Session 14 Update Immigration and its effect on Poverty

Immigration seems to play a much larger role in our economy than I previously was aware of.  The irony of the fact that this country was founded on immigration and improved by their labor is that now, many of us refer to immigration as a cause of poverty instead of a side effect of it.  In the film depiction of Siler City, NC, both white and black culture have had to adjust to no longer being the simple majority and instead having to carve out a smaller piece of the social pie.  The view from the white perspective seems to be one of fear of the loss of values and American traditions.  Overcrowding in schools, loss of control of the economic markets, and perhaps even fear of having to acknowledge another prevalent language.  The white relationship with blacks was one of financial control and a subservient society willing to accept the Christian based rules of engagement when justifying the unequal treatment.  The white relationship to the Hispanic or Latino is vastly different as the Latino seems to be rapidly dominating the other cultures and generally defiant as he refuses to adapt the white culture, customs, and languages.  The booming Hispanic population in Siler City is representative of the changing social environments of many other larger cities and I believe the film used Siler City as a sample of the larger population.  The Hispanic workforce has a significant positive impact on the local and regional economies while a relative negative impact on education, crime and community.  The collective black view of the Hispanic culture seems to be one of competition.  Where at one time, most of the service jobs or undesirable positions were reserved and expected to be filled by black people in that city.  Despite the negative considerations to the non-glamorous job descriptions, those jobs still provided some economic and social stability within the black community.  With the widespread illegal immigration issue that has become prevalent in the city, employers can offer less money to illegal immigrants and therefore not have to hire legal ones for the same non glamorous positions.  Without an opportunity for regress, the displaced black worker may eyeball the Hispanic as the villain in the unemployment and instability of their neighborhoods.  I see a different vantage point.  The villain in this is clearly not the Hispanic people, whether illegal or legal workers.  When they are illegally employed, the employer can underpay them, refuse to pay overtime and take advantage of their cheap labor.  The industries that employ the illegal workers are the villains.  Another caveat is that the governments who allow the employment of the illegal workers fail to enforce laws already established to prevent such conditions, they too become villains.  So it seems that all three groups in the sample are struggling to deal with the new face of their social structure.  However, identifying the true culprits of the negative aspects and forcing them to be accountable is a great step towards addressing the issues.  Once again, greedy, profit driven capitalistic corporations are the evils that are causing the ripple effects in Siler City and across the nation.  Simply put, the illegal aliens’ justification for trying to get here is work.  It appears all too easy to control the invitation and then lessen the blow to the social considerations.  Lastly, immigration is not wrong in and of itself.  The very idea of immigration is what has helped this country to flourish and be one of the strongest countries in the world.  Evil corporations use media driven distractions to keep the public focused on the wrong issues while they pad their coiffures and enjoy their spoils.  Isn’t it time for a revolution?

Session 13 Housing and Community Development

Housing seems to be a critical component of poverty in the United States and particularly here in the local metropolitan Atlanta area.  This session showcases many of the problems in public housing and offers a few solutions.  Mon Valley Institute is a collaboration of CDCs working together to revitalize a local Philadelphia neighborhood.  Philanthropic groups like The Visionaries dedicate time, pool resources and build relationships to help under-privileged and the ex convicted criminal.   Adequate Housing seems to be a core goal for the communities they serve.  Like the MVI, the LISC organization works in the Palm Beach County region of Florida attempting to pool political, banking and human resources to revitalize distressed neighborhood plagued with blight and foreclosures.  Their goal is to rehab communities using local sources to build from within.
Here in Atlanta, housing continues to be an issue despite the Atlanta Housing Authority’s mission to decentralize poverty and tear down project housing communities.  One problem I cited earlier in the course is the huge problem with relocating a family from project homes into single family homes in great neighborhoods when no or little education is given.  Lawn maintenance, property cleanliness, contributing to the peaceful enjoyment of the community is a huge issue.  While the problem that is sought to be addressed can appear to be noble, homeowners, like myself, do not want to live next door to someone who has no sense of community, thinks that the home is best suited for a loud party and that there is nothing wrong with parking the non-running car on the lawn.  As a former employee of a large housing authority, common complaints were of excessive fighting and boisterous activities from section 8 voucher program participants as well as unauthorized inhabitants, private businesses being run out of homes, excessive police presence, and even discharging of weapons.  Renee Glover’s vision could be an eventual model for local housing authorities everywhere to demolish their projects and relocate the indigent families, but in its current status seems to be a monumental failure.  Program participants are notorious for destroying their landlord’s homes, stealing appliances and being general nuisances to the communities they have moved into.  Atlanta Housing Authority should create resources to help families transition into their homes and provide training on how to be a good neighbor.  Their Compliance team should be enlarged and allowed more discretion when it comes to holding the families to a standard of family obligations.
While poverty is certainly affected by lack of proper housing and even concentration of it, the rush to correct it seems to exacerbate the community issues and stigmas placed on poor people.  Voucher holders are allowed to move every year which not only adds to the vagrancy of a neighborhood, but costs the landlord considerable money to rehab the properties and get them ready for the next renter.  Also allowing such movement does not create an incentive for being a good neighbor.   There is very little expectation for the program participant to improve the communities they move to.  The current economy causes landlords to be desperate and rent to anyone with a voucher.  This condition can lead to the demise of an otherwise quiet and peaceful neighbor.  Both LISC and MVI should employ the training of life skills to make sure that the people that they help to find housing are willing to be homeowners willing to work hard to preserve the homes and communities they live in.

