Poverty in America

I just finished the book Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. It was probably one of the most eye-opening books I’ve ever read. The writer researched what it would be like to make ends meet by earning minimum wage and details her experiences. What I came away with was being ashamed of how ungrateful I had been most of my life to be earning a decent wage and for having a relatively comfortable life.

I have experience unemployment and know what its like when pennies all of the sudden carry a great deal more value and you start to collect them hoping you can buy the 4 Cup O’Soups for $1. But for me, like with the writer, that situation was temporary. What about all the people in the county who live like that year round?

"About 20% of American adults who have jobs are earning only $10.65 an hour or less, according to Osterman's analysis. Even at 40 hours a week, that amounts to less than $22,314, the poverty level for a family of four." By Chris Isidore @ CNN Money, http://twitter.com/CNNmoneySeptember 27, 2011: 9:39 AM ET http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/27/news/economy/minimum_wage_jobs/index.htm

Poverty level equates hunger, homelessness, more crime, child abuse, etc. It’s a domino effect. What’s the solution? I know today many conservative Republicans scream bloody murder at the very thought of bigger government and like to bring up the word "Socialist" a lot. I’m all for capitalism, but should this country that is so prosperous, with our grocery shelves overflowing really allow our own citizens to go without?

One of the paragraphs in the book, on page 214, that really struck me, was as follows:
"Most civilized nations compensate for the inadequacy of wages by providing relatively generous public services such as health insurance, free or subsidized child care, subsidizing housing, and effective public transportation. But the United States, for all its wealth, leaves citizens to fend for themselves - facing market-based rents, for example, on their wages alone. For millions of Americans, that $10 - or even $8 or $6 - hourly wage is all there is."
So do you have to be part of the "bleeding hearts" club of Democrats to care about poverty in America? If you’re a Republican, it seems like you’ll be labeled a socialist or even Marxist if you suggest the government help people in need. Many of us give to charities as much as we can and get involved in our churches but I believe the problem is deeper than that and that it includes raising the minimum wage and providing better housing opportunities for people who can’t afford some of these rent prices. I just don’t know if a smaller government is the answer when it comes to dealing with the poverty issue.

I once read about a judge who was quoted as saying, "Yes, I’m a Republican, but I’m a Republican with a heart." Are most Republicans heartless? No, we’re not.