The poor exist. They’re here.
God - who sees everything - sees the poor and has pity on them. The world and its
system disregards them and what the world discards God redeems. God loves the poor.
The Apostle Paul says that God chooses the poor things of the world to shame the wise.
Paul tells Christians to reflect on their past.
Not many of you were “wise,”
“mighty,” “nobel,” “strong”, but were “foolish,” and “weak”, the “base things” of the
world, and “despised” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
Most Christians start off either in poverty, or middle class. Most Christians - according to
God’s word - are not the upper crust of society (that is “mighty,” “nobel,” “strong”),
(though
some obviously are, since Paul uses the phrase “not many”). But since
God does love the world (which includes the rich), God, in His wisdom chooses the poor
and does things in them that the rich will stand up and take notice of, so perhaps they too
will come to God and be saved (like in, “wow!” look at the difference in him or her, I
want what they have).
The poor exist. Christians of ALL races are among the poor, but not all poor are
Christians. Poverty is a fact of life in THIS world.
[And yes, there is a very SPIRITUAL side of poverty too... Blessed are the poor IN
SPIRIT for theirs is the kingdom of God.
But given the fact that the final judgment of the world has more to do with just ones
treatment of the Spiritual side of poverty (that is, it also has to do with ones dealing with
the Physical side of poverty), one must be careful NOT to down play any responsibility,
or obligation one has toward the PHYSICAL aspect of fighting poverty.
Having said that is there a connection - as many TV preachers will tell you - between
ones Spiritual condition, and ones Physical reality? Sure, but is there
always a connection? Of course not, for example, is
it the rich that are entering heaven? Jesus - the author of our salvation - said it’s pretty
hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom (it’s easier for a camel to go through an eye of a
needle). Riches are no guarantee of salvation, nor an accurate measure of ones spiritual
condition.
Also, the LACK of riches is no barometer of ones spiritual condition either. Remember
Jesus’s story of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), how Lazarus longed to eat the scraps from the
rich man’s table and dogs licked his sores. MOST Christians I know would say something
negative about Lazarus’s spiritual condition, yet it was he that went to heaven in the
story.
The Reasons for Poverty
Yes, sin can very well be a reason for poverty. Personal sin as well as sin against ones
neighbor. The focus of this essay is not to focus on personal sin as the reason for personal
poverty (although that is something that needs to be consider), but sin against ones
neighbor is the sin I am going to focus on here.
The question is “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told a story concerning this question in
Luke 10. A person was beat up by robbers (a good name for a perpetrator) and a priest
walked by, saw him, and left him
there (maybe he
thought the person deserved it), a Levite walked by too and left him there (religious
people are always so busy). A Samaritan then walks by, sees the mans condition - does
not judge the man but takes care of him. The question then becomes who was a neighbor
to this man? and it’s obvious, the Samaritan. THE MAN WHO SHOWED MERCY.
Notice there is nothing in the story as to why this bad thing came upon the victim, that is
not the point (maybe he did something, maybe he did nothing). The point is that a non
judgmental person came by, saw someone who needed something and met the need.
Remember THIS STORY was in response to the question of what does a person have to
do to have eternal life.
___________________
As said before, most poor have learned to just settle in their condition; some try to get
out, but get beaten back in a variety of ways (racism, classism etc.) It’s this area of racism
and classism I wish to address next.
The Effects of Racism in our Society
I have heard more than once in my life the argument that its been almost 150 years since
slavery ended and black people need to ‘get over it’. First let me say that the ONLY
THING that ended 150 years ago was slavery, and as recently as 40 years
ago Martin Luther King was still fighting for basic human rights for
black people.
Still today the disproportionate (Yes, disproportionate), number of the poor among the
Black population speaks volumes to me as to how much further society needs to go.
The Disproportionate (Yes, Disproportionate),
number of the poor among the Black population.