Session 12 UPDATE Social Security as it relates to poverty

Social Insurance’s intentions were to prepare the American worker for a retirement free of indigence or relying on family members.  Workers meet a minimal requirement of ten years of work history to be eligible for benefits.  Social Security is paid for by contributions from both the employee and the employer.  The benefit is paid commensurate to inflation, and allows both seniors and disabled Americans to survive without a working income for the rest of their lives.

The Social Security Trust Fund is a fund currently designed to bring in more revenue dollars than it needs paying benefits out to participants while maintaining a cash reserve of the funds.  Old age and survivor benefits  make up a significant portion of the Social Insurance trust fund while disability, hospital care and part D make up the remainder.

Our Government has repeatedly borrowed against the surplus funds over the years to payoff outstanding debts and stimulate the economy.  However, this practice has left few means of actually sustaining the fund and ensuring its security in the future.  Analysts have predicted that the fund may be depleted as soon as 2017 and that within 75 years actually experience an almost five trillion dollar deficit.

Since this forseen eventuality seems eminent, bean counters are dramatically cutting back benefits to participants in the program.  These people are being forced into and below the poverty line simply because they may not have had any other plans for retirement and they must live on reduced benefits.  Our government needs to make good on the loans they have taken from the Social Security funds and create viable plans to generate more revenue to ward off the pending doom of the immediate future.

Session 11 update HEALTHCARE

Obamacare should be renamed.   Robinhoodcare, Jesuscare, Ghandicare or just Care For the Expendable.  This session’s material on health care reform coincides with our discussions on poverty in this class.  Our group assignment exercise showed that in addition to childcare, healthcare costs are a huge part of many household budgets. 

For the poor, uninsured and underinsured, learning that healthcare is important always comes at the worst times.  A cancer diagnosis for an unemployed person struggling on unemployment insurance can mean death.  Health insurance companies are businesses dedicated to turning huge profits.  Benevolence is not the issue for them.  Denying healthcare coverage is not a means to making a profit, rather a means to increasing it. 

According to the course material, people without healthcare in the United States has dramatically increased over the last two years.  Considering the economic downturn and the fact that most healthcare insurance is paid for by employers, I am confident that these numbers will increase.  People under the age of 30 are least likely to have health care insurance and represent the highest amount of uninsured.  Senior citizens and children under 18 are most likely to be insured because of governmental programs.  The southern states have the highest uninsured rates including Texas, Georgia and much of the southeast and the numbers of uninsured have grown over the years in these regions.  Racially enumerated, it seems that Hispanics and African Americans have the least access to healthcare, followed by Asians and finally, whites.

