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I took the excerpt above (click to enlarge) from this Star-Telegram story today about the lady who hung herself and four children (one survived) in Parker County this week. The story is about poverty, and documented that she made $20,400 a year (which includes $400 a month in food stamps.) Of course, that's no reason to kill your kids. But it would be a stress level that would be unimaginable.
The excerpt shows the guidelines for what is considered "poverty" in America. And over one in 10 qualify in this country under those standards. That's insane. And I wonder if that figure includes illegal aliens?
And I never think about poverty without thinking about George Will's rules for avoiding it: "Graduate from high school, don't have a baby until you are married, don't marry while you are a teenager. Among people who obey those rules, poverty is minimal."
27 comments:
George Will is an idiot. In an idealistic world, no one would be in poverty. Poverty is a societal condition, not an individual one. Why is the blame put on women?
The Government did a study a few years back they took 100 people that where living on the streets, put them in a home, gave them some money,gave them a job. You would think this would fix the problem right? Wrong most of them were back living on the streets within months! It's no different than a poor person winning the lotto! WIthin a few years they are worse off.
Life is all about choices! We make good and bad ones everyday!
Most are on the streets becasue of the choices they made! It's not the Gov, fault.
There has to be a change from the inside! If they would put their trust in Jesus 100% and follow Him, get in church, things would change 100% But again it's all about choices!
Yes, Will is an idiot. That lady WAS married, but her husband according to the reports sexually abused her and she likely didn't know much about birth control. Poor thing tried and got cornered by overwhelming poverty. She did what she felt was the only answer.
Yes, just why is the blame always put on women?
POVERTY IN WISE COUNTY.. If u can pass a simple driving exam for a CDL license u have a job. Read the MESS every week and look at the need for CDL drivers, there are 1000's of jobs avaiable. Our un employment is at 5.4 always, that's the 5.4 that do not want to work. POVERTY in Wise County starts at $28,400 annual and gets even better AS U WORK FORWARD.
George was right on the money with that comment. It has nothing to do with gender.
Perhaps people should not have four children when their income indicates that they cannot afford one. It is absolutely sickening that this woman would have children knowing she lacked the means to support them. Then, the FWST gives her the excuse of "poverty."
Poverty ridden, Hispanic Catholic mother with too many kids. Maybe she should kill her children and then herself. Oh, wait. She did.
1:21PM, if you actually have a CDL, that scares me.
People have lived in ABJECT poverty since the dawn of modern man, (for Christians that is approximately 6000 years ago, for intelligent people that would be approximately 130,000 years ago even though humanoids are dated to 3.6 million years ago). Even with the advent of modern civilization/agriculture 10,000 years ago some humans continue to exist in crippling poverty to such an extent that their children die from malnutrition, LACK of medical care as well as having NO shelter. Even in those conditions parents have NEVER been given a free pass to murder their children. There was a time in not too distant human history when a man did NOT take a wife if he could NOT care for her or ANY children. For whatever misguided reason people have come to believe it is a RIGHT to have children even if THEY cannot provide the necessities of life for THEIR children.
Having children is a PRIVELIDGE as well as a REPONSIBILITY. What a pity all too many parents FAIL to teach their children this important FACT.
With ALL of the social services provided in the United States there is NEVER a VALID excuse for ANYONE to live in poverty much less MURDER their children.
I grew up poor and never killed anyone. Why is this an excuse for suicide and murder? The FWST appears to aspire to be the NY Times of the Southwest. More liberal bs!!!
Was poverty the cause of the mother killing herself and her children? No, people live and survive living in poverty. A culture exists where men do not take care of their children or support their families. Women who find themselves living within a culture where they are not valued may think there is little hope and become depressed.
The woman probably didn't know where to turn in her depression. The reasons for killing her children are probably no different than any other mother who killed their children.
She was probalby suffering from severe depression and needed help. The husband and father failed and a culture that does not value women failed her and her children.
11:20 - You're right, life is about choices, but sometimes life makes the decisions for you. A family of - mom, dad, 2 kids - two income middle class and BOOM! Disease, cancer, accident, something takes away dad's health, job, income and requires a huge chunk of the family economy. Suddenly a $60k per year income with a $45k budget is a $40k income with a $75k budget. Balance that checkbook. Who's fault is it.
As far as the poverty guidelines, I think they're a joke. Look at your family and life and think what you'd have to give up to live on the amount of money necessary to qualify as "poverty stricken". My house payment is $8100 per year - and that's before you factor in luxury items like electricity and insurance. For a 2 person family that leaves a WHOLE lot of room for car, fuel, health insurance, etc. and trust me you would not be impressed with the "luxurious" living space that $8100 gets me. So when you consider poverty consider what you'd have to do without.
This story is about a human being who has lived a life that lead her to a place where there was no hope. She was uneducated, raised in a cultural where her choices were the norm, not the exception, and simply did not know a BETTER way. It is about feeling so overwhelmed and hopeless that you want to spare your children the same hurt, agony and dispair that you have experienced. People give up every day. Many of them are here in Wise County. Yes, if everyone made perfect choices (read the ones that you agree with), the world would be a perfect place.
