 16 to join the Navy during World War II like many men in his era. Many veterans returning from war---then and now---are poorly educated, untrained, and almost unemployable. He eventually moved the family and bought a small business but it was sadly too late for his declining health and he passed away before he could realize his dream.

When dad found employment it didn’t last long but while it did our standard of living skyrocketed. I can pinpoint the times he was employed by memories of huge family dinners and long drives and picnics and new purchases for the family. But there were many more dim times without the skyrockets. I had no idea we were considered poor.

Poor families are defined by percentage of their consumption as applied to their income. I learned while researching this piece that technically "relative poverty" means having significantly less access to income and wealth than other members of society. That was us growing up and for many years for my own kids. I’m glad I didn’t know that then.

Poverty is also defined demographically and by race, by family status, age (seniors who lived relative comfy lives before retiring are often plunged into poverty because of housing and poor health care coverage), and other factors. Some folks slip from the middle class to poverty almost overnight with the loss of a job, divorce, illness, death of a primary family earner, and sometimes natural disasters. This happens in a healthy economy and is devastating in a poor economy.

The most important factors in determining if people are poor or living in poverty is whether or not they have adequate housing and most importantly adequate food (which is why I never thought I was poor because I always had adequate---albeit modest---housing and food). Some studies narrow that consideration to food only. Homeless people living in certain areas have access to food banks and kitchens. Some homeless people have poor access and some no access whatsoever. Some can’t access it if it’s staring them in the face due to mental health issues.

Today more than ever in history, including the “great depression,” we have the “working poor” who are homeless. They have menial jobs they go to each day which might pay for a few items but they live in shelters or on the street. This group often includes families.

An office I worked for adopted a room in a shelter many years ago. This shelter provided emergency housing for families who lost their homes via foreclosure, eviction, job loss, death of a wage earner, etc. As an adoptive “parent,” we provided goods and cash to the shelter to outfit the rooms with furniture, clothing for a variety of sizes and ages, mattresses, toiletries, diapers, blankets, and so forth. During the time the families stayed in these rooms at the shelter counselors worked with them to find permanent housing, employment, got the kids back in school, and generally counseled the entire family and attempted to get them back on their feet. Sometimes large families would occupy one small room. But they were happy to be there and off the streets. They had nutritious meals and they were safe. Many shelters can no longer manage the huge numbers that have come to them for help. Donations have evaporated along with jobs and housing.

Poverty can alter behavior. Poor nutrition can alter behavior. Being cold 24 hours a day can alter behavior. Being covered with lice and living with rats can alter behavior. Being sick can alter behavior. Being scared can alter behavior. Being poor can turn some to criminal acts. Being poor can turn some people violent. Being so poor school isn’t an option is a disaster waiting to happen.

We have 14 million unemployed who have lost everything. That number will soon grow with the estimated 2 million foreclosures expected in California alone in 2012 and the promise of jobs may be too late for some. In addition to the number of people entering poverty statistics, crime statistics, especially opportunistic thievery like home break-ins and muggings and drug use, will increase proportionately. Besides being sad, it’s downright scary.  

B.P. and mortgage finance institutions and corporations moving abroad and/or outsourcing have destroyed huge parts of the world yet some people are mad because a few protesters have befouled public parks. That’s a disconnect that feeds the downward spiral of life as we know it (or knew it) in our country. Dr. King had the same concerns with a few protesters but he didn’t give up the movement because of the actions of a few. He pressed on.

Trick or treat.

[Note: Here’s a link that says it far better than my feeble attempt.]

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2005/09/03/being-poor/

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Occupy S.F. March of 10/15/11

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Not all foreclosures have occurred via unsavory people in the home finance industry. A growing number have lost their homes because they lost their jobs either by “downsizing” or company bankruptcies or closures or outsourcing or other questionable corporate practices. Some corporations have taken millions in government loans and then filed bankruptcy and told everyone to hit the road.

Some people have lost their homes due to fraudulent lending practices AND the loss of employment---a combo. Foreclosures are still growing and it is anticipated we haven’t seen the end of it. Another huge number of them will take place in 2012. Without employment and a decent home millions of us are suffering solely due to financial malfeasance created by corporations/Congress. And so I joined the Occupy S.F. movement last weekend with my son. What a tremendous experience. It was glorious!