I have personally been affected by the greed and evil of health care insurers.  After leaving work to return to school, I am forced to purchase my own health care insurance in cash through COBRA.  Since the premiums are extremely high, I applied for direct pay coverage through Kaiser Permanente.  I was immediately denied coverage for a pre-existing condition.  This means I am an unemployed student paying $410 a month for healthcare coverage through COBRA with the only option is no health insurance at all.  Oddly enough, my car payment for my 2008 car is $409 a month.  Since my only financial means is student loans and my retirement savings, I have recently been forced to choose between one of these items as my resources have dwindled.  I have personally lamented over the decision and have struggled to keep both payments current in hopes that the Obamacare initiative would provide some relief for those of us who have preexisting healthcare conditions.  It appears that I will have to allow my car to be voluntarily repossessed so that I can continue to have adequate health care.  My logic is that I can live without a car, using a bicycle and a train pass to get me around Atlanta while I attend school.  I can try to purchase another car sometime in the future and rely on neighbors to help me get groceries.  My sister can lend me her car to get to important appointments and I will figure the rest out as it comes.  I cannot live without health insurance and the medications that I need are very expensive without it.  The first wave of relief for Obamacare is important and encouraging but my relief is still on its way. (I hope)

I see that health care coverage is in need of major change and its impact on the poverty stricken has been horrible.  With no income, I understand its impact like never before and applaud our government for doing what it has done.  I am proud to have cast my vote for the current administration and am making my way to the polls to vote for the mid-term elections.  I feel personally responsible to ward off attempts to repeal healthcare reform by a republican controlled Congress.

To the smug opponents to healthcare reform, it may seem easy to devalue the necessity for coverage when a person or family is in the low income groups affected by it.  However, healthcare affects us all.  Disease, sickness, emergency injuries and preventative care are needs that everyone wants to avoid but that no man can eliminate.

Session 9 UPDATE

Our government and our people have a responsibility to acknowledge the indicators of the success, or lack thereof, of the welfare to work reform projects.  Jason DeParle’s in depth look into several Milwaukee families’ path from Welfare to the work force provides a rational view into the Federal Works Program.  Angie’s entrance into the full time works force can be seen as successful on the surface.  Her children, Redd and Keisha seem to be heading down the same road that got Angie to welfare in the first place. 

Angie’s new job, that she loves, pays her only an amount to keep her coming back.  She is oftentimes unable to maintain her familiy’s most basic necessities including food, electricity, gas and other needs.  The reality, oddly enough, is that for Angie and her family, there is no significant improvement in their structure.  If our society insists on being myopic and downright ignorant, we might collectively say that Angie is doing exactly what we expect her to do.  However, those of us who chose to be fair minded, will probably acknowledge that the long term goal of WELFARE TO Work was to improve the life of people so they can see the benefit of not being assisted by the government.

One could argue that Angie has formed associations at work, enjoyed the pride of a job well done, contributed to a tax base that we all benefit from, realized self worth and her ability to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and experienced the reward of sacrifice.  I would simply rebut that Angie’s family financial budget before her working experience has not seemed to improve at all.  In fact, it has worsened.   Additional detriment to Angie through this program is removal of the matriarch of the family.  Angie’s children are left to do the things Angie cannot.   Angie is most suited to teach her children the moral and ethical teachings they desperately need to avoid repeating her mistakes, however, she is forced to be away from the family.

A similar operation with Atlanta’s Housing Authority called CATALYST requires all adults in the household to work full time if they are to continue receiving housing voucher benefits.  Despite its intentions, the program often does not provide adequate job training, transportation, any affordable childcare, or proper assistance in budget management.  Program participants are left to fail as the authors of these ill-considered programs take credit for eliminating dependence on poverty.  In actuality, they have merely conducted a failed experiment.  Just as much energy could go into forcing all businesses to pay a living wage to its employees.

Session 7 Update

It is clear that poverty is the end result of several factors.  Some of the factors appear accidental.  Others are apparently more deliberate.  This session lets us know that my original definition of poverty is appropriate.  It is installed by the leading class of people most responsible for the economy of the nation.  The people that determine the wages of the countries workers contribute to the stratification of the poverty matrix.  While some of the same elite make ignorant generalizations that the poor’s situations are caused by their inability to conform or unwillingness to achieve, that is generally debunked through research.  An overwhelming amount of people that fall below the absolute poverty line are from full-time working, single parent, female head of households.  These women struggle with childcare as an inordinate expense, as discovered in our budget exercise, poor educational opportunities, reduced job opportunities and above all, unequal wages of their male counterparts.

Specifically in households where Single African American females are the only income earner, low or no child support, environmental impacts such as crime and poor transportation also perpetuate the disease of poverty. 

