By Walter Williams, syndicated columnist
If you're a poor adult in America, for the most part, it's all your fault. That's true, at least today, whether you're black, white, brown or polka dot.
According to the definition the U.S. Bureau of Census uses, a family of four with an income over $18,244 is not poor. The poverty cutoff for a single-person household is $9,359, and that for a two-person household is $12,000. With those definitions, the poverty rate was 11.7 percent, or about 33 million Americans living in poverty in 2001.
Walter Williams
OK lets take Walter Williams advice. A family lets say 1 kid earn 20,000 a year. After taxes they bring home lets say 18,000 annual. Rent 500 a month that's 6,000 a year. Food let's eat cheap and say 200 a month. That equals to 2400 a year. Utilities, say they use no air conditioning, minimal water 200 a month equal 2400 a year. Now let's calculate gas to commute to and from work, cloths, school supplies misc expenses. Your 20K is done living with the bare minimums. So if we going to put it out there let's have a fair and honest debate Walter Giegers and Walter Williams. Don't try and find a token African American to further push your bias and distorted views. 20,000 a year you are still in a very low and poor socioeconomic environment.. Not buying Walter's bias propaganda and the city of Barnesville shouldn't buy it either.
I am a white male. I grew up dirt poor in Barnesville. I do not fault my parents for this. I did not apply myself in grade school, and I ultimately learned the error of my ways. Currently I am finishing a college degree so that I may better support my life and the life of my family.
Mr. Williams, thank you for stating what should be obvious to all. Walter, thank you for running this article. Perhaps someone besides myself will see the value in it.
People, white and black, take responsibility of yourself. Take care of yourself and your family and selling drugs dont count. Neither does stealing.
Once this country completely colaspes, then maybe people would realize how good they have HAD it. But it will be too late then.
More babies = more $$$
Why would someone give up a check that is more than they would get if they working a minimum wage job???
The govertment needs to step up and put regulations on welfare. Why not? Obama has regulated everything else, with exception to illegal immagration. Just like welfare will never be regulated. He will loose to many votes.
My parents passed on years ago; God rest their souls. I am 43, married with two kids. My wife works just part time, which leaves the financial burden on me. I own a small business, and in this tough economy, we've suffered as well.
That said, I see no reason for you to view this article or the newspapers printing of it as a racial bias. The only mention of race is to point out the generations out of poverty, "including black Americans."
Why is it that when people cannot dispute the message, they shoot the messengers?
Let me say that I dont think that any child should suffer because of their parents. But I do believe that after the first or second child is born into poverty and to piece of crap parents, if they are continuously receiving government aide, they should be sterilized. Even the dumbest of people know how babies are made. Why would anyone want a child in that type of situitation? So sad. The govt needs to put a stop to the cycle. Spade or nuder, help contol the pet population....they should avertise that for people too!
With that said, it make me sick that these people, white and black, are getting a free ride. Same way is has been for many many many years.
What did they teach you in college? Any college graduate would proof read their work before they ever hit the submit button. If your use of the English Language is any measurement of the quality of your education, and you received a degree, then you got robbed and college should be shut down.
Let us be honest. Yes people take drugs. Yes people drop out of high school. Yes people choose not to use contraceptive methods. Yet why do these things happen? Why do we feel the need to blame people instead of actually helping people, or addressing the problem within society that caused the issue?
The fact is that people who end up with bad drug addictions end up not just ruining their lives but their families. They drag society down, and many addicts do their best to recover. It is better that we as a society help them then let them rot, and infest neighborhoods, or drain their families. They are human beings with the capability to be productive, and thus can become industrious citizens.
People drop out of high school for many reasons. They need to help support their family. They have no support system to encourage the continuation of their education, and thus see it as useless. Studies show that if there is no one to motivate you, or your relations did not finish school, there is a higher likelihood you will not either. Everyone has a choice to make, but if everything you know seems to be saying that you're not smart, that no one around you has a complete education, or that your education is useless...well your choice is already determined. We make choices based on the information we have the most validation of, or belief in, after all.
The babies thing...I agree with the sentiment and not the wording. We need to educate people about contraceptives, and make them cheaper and more readily available. We also need to stop demonizing contraceptives as well. I'm not only talking about sex ed conservatives, but as a culture there is a stigma about contraceptive use. We also need to address another issue which affects every community...many people have this notion that having a baby=love. For instance, having a baby will bring people closer together(men also have this though). There is also the idea that "my baby will love me when no one else does" or that "babies are the goal of existence." We need to stop stigmatizing people who do not want to have children. We need to stop pretending that the idea of a couple being married and fully capable of conceiving, and not wanting kids, is some horrible thing, or that they hate children. I love kids, and one day would like to have them, but this desire is not a NEED for love. When I was 14 one of my friends was pregnant(she lost her virginity at 13). She did not love the father, she cared about him, but they never seemed to have deep feelings. She told me that he did not believe in condoms, and that using them meant one of them was cheating or unclean. When she finally revealed she was pregnant she told me that "It's not all bad, my baby will love me always." The way she said it, was echoed many times in the following years. I went to a large suburban school, and that was what I heard. Young girls want someone to love. Heck, as a young adult a few of my boyfriends felt the same way ala;"if we had a baby, I wouldn't be upset...it would be both us together, and would love us so much" etc.
Also let's not play this game of picking and choosing university studies to follow. You cannot just invalidate an entire university because you think something is nonsense Mr.Williams. It makes you sound ignorant and like a git. Studies with validity due exist,and they often come from the countries top universities. Sociologically speaking their is a correlation that if you are born into poverty, you remain in poverty. This is not an absolute, but it is a majority. This is particularly dominate in disenfranchised groups without a strong sense of community. Such groups are often divided by ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. This not only means that race is a factor, but religion. Those with deep strong ties to a community often fair better than those without. If you do more than go to church for instance, and participate in church functions. It is also better if you go outside your usual comfort zone to other groups.
Before anyone just goes screw everyone for their bad decisions, we need to stop complaining and look at society. People make choices that make sense to them based on the context of their lives. We have serious issues to examine.