We got up early and took the ferry to San Francisco. I live about 60 miles north of the city. Parking is always a problem so we chose the ferry. The movement was stationed near the Ferry Building so in a hop, skip, and a jump---there we were. When we arrived at the “camp” we were surprised it was such a small group. However, we soon learned these were the permanent bunch of people truly occupying space with sleeping bags and food stations and port-a-potties and sign making stations and information “booths” and lecture podiums and the like. I was taken back to the ‘60s and I loved it. In fact, it was glorious.

Most of the people we met were not around in the ‘60s for the great Viet Nam marches and the marches with Dr. King. But I was and I participated then and was happy to see Americans fighting for Americans all over again. Also a little sad to realize that we have to fight again. I guess maintaining our Constitution is a lifelong ongoing process. The minute our “leaders” decide to interpret the Constitution the average American starts getting cheated out of the promise so we must take to the streets from time to time to set them straight. I’m absolutely thrilled that we can---otherwise we would be living in North Korea. I don’t think any of us want that. I thought about North Korea a lot during that Saturday event. Shivers ran down my spine. When people complain about protestors they should spend a couple of months in a country where protesting isn’t allowed. They will find it’s life altering, like, you know, death.

The movement “headquarters” was in front of the Federal Reserve Bank and everyone there calmly went about their assigned tasks before the big march. Some took naps, some chatted with the police officers who were stationed there, others ran food runs and brought back food and beverages to share, and others started speeches and small groups would appear and listen. We stood there and chatted with people for a few hours until everything magically changed. Suddenly, excitement filled the air.

The parade was scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. Up till around 2:30 not too much had changed in the group we had joined then a huge mass of people started arriving and we all spilled out into the streets. At 3:00 p.m. the march began. It was spectacularly organized by both the police and protest leaders. They worked hand in hand and it was no easy task. They had expected several hundred and instead several thousand had appeared. The organizers were grinning ear-to-ear. Switching crowd control methods on the spot must have been daunting and yet it went off without a hitch. It was glorious.

Participating in huge events where there is the possibility of being crushed by a surging crowd has never been a favorite activity of mine. Sporting events, concerts, parades, huge public forums, all have had terrible things go wrong. Crowd crushing is a serious concern without expert organization. But soon we were underway and there was a calm presence throughout the event and no pushing, shoving, or aggression by anyone---including the police presence.

There were many officers assigned to the march to protect us, the marchers, and the traffic and people just shopping and walking on the sidewalks who were not part of the protest. Amazingly, as we progressed many tourists and locals joined the march and every time they did the crowd roared with excitement. Soon we had roughly six thousand marchers. Cable cars rang their bells keeping time with our chants. It was glorious. (How many times can I say it was glorious?) It was glorious.

As expected at any large event, the march was filled with the good, the bad, and the disappointing. Many homeless people live in San Francisco and some tried to join us but failed due to poor health and mental issues that were sadly all too apparent. They did not present a problem that day but I understand they have been a problematic presence at all the “Occupy” camps and then shown on the evening news as problem people as though they are part of the movement. It’s natural for them to gravitate to the people camping out and I’m sure many hope to find food and companionship. It can be a problem with people with addictions and mental disorders. However, the Occupy group is a humane organization and they turn no one away, even if the people are detrimental to the true mission. (And actually, homelessness and the mentally challenged are part of the human movement every day.)

We hear many negatives about hygiene problems and trouble makers at some of the camps and some have been torn down but it’s mostly due to people who are not true to the movement but just people who need help with so many personal issues. So Occupy must constantly move and keep some semblance of organization for the big events they plan for. Not easy. It’s been an age-old problem with all demonstrations. Or people who beat people in the parking lots of our major sporting events. Those people do not represent the entire group of sports spectators just as a few difficult people do not represent the Occupy movement.

I wrote this piece because I hear negative comments about people who protest, that they are un-American, that they are not patriotic, that they are Communists, etc. It is, in fact, the very epitome of being a true American. People who fight like hell either in or out of uniform to keep our country strong and free from takeover by foreign interests and out of control government and corporate shenanigans. We are drowning on all fronts and we need to stand up and fight for ourselves and our way of life because our government has let us down.

Along with the problem people that cling to these types of events there are inevitably “plants,” people who are placed in the events to spy, to cause trouble deliberately to appease a personal agenda or an opposite point of view, and even government infiltration. Government plants may not be evil in design but just used to make sure no one is toting a bomb or some nasty device designed to hurt people. I thought about that all day as I marched along and wondered how many people were not true members of the movement but, well, spies. It was starting to make me uncomfortable so I stopped that line of thinking. I think I’ve watched "MI-5" too much, the wonderful British series about spies and the nastiness of it all.