I believe that in addition to programs that need implementing to reduce dependency of social programs, there should be an aggressive mentoring program where families that successfully escape poverty can showcase their stories and help assist other affected by the same.

Session 6 UPDATE

It is clear that poverty is the end result of several factors.  Some of the factors appear accidental.  Others are apparently more deliberate.  This session lets us know that my original definition of poverty is appropriate.  It is installed by the leading class of people most responsible for the economy of the nation.  The people that determine the wages of the countries workers contribute to the stratification of the poverty matrix.  While some of the same elite make ignorant generalizations that the poor’s situations are caused by their inability to conform or unwillingness to achieve, that is generally debunked through research.  An overwhelming amount of people that fall below the absolute poverty line are from full-time working, single parent, female head of households.  These women struggle with childcare as an inordinate expense, as discovered in our budget exercise, poor educational opportunities, reduced job opportunities and above all, unequal wages of their male counterparts.

Specifically in households where Single African American females are the only income earner, low or no child support, environmental impacts such as crime and poor transportation also perpetuate the disease of poverty. 

I believe that in addition to programs that need implementing to reduce dependency of social programs, there should be an aggressive mentoring program where families that successfully escape poverty can showcase their stories and help assist other affected by the same.

Session 5 UPDATE

The posted readings for class session 5 are amazing and enlightnening about globalization.

At the beginning of the course, I was admittedly ignorant about the effect of poverty around the world.  My most frequent reminder that poverty abroad was unfathomable and exponentially worse than I could imagine was the reminders from my grandmother to finish my food because there were starving children in Africa.  I also saw Sally Struthers parading her cause on the infomercials of late night television.  Being the American Cynic that I prided myself to be, I assumed that the latter was a sensationalized description of one small part of the world in a place so far away that I could comfortably focus on more local issues if any at all.

Session five discusses globalization, the far reaching impact of poverty and the goals set up to reduce poverty in the year 2015.  My comfortable lifestyle permits me to be apathetic to the needs away from our shores to date.  This education removes the blissful ignorance that I had previously about the global effects of poverty.  I could not have even imagined a village devoid of whole generations wiped out by the AIDS pandemic.  Neither could I have imagined that Malaria is such a wide scaled killer in a modern society.  I realized that it was only foolishness to think that our strong, seemingly civilized society could passively stand by, despite advances in modern medicine, and act as a witness to something as passé as Malaria.  This is a disease that is otherwise easily treatable and preventable in other parts of the world.  For very few cents on the dollar, providing people with Mosquito netting and inexpensive treatment could be a very easy answer.  Drinking water doesn’t seem to be unattainable for the worst of our poverty stricken homeless population in the United States but it remains a commodity in the poverty stricken parts of the planet.  It too seems that our reactions to some of the past disasters have been remarkable and worthy of recognition.  The world gave enough money to aid in relief during the most recent Indian Ocean Tsunamis to show that the average citizen around the world’s richest countries care enough.  However, the care and relief cannot be so instant that we haphazardly ignore long term relief.  A long term investment into infrastructure will have the most bang for our buck as we combine monetary charity and scientific consideration to our donations.  Science can help the regions agriculture come up with sustainable improvements of the soil, irrigation, livestock, eco-systems, etc so that those impoverished lands can become self sufficient. 

Self reliance is one of the first steps to developing and continuingly building a local economy.  That local economy can help provide a means to providing adequate medical care, localized education, electricity and locally grown food to name a few. 

I am now left with a more accountable view of the world’s poverty situation and the government’s, private sector’s and individual’s responsibilities to respond to it.

Perspectives on Poverty, Global Poverty UPDATE

A colleague referred me to some media information concerning world poverty that would be helpful in broadening my views.  I still believe that poverty in America should remain the most important discussion.  However, poverty around the world can be described as worse than here in America.  America is populated by less than three hundred million people.  If the poverty level represents around fifteen per cent, then we can estimate around forty five million people Americans are at the poverty level or below.