But the world and all the people in it are imperfect. If you have never been in a place you felt helpless and hopeless, you are fortunate.
7:20 p.m. BOO, Scared yet?
Barry, thanks for posting on this important moral issue.
10:55 Agreed. Not only that but his formula for avoiding poverty is not correct. It may help but it's not a cure. There are people who followed all those rules plus went to college who are currently living in poverty because of circumstances beyond their control NOT choices.
1:21 Just try being a woman in Wise County. It's a pretty bushed up place to work if you're a woman.
2:57 I am a woman and I can assure you that I was not capable of producing either of my sons on my own. Children are had by men AND women together.
mzchief: What do you know about poverty? I can tell you from my experience when my husband left me with nothing but a young child, that those services are not all that available. It pained me greatly to ask but I did get scared enough to ask and I was told that I could receive no help because I had a vehicle and owned a home. HOWEVER, if I lost my vehicle and my home, they would help me.
I heard the same story from the low cost attorneys. Had it not been for the kind woman attorney who did my divorce on credit, I might have ended up homeless.
Birth control is not that easy to get if you are an impoverished woman. We should provide free birth control to all who want it. And the neocons are making it more difficult everyday. Last week a chain of drugstores issued a statement that they would no longer fill BC pill prescriptions because practicing birth control was against the sanctity of life. How bushed up is that?
NOTICE about availability of new curse words. Since G.W. Bu$h has made such a fine mess of our country and the Middle East bushed has been proposed as a new curse word.
i.e. Iraq is all bushed up! etc.
Why are so many poor people fat?
I just TxSheehand in my pants.
To txsharon...
Having debt on an auto and home you canNOT afford is NOT being impoverished. It is called being in OVER your head. ANY woman who finds herself penniless due to being ditched by a man is that way because of POOR personal choices. It does sound as though YOU have LEARNED from your EARLIER poor choices and make BETTER choices regarding the men with whom you associate and maintaining YOUR financial security. What a pity COUNTLESS women time after time make the SAME disastrous CHOICES. REGARDLESS of how tight might be the family budget, EVERY woman SHOULD be salting away PERSONAL jump and run money. It is AMAZING how quickly $20.00 a week adds up over the years.
Incidentally, I was an impoverished student for nearly 10 years. I ALWAYS worked at least 2 jobs and USUALLY 3 while at university. One job was ALWAYS in food service so I could make certain to have one meal a day. I know of SEVERAL people who live below the poverty level and ONLY work 40 hours a week or LESS. MOST successful people have put in an average of 50-60 hours a week to ACHIEVE their success and even do so to MAINTAIN their financial success.
mzchief: I had almost no debt at the time save for a small car payment so I certainly wasn't overextended.
Everyone makes mistakes. I hope you never do and that life continues to be grand for you.
To txsharon...
Thank you.
Fortunately, the mistakes I have made during the course of my life have been minor. I believe that is because most often I do what I am SUPPOSE to do even when I WANT to do something else. However, I have found that so long as I do what I am SUPPOSE to do for as LONG as I NEED to I tend to get to do what I WANT to do and MORE when I am ABLE.
That BLOODY ANNOYING deferred gratification thing works for ME.
*:}
Mental illness is why this woman killed herself and kids...this has nothing to do with poverty! Mental illness can affect anyone regardless of their bank account. Mental-illnesses usually lead to poor decision making, like ending up in poverty, or killing yourself. This is why it is time we start treating our indigent people differently! You can't just give them a job and money and housing and expect them to flourish, you have to treat their mental-illness first.
Devil: Poverty can hasten and intensify illness.
I wish I would have commented in a more timely fashion on this topic. I call BS on many of the supposed poverty level people. I personally know of one person in wise county that recieves federal assistance in the way of tax refunds that is a millionaire.
Tax fraud?? probably.
Somebody gonna do something about it? hell, no
socioeconomic status is like everything else in our society: it is for sale. If there are advantages to being categorized as poor then rest assured the wealthy people will be categorized as poor.
MzChief:
That working 50-60 hour thing is mainly why this country is so screwed up now. There used to be laws against it, like not being open on Sunday, because that was a family/religious day. We don't take time for family anymore. No sitting on the porch watching the kids play in the yard. No Sunday drives, no playing catch. Instead, we expect everyone else to teach them how to do those things, and how to act, because we're just too busy. As soon as work is done for the day, it's eat, clean house, do laundry, bathtime, and get in bed. No time for each other, especially no time for the kids. Work, work, work all the time. We've got lots of money, but really don't know how to enjoy life anymore. It's a shame.
Hey Sheehan and Mschief, why don't y'all exchange phone numbers and whip each others cream in private.
TxSheehan, constipation can cloud your judgement.
4:22 - Poor people are fat because health food, diet food, and fresh food are so expensive. $100 grocery budget buys a lot more chips, cookies and tv dinners than it does fresh veggies and slimfast.
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