     Movements sometimes shoot themselves in the foot. The good intentions take on monstrous out of control proportions with no control and before long we end up with power mongers fighting power mongers. None of this was apparent at this gathering. In fact, the leaders were easily identifiable and they were continuously working crowd control and smiling and encouraging people to move left or right and at one point we were asked to slow down so that the stragglers in the very back could catch up, people in wheelchairs and people with kids and strollers. It was a family event. It was glorious.

     Not long after the march began my son and I took inventory and noticed the participants were mostly middle class types, diversely represented. Many wore suburban style clothing, brought their kids and dogs, and had picnic totes. Many times we fell into brief conversations with one another and overheard conversations and a majority of the people there had lost their jobs and homes. Typical middle class folks who had lost it all. Add to that the chronically unemployed and it quickly jumps to millions of disenfranchised Americans. Hence, the popularity of this movement. If you haven’t lost a home or a job you probably know someone who has. I do.

It is my understanding that the Tea Party movement has similar issues as far as why members join their protests and events. Americans who have lost everything---or are worried they will---are clinging to the Tea Party or the Occupy movement for help and answers. All movements open to anyone must be ever vigilant to make sure the movement and its beliefs are not violated. Many have compared the Occupy movement with the Tea Party in that both groups have been infiltrated with people who have very different agendas. It’s the price we pay to have our voices heard and we must simply pay attention to people around us. For the most part, both groups do want the same things but are going about it somewhat differently with different goals and expectations. Everyone is spying on everyone but we shouldn’t allow that situation to deter us from our goal: peaceful, passive, civil disobedience.

1. Passive Resistance: Opposition to a government or to specific governmental laws by the use of noncooperation and other nonviolent methods, boycotts, and protest marches. 

2. Civil Disobedience: The refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or government policy characterized by the employment of such nonviolent techniques as boycotting, picketing, and nonpayment of taxes.

3. Anarchy: Absence of any form of political authority. Political disorder and confusion. Absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose.

     Choice number 3 is not what protesting is all about. Nor should it be. There were those who made changes for humanity without anarchy. Jesus, Gandhi, and Dr. King were very successful with passive resistance and civil disobedience. They all gave their lives for the people they served and loved. (Saddam Hussein, Moammar Gadhafi, and Kim Jong Il---not so much.)

We must not forget the sacrifices of our great leaders and always fight to protect those who are not able---or not willing---to fight for what is right. It’s who we are.

[For more information on the great “1967 Spring Mobilization Against the War in Viet Nam” click on the link and further links with additional information will appear!

http://www.vietnamwar.net/SpringMobilization.htm

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10 Years in Afghanistan!

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     Last week marked our 10th year in Afghanistan and we have a lot to celebrate!

     First, we have succeeded in driving the Taliban into oblivion never to return. Next, opium is no longer grown and the farmers have now turned to other crops and property owners are making even more billions than they made with opium. After all, everyone loves potatoes. (And the warlords share the potato billions with the farmers.)

     Next, women and girls now wear whatever clothing suits the climate (and their wishes) and all girls attend school. Women attend adult training and education classes and have entered the work force in huge numbers. Their husbands, fathers, and brothers applaud this change and have joined the women in education and training.

     The few remaining American soldiers no longer carry weapons and instead stroll the lovely streets of Kabul visiting outdoor cafés and fruit stands. American men and women frequently socialize with Afghani men and women and date openly with blessings of both cultures.

     The vast wealth left behind by the demise of the Taliban was enough to build every citizen of Afghanistan a decent home and hundreds of schools and hospitals have popped up around the entire country.

     Religions from all over the world have flocked to Afghanistan where religious freedom is first priority of the new government. All religions get along swimmingly.

     Speaking of the new government, they copied our U.S. Constitution to the “t” and have produced a Congress that is the envy of the world. Immigration is encouraged and popular.

Crime has disappeared entirely and the Afghan military and local police enforcement have little to do but join our remaining soldiers at the aforementioned cafés and fruit stands for conversation and tea.

     The majority of our Afghan troops have come home leaving only a small group to help with all the new and wonderful changes. When they do come home they receive specialized training and education and have easily assimilated back into the American employment pool. The pool is healthy because the money that was previously going to Afghanistan is now flowing back into our schools and programs to develop strong American citizens.