Comparatively, billions of human beings all over the planet do not have basic human necessities like education, health care or clean drinking water.  This is according to Ashoka's Global Academy films on Social Entrepreneurship.  I reviewed a film narrated and about Mahammad Yunus called Creating a Poverty Free World.  Dr. Yunus begins by stating that poverty is not the result of poor people but of the system which he believes can be changed to benefit everyone.  Mahammad Yunus created Grameen Bank (Grameen means Village) that specializes in micro-loans for poor people.  These are low-interest loans whose goal is to help the borrower begin a journey out of poverty.  The loans are start-up money for people who would otherwise have no access to the money it takes to become self reliant.  Yunus believes that in a world whose movement involves money, "It takes a Dollar to catch a dollar."  The poorest people are unable to get the first dollar needed to continue catching dollars.  Dr. Yunus also asserts that CREDIT should be adopted as a "Human Right."  Of Grameen Bank's borrowers (4,000,000), 96% are women.  He determined that women have been the best stewards of the money by taking better care of the family.  Several measures are used to determine if a borrower has escaped poverty.   Adequate housing, children in school, savings in the bank, sanitary latrines, and proper drinking water are just a few.

Grameens Bank's success can be measured by the 56% of borrowers who have successfully escaped the poverty level in Bangladesh.  100% of the children of Grameen Bank borrowers are in school.  They also boast a near 100% return on their principal loan amounts.  The founders vision includes roles for not only the poor, but the citizen, the investors, the governments, the donors and other large banks to set goals of eradicating poverty.  Dr. Yunus has been recognized by President Obama and he has been awarded around the globe.  His strategic campaign ends with the idea of "poverty museums"  He believes that through micro credit loans, it is conceivable that the images of deprivation, inadequacy and terrible neglect can be a memory to our children and future generations.

I applaud Dr. Muhammad Yunus, agree with him and am grateful to see through this film the impacted poor around the world.  Being a social entrepreneur should no longer be a novelty.

Lets Bring America Back. Eradicate Poverty Now!

Who I think is poor, both in the United States and globally




Admittedly, I have no idea about international affairs and the conditions of impoverished people outside of America. I am saddened by the amount of people that are poor and seemingly hopeless just here in the metropolitan Atlanta area. In my opinion, defining poor people begins with homeless people on the streets who cannot afford shelter, food, necessary medical care, transportation and necessary social interaction to the working family who barely gets by unable to earn enough money for adequate and reasonable shelter, nutritious food, necessary medical care, transportation and social interaction. The previous list is not exhaustive but only the most basic necessities of a valuable human existence.



Why I believe people are poor in the United States and globally



From a philosophical standpoint, I believe that the curse of poverty is perpetuated by the greed driven premise of capitalism in America. In this story there are many villains. Their distinguishing characteristics are being overt and covert.



• Overt - The extremely wealthy class, often referred to as the top 1% of the economy, control not only the economy but also the political system. In my opinion, they are the most responsible for the poverty that exists here in America. They seem to believe that in order to have more money, there has to be a casualty; the poor person. They use their political influence with what is tantamount to politicians purchased legally. The politicians, in-turn, enact self serving laws that make the rich richer and have seemingly birthed and spread the aforementioned belief system. In the name of corporate profits, hardworking and skilled laborers lose their jobs and become the group that is being discussed.

• Covert – The remaining voting American public: The group to which the legal control is actually afforded. This is the rest of us. We have not made our voices heard enough. We are too easily placated with temporarily dropping gas prices, value menus, our 401(k)s and our false sense of the true American Dream. It is morally safe for us to believe in a system that in design affords every individual an opportunity to succeed. By design, the American Dream seems like a great plan. Birth, school, higher learning, degree, credit (loans) mortgage, career, retirement, golden years and finally death. In reality, the American Dream was always a pipe dream. Somewhere along the lines, we are taught values, allegiance and to believe in this system. We also find it safe to blame the poor for being in their situation. While we look to the poor as the reason that the economy is lagging, healthcare is substandard and taxes are so high, we ignore the root cause of poverty; greed. As Americans, our democracy empowers us to help level the playing field for everyone. Our collective inaction not only allows the richest people to exploit, use and mistreat the poor, but will continue to allow more of us to be exposed to the possibility to become the same.



What I think is being done about poverty (e.g., current policies and programs in the United States and globally.



