Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Even BusinessWeek says Attitudes towards Poor Need to Change

BusinessWeek Reports

Agencies: Negative mindset about poor must change

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PS9S681.htm

More from BusinessWeek

The mindset that all poor people are lazy and don't deserve help -- especially from the government -- must be changed if society and the economy are going to improve, some charitable organizations said Monday at the first National Poverty Summit.

Catholic Charities USA is hosting the two-day event in Fort Worth. About a dozen nonprofit organizations met to discuss ways to stop poverty, from helping single mothers to homeless veterans to laid-off workers who cannot find other jobs.

"When you put a face on poverty, you have a whole different perspective," said the Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. He said the "prevailing mindset" that needy people should simply work harder to get out of poverty is dishonest and not helpful.

Recently released Census Bureau figures show that a record 46.2 million people live in poverty -- nearly one in six Americans. The overall poverty rate climbed to 15.1 percent, from 14.3 percent the previous year, as the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work.

Many experts believe America's poverty rate -- now the highest of any major industrialized nation -- could get worse before it abates. The nation's poverty level stands at $22,314 annually for a family of four.

People from all walks of life now find themselves in need of help, many for the first time in their lives. Those at the summit are exploring new ways people can get the skills and resources to move out of poverty, so they can have a "trampoline" instead of a safety net, Snyder said.

Andrea Levere, president of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, said all children need to have a savings account for college, because even low-income families and teens with part-time jobs can start saving.

Such a program started last year for low-income kindergarteners in San Francisco public schools -- where the city makes an initial $50 deposit and matching funds are provided by EARN, a nonprofit organization that also provides matched savings accounts for low-income workers. Similar programs to help children open bank accounts are in place in other cities.

While a four-year university is not the best option for all students, these savings programs motivate low-income children to stay in school, which ultimately increases their chances of ending the cycle of poverty, Levere said.

"Nobody thought a low-income family could save ... but it's the price of hope," she said.

The Pew Research Center said its recent polling shows that a majority of Americans -- for the first time in 15 years of being surveyed on the question -- oppose more government spending to help the poor.

The deep budget cuts by the U.S. House earlier this year included programs that helped the poor.

"We do have a deficit, but we can't reduce the budget on the backs of vulnerable people," said Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. "It's a false savings when we allow so many more people to become homeless and stay poor."

David Beckman, president of Bread for the World, said it will take a grass-roots effort to convince Congress that cutting these programs will lead to more poverty.

"We have got to beat them back," Beckman said. "These programs were working ... and don't cut the legs out from under them."

On Monday, President Barack Obama vowed to veto any deficit reduction package that cuts benefits to Medicare recipients but does not raise taxes on the wealthy and big corporations. Obama's proposal includes no changes in Social Security and no increase in the Medicare eligibility age, which the president had been willing to accept this summer during negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner to avoid a government default.

**************************************************************

Some Thoughts from Dorothy Day, Catholic peace activist and lover of the Poor. Foundress of the Catholic Worker Movement. http://www.catholicworker.org/

**************************************************************

“The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart.”
Dorothy Day

“What we would like to do is change the world--make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, the poor, of the destitute--the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor, in other words--we can, to a certain extent, change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend.”
Dorothy Day

“Those who cannot see Christ in the poor are atheists indeed. ”
Dorothy Day

“The Gospel takes away our right forever, to discriminate between the deserving and the undeserving poor.”
Dorothy Day

“Charity is only as warm as those who administer it.”

Labels: , , , , ,

12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why but this weblog is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end? I'll check back later and see if the
problem still exists.

My web-site :: fast online loan
my page: great point

Fri Feb 22, 01:56:00 AM 2013  
Blogger oakleyses said...

insanity workout, mac cosmetics, vans outlet, ghd, moncler, moncler, wedding dresses, moncler outlet, abercrombie and fitch, jimmy choo shoes, north face outlet, instyler ionic styler, north face jackets, roshe run, canada goose pas cher, new balance outlet, uggs outlet, rolex watches, asics shoes, ugg outlet, soccer shoes, canada goose uk, herve leger, birkin bag, longchamp, canada goose, reebok shoes, canada goose outlet, valentino shoes, canada goose outlet, ferragamo shoes, nfl jerseys, uggs on sale, p90x workout, soccer jerseys, hollister, lululemon outlet, mcm handbags, ugg soldes, celine handbags, ugg boots, mont blanc pens, canada goose outlet, chi flat iron, bottega veneta, marc jacobs outlet, ugg, beats headphones, giuseppe zanotti, babyliss pro