     Finally, just as we had hoped, because of our close relationship with Afghanistan after the ousting of the Taliban, hundreds of thousands of Afghanistan citizens have come to the U.S. to obtain citizenship and find great jobs. They pledge to send millions of dollars back to their homeland to enrich it and keep it safe from future evil, wherever it lurks.

     Wow. It’s been an amazing ten years. Look what we’ve accomplished.

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The Corporate States of America

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     Around 14 million U.S. folks are out of work. Some for two years or more. Those are the people counted via government entities such as our local employment offices. There are thousands (millions?) more that do not fall into that category. This last group has had lifelong employment issues and falls between the cracks and isn’t counted---ever. Though they are citizens, they are typically unskilled, poorly educated, and have a family history of poverty going back several generations and possibly mental issues or other factors such as addictions. Not so much in the teeny tiny less than 1% percent of our population, our wealthy corporate citizens with their hands in our Congressional pockets, the so-called “job creators.”  

     We have way too many poverty level citizens in this country and the count is growing. They are often unemployed or marginally employed and now it’s worse for them than ever. It is difficult for them to break out of that state in good times. In bad times when millions more are out of work the latter group falls so far behind that they will never recover even if it rains gold tomorrow.

     Add to that the people who have lost their homes and jobs due to natural disasters of which we’ve had many over the last few years. They are counted in the first group but many more fall into the second group, unrecorded. Many soldiers who return home went into the military because they had high hopes and expectations they would learn skills for a career when they returned. Sadly, many of the skills they learned do not translate into today’s employment pool. If they went in uneducated they often received duties that were likely to kill or injure them rather than train them for a career at home. If they return injured their medical care is spotty and sometimes nonexistent unless they have an injury or illness that would work well in the headlines. Many soldiers return with injuries that are not glamorous but keep them from jobs for a long time.

My daughter has a friend who has multiple cancers and war related injuries and he has spent years trying to get a disability claim with no luck. He served in Viet Nam and he has been put through unbelievable tasks to prove his injuries were related to Agent Orange. He now has an advocate helping him that my daughter found for him. The government did not find an advocate to help him.

We are not in a recession, not even a depression. We are in the midst of a disaster and we’re barely holding on. Our capitalistic society is out of whack. Furthermore, there are countless forms of capitalism and if we research that word we can get a brain freeze from the various meanings of the many systems of capitalism. What we have now is not what the majority of Americans believe we have. And what we have today is not what we had when our nation was formed. It’s all out there to discover but watch alcohol intake when researching. It can turn you into a blithering idiot.

     I know people out of work and some have been out of work off and on for several years now. They find something only to have it disappear after working for a short time. Companies are closing by the thousands. My son and I drive around and visit popular shopping areas to ascertain vacancies (it’s a hobby) and we keep a little list of the shops as they disappear one by one. Each time we do this we spot more business closures. Some are quite large and leave huge gaping black holes in the middle of shopping malls or industrial complexes. (Black holes, as we all know, suck up everything around them.)

     People have recently started protesting on Wall Street and in various other financial districts throughout the country (and world). Congress has the lowest approval rating ever. Many blame it all on Obama when in fact we don’t have presidents with real power. He just inherited years of crappola from his predecessors. And not just George. It goes waayyyyyyy back. It's been coming a long time. All the blame lands on Congress. Folks who have traditionally supported our government no matter how poorly it managed our country have stopped that silly behavior and it seems everyone is questioning our government leaders. Even some of our government leaders are questioning each other. (That is called passing the buck.) Anyone who believes we have political parties is asleep. The powerful democrats and republicans have merely melded into one inefficient and deficient entity with varying viewpoints but really they are the same viewpoints just slightly skewed for personal reasons.

     China has been manipulating its currency and undervaluing its currency to such an extent that we are facing even more financial disasters (is that even possible?) in the near future because Congress has linked us so closely with China’s financial control over us. Congress did that. Congress has also dug itself such a hole bowing to the corporations in our country and other countries that they can’t dig themselves out. No matter how we vote or who we vote for no changes will take place unless we have massive Congressional reforms. (We need voting reforms too but I already posted a piece on that sad topic.) We don’t need a new president. We need a new Congress. And not the same type of Congress types. We need real people with real lives and no sense of entitlement. We need you and you and you and you and you. We could clean up some of the unemployment problem by cleaning our Congressional hallways. That would include all the employees who got there by nepotism, cronyism, corporatyism. I know. That’s not a real word. But it works.    