I believe that the current presidential regime is attempting to address poverty in our country in what is arguably the most important necessity; Healthcare. Our last presidential election is proof that the bottom 99% of our economic hierarchy can use the power afforded to them. A platform built on Change launched democrats into the White House for a well needed review of our domestic strategies. Healthcare reform has worried the elite class that at some point poor people may be able to see doctors and get medication. The state of decent healthcare for “the rest of us” is often substandard and sometimes deplorable. The filthy rich pharmaceutical companies make sure that even the working professional (and especially the poor person) cannot afford to pay for life saving drugs. Healthcare reform will assure us and our children and generations to come that expecting to be cared for when you don’t have a penny is a right instead of a luxury available to only a few. Social programs that aid the poor often have the right premise but the execution is flawed. The federal government addresses housing for the poor via the Housing and Urban Development agency. This agency then funnels tax paid dollars to local housing authorities in cities all over America and its territories. Many of the difficulties lie in the housing authority’s ability to administer subsidies to the poor while still attempt to engage in for profit business. The Atlanta Housing Authority for instance decided to “de-centralize” poverty some years ago. Its premise was that concentration of poverty perpetuated poverty by ostracizing the poor. Most of the Government Housing Projects were in depressed parts of Atlanta. Surrounding businesses suffered, crime rates soared, and generations of families were forced to see assisted living as the only means of existence. Breaking up the projects could allow for the poor to be able to live amongst “the rest of us”, enjoy adequate living in safer neighborhoods, and expose the poor to a better way of life melding them into mainstream society. All these benefits while masking the ulterior benefit of a profitable sale of prime real estate makes this idea sound like a win-win. After the implementation of the “De-centralization of poverty” the problems began to show up early. Ushering families with no income into rental properties that accept the Housing Choice Voucher is / was unreasonable since most people had lived in these Government Housing Projects for many years without having the responsibility of utility bills, transportation costs, lawn care, association fees, and general living standards. For example, a person moves from Public housing and gets a voucher for a four bedroom home. The voucher will pay the landlord $1250 each month. The housing Authority calculates the minimum usage for electricity each month and cuts a check to the program participant for $59 each month regardless of the actual use. The program participant then uses the $59 to pay the bill that is routinely $159 each month. The unpaid balance compounds and after three short months a balance of $335 is owed to GA power. The electricity is turned off. The neighbors complain to the Housing Authority that the program participant is stealing power with a 50 foot extension cord. The Housing Authority then notifies the program participant that they are going to be terminated from the voucher program for failing to follow the “Family Obligations”. The participant is given ten days to straighten up or face permanent termination from the program. The participant is evicted by the landlord once the voucher is terminated. The participant and her children are separated and go to live with other low income family or foster homes. I witnessed the proceeding example repeatedly in my short time as a housing authority employee. The food stamp program is another measure aimed at assisting the poor. I am not sure how the program works but I believe the government could do more to train poor people to eat healthier meals. WIC helps Mothers and expectant mother purchase healthy nutritional food products for infants. TANF provides needy families with temporary monies to assist. Many of the same problems with public housing exist at TANF which seems to only help mothers and fathers of children but flat out ignores poor individuals without children.



How well I think poverty is being addressed currently in the United States and globally



The United States has room for exponential improvement of our policies and attitudes towards the poor within our own borders. We have an immediate urgent problem in the United States and our traditionally conservative approach is not working. Politicians should re-prioritize and address this issue immediately. Many of us blame the poor person for their current state. We foolishly think that the same opportunities are out there for every man woman and child.



What I personally think should be done about poverty in the United States and globally



I believe every American should first recognize that we all can find ourselves without work sustainable income and in the proverbial poorhouse. This is the first step in properly addressing poverty here at home and then globally. Secondly, everyone should use their voting power to empower politicians that still believe in a by and for the people government. Then politicians should enact powerful reform to the tax laws that recover lost revenues from the richest Americans and filter money to programs that not only assist the defenseless poor people but educate them and expose them to real opportunities for improvement and ways out of their situation. Pass a federal minimum wage that provides for a reasonable standard of living. The standard should be based on more than the absolute minimums calculated in the past but rather on a livable wage the considers that everyone needs social interaction as well as food, shelter , transportation and healthcare. Finally, after efficiency improvements in Government subsidized assistance programs, add in a graduating measure of accountability for the people benefitting from the social programs. If we all get involved, we can take our successful example abroad and conquer poverty globally.