Mon Oct 27, 10:54:00 PM 2014  
Blogger chenlina said...

chenlina20151209
ugg boots
coach outlet
abercrombie kids
toms shoes
louis vuitton outlet online
michael kors outlet
gucci shoes
hollister co
coach factory outlet
michael kors outlet online
michael kors outlet online
canada goose jackets
uggs for men
coach factory outlet
canada goose outlet
air force 1
fake oakley sunglasses
timberland outlet
michael kors outlet
ugg outlet
louis vuitton handbags
michael kors outlet
ed hardy clothing
louis vuitton handbags
louis vuitton
prada handbags
cheap uggs
ray ban sunglasses
michaek kors outlet
oakley sunglasses
hollister uk
ralph lauren outlet
ray ban sunglasses
nike air max
cheap ugg boots
true religion outlet
michael kors outlet online
polo ralph lauren outlet
uggs outlet
ray ban sunglasses outlet
as

Wed Dec 09, 12:26:00 AM 2015  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

hugo boss sale
minnesota vikings jerseys
fitflops sale clearance
coach handbags
jets jersey
coach handbags
michael kors outlet clearance
adidas nmd
true religion jeans sale
michael kors handbags sale

Mon Apr 03, 04:01:00 AM 2017  
Blogger Unknown said...

kate spade sale
nike outlet
polo ralph lauren
nhl jerseys
michael kors outlet
ed hardy
ugg boots
ugg outlet
michael kors handbags
nike tn
20170803

Wed Aug 02, 09:23:00 PM 2017  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

michael kors handbags
arizona cardinals jerseys
coach outlet online
jordan 8
superdry clothing
bills jerseys
jordan shoes
giuseppe zanotti outlet
nike trainers
coach outlet

Thu Apr 05, 11:17:00 PM 2018  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

cleveland browns jerseys
nike air huarache
air jordan 8
ray ban sunglasses
oakley sunglasses
cheap jordan shoes
skechers outlet
nike factory outlet
ray ban sunglasses
michael kors uk

Thu Apr 12, 02:00:00 AM 2018  
Blogger raybanoutlet001 said...

zzzzz2018.4.29
oakley sunglasses wholesale
adidas outlet
jordan 8
ray ban eyeglasses
fitflops sale
carolina jerseys
coach outlet online
hugo boss outlet
true religion outlet
ralph lauren uk

Sun Apr 29, 01:47:00 AM 2018  
Blogger Unknown said...

nike outlet store online shopping
yeezy 500
golden goose shoes
nike air force
moncler sale
vans shoes
golden goose slide
moncler jackets
curry 4
asics sneakers

Sat Jul 21, 10:16:00 PM 2018  
Blogger Unknown said...

0730jejeLes groupes jogging air jordan femme numériques sont caractérisés par la diversité nike internationalist femme beige blanche culturelle qui met en vedette nike air huarache run id femme des professionnels uniques, des nationalités, des air france jordan address entreprises et des hommes et running asics gel nimbus femme des femmes qui hachent chaussures asics homme pas cher dans différentes cultures d'entreprise (Bauer et air jordan pour jouer au basket Erdogan, 2009). Point gardes avec nike baskets court royale suede la vitesse et la nike air jordan femme pas cher force de finir sur la jante.

Mon Jul 30, 09:40:00 PM 2018  
Blogger 5689 said...

zzzzz2018.8.28
nike blazer pas cher
oakley sunglasses wholesale
prada handbags
pandora jewelry outlet
basket nike
moncler online outlet
pandora outlet
kate spade
pandora charms
issey miyake perfume

Mon Aug 27, 09:41:00 PM 2018  
Blogger jeje said...

ralph lauren uk
canada goose outlet
christian louboutin
jordan 8
coach outlet online
adidas shoes
coach outlet
ralph lauren polo
jordan shoes
ugg outlet

Wed Oct 24, 09:06:00 PM 2018  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home