     Banks and other related financial institutions and Wall Street(s) have become horrific behemoths that have gotten away with the most outrageous financial wrong doing since the beginning of time. Oil companies have been doing that for years with no end in sight and no genuine interest in Congress to force automakers and their subsidiaries to create alternative fuel vehicles on a huge scale (creating j-o-b-s).

     The individual morals of our Congressional leaders and corporate leaders have hit the news so many times the rest of the world thinks we are a bunch of child molesters and adulterers and criminals and robber barons. Many people who previously approved of our military actions are wondering why we are still out “there” when we have so many horrendous problems on our own soil. Our own soldiers are wondering why we are in those areas. (It’s because war is a lucrative business and billions of dollars are being made by war machine providers. Many of the providers provide poor quality materials to our soldiers endangering their lives but they charge us outrageous prices for basic daily needs of a soldier. Many soldiers report it’s a daily effort just to keep their supplies and equipment in working order. If not for duct tape they’d be lost.)

The war against terror is here, in our country. It’s been here for a long time. Drug/criminal activity has ruined us. Yet, we are being terrorized more insidiously by our Congressional gang members with their corporate buddies than all the drug cartels combined.

     But Congress’ poor behavior has rallied the citizenry like nothing before in our history. Nothing has gotten us together as a unifying force as much as the shenanigans taking place in Congress. People who fought and screamed at each other about their own political “values” are coming together and realizing they have been duped by our leaders.

For those who hate Michael Moore, who does nothing but try to keep us afloat and keep our jobs and keep our homes and try to keep Congress under control, watch Capitalism: A Love Story. It’s true he has an agenda. It’s called saving our butts. It isn’t necessary to like him. He isn’t trying to be popular. [Every fact presented in his documentary can be verified. Every single fact. If the reader cares to test that statement, go for it. It’s so easy to find the truth if only we look it up and refuse to believe what our leaders tell us.] Congress, filled with people we vote for and believe in, is totally and completely controlled by corporations and foreign interests. It’s so out of control that our very way of life is not threatened, it is already under attack. We are living in a fog and the people protesting on Wall Street know this.

We must wake up from our fairy tale. There is no prince coming for us. No one person is going to dig us out. It’s all up to us as a country. What can we do? Pay attention. Protect our interests individually first. Family comes first. But then reach out and be vocal about the demise of the greatest nation on the earth. Protest with our buying power, protest with crappy customer service that is outsourced, protest with poor quality items we are forced to buy because these items are no longer manufactured here in our own country, write to our Congressional leaders every day if possible, never believe what is printed in the paper without researching if it’s true or not, never believe hate emails pontificating on stupid stories with no basis in fact. Be responsible.

People without a home or a job will agree with me. People sitting in their nice comfy house with a good job might not. Until they lose it. Think it’s not possible? Neither did those millions that lost everything. That’s in the millions. M-i-l-l-i-o-n-s. (Herman Cain believes if you don’t have a job it’s your fault and you’re lazy. The world is full of people like him.)

It is our patriotic duty, each and every one of us, to protect our Constitution and our government and our soldiers. Don’t believe everything we are told by our politicians and our corporate media “shows.” Research everything. "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Let’s add women to that too, please.

Oops. I almost forgot. How’s your health insurance working for you? If you have any. MILLIONS do not. Millions never have had it and never will. In the U.S.A.  

     Recession: The National Bureau of Economic Research defines an economic recession as: "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, [a few months??? Really??? We’ve had many YEARS now.] normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales."

Depression: “A sustained, long-term downturn in economic activity in one or more economies [one or more??? Really??? We have thousands.]. A depression is a more severe downturn than a recession, which is seen by some economists as part of the modern business cycle. A depression is characterized by its length, by abnormally large increases in unemployment, falls in the availability of credit—often due to some kind of banking or financial crisis, shrinking output—as buyers dry up and suppliers cut back on production, and investment, large number of bankruptcies—including sovereign debt defaults, significantly reduced amounts of trade and commerce—especially international, as well as highly volatile relative currency value fluctuations—most often due to devaluations. Price deflation, financial crises and bank failures are also common elements of a depression that are not normally a part of a recession.

Disaster: A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents (mortgage failures? employment loss?), fires, or explosions. In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risk. These risks are the product of hazards and vulnerability.

     And to top it all off, Andy Rooney retired this past Sunday. Now what are we going to do?

[No part of this content may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. Blog series began in March 2009.]