Number don’t lie, and there’s much documented evidence concerning the truth behind
this statement. No matter how you measure it there are MORE THAN twice as many
blacks PERCENTAGE WISE below the poverty line as there are then whites. (Click Here for U.S. Census data on Poverty).That is a huge difference and can
only be accounted for by one thing.
Case Study, Arcadia Florida
2005
One can go back and forth forever concerning who’s to blame for the
poor area of town, but the point remains that such a jaw dropping area should not exist in
our society. When I first saw this area of the city (Arcadia is the County Seat of DeSoto
County), I was in utter shock that such a place still exists in our great society. I honestly
thought this type of poverty “went out with the 60’s.”
The area
is still called “The Quarters” by the local white
population. Most of the people that live within “The Quarters” are black and live in
shacks. An active railroad runs through peoples
front yards. Walls from the old
black High School still stand (probably 30 years after it was abandoned). Houses (shacks
really), that you might think are abandoned... well think again. People do in fact live in
them. If you want to see what the south looked like before the civil rights movement
come and visit “the Quarters” in Arcadia. It’s a step back in time.
Two Quotes Found on the Internet Concerning Arcadia
After moving from a northern city, Green Bay Wis, to a
city near Arcadia of the same population 8 years ago, all I can say is, yes, racism and
good ol boy mentality still rule. We go to Arcadia antique shopping with visitors and
other than some shabby houses on the way in from the south, outsiders don’t see the bad
if they don’t choose to look. In this area workers make a third of the wage for the same
work as I saw elsewhere in the country... the prison outside of town (It’s actually within
the city limits - ed) has some of the best paying jobs around... this place only has that cool named river (The Peace River -
ed) and nature going for it. This a horrible place to raise a family unless you are
wealthy...(and if you are not - ed) your children will be exposed to racism, sexism and
mostly classism to a degree like blatant Hollywood stereotypeing. This is still the
backwords ol' south and I wouldn't have believed, it if I didnt see it.
and another comment found on the net...
My gosh, I thought _I_ had the worst rural Florida address here in
bucolic Suwannee County (that's right, folks, the same one Stephen Foster wrote about)! I
should have known that somewhere else there was a little southern town and county to
knock mine straight out of the box. In a strange way, though, it's comforting -- at least we
didn't pick the WORST town and county. I am reminded, though, that a small town in
Suwannee County (Branford, population around 700) STILL refers to the all-black
section of town as "The Quarters." Yes, indeed, we are STILL antebellum here! When the
local (Arcadian - ed) person who told me this first uttered these words ("The Quarters" -
ed) , I actually thought she must be kidding ... then I found out she was serious!
Now don’t get me wrong, there are nice parts in the town, and some very nice people,
however since the towns adopted motto is “The Best Small Town in Florida” one
wonders that if this town is Florida’s BEST small town, what in God’s name do the rest
of Florida’s small towns look like? Do native Floridians agree and think that
this is what a great small town should look like?
and P.S. Don’t forget to check out De Soto County’s responsibility to its people
outside the city limits toward the east (It may still be within Arcadia’s jurisdiction
though).
Case Study, Boston
It’s Not Just a Southern Problem
You would think a liberal
northern city like Boston (home town of the Kennedy’s), would
have been a haven for the black population which was migrating (really fleeing), from the
south and its racial attitude. Far from it. The Boston housing authority segregated black
people to the point that the forced desegration of the local school system was necessary.
In 1974 (which, by the way, was twenty years after Brown vs. Board of Education!),
schools were ordered to desegregate (through busing).
And was this practice accepted by liberal northerners? Not at all. Violence and
white flight were the order of the day.
Paterson, New Jersey
My own Experience with the Poor Black
Something White People Need to Hear
The worst thing society every did - as far as housing is concerned - was to stack people on
top of each other in “projects.”...
but this is not my point in this section.
I was born in 1957 in Paterson NJ (a large racially mixed city about 12 miles west from
New York City). I grew up in a town called East Paterson (whose name
was later changed to Elmwood Park in 1975). East Paterson was a white town separated
by a river from Paterson. My High School class was almost all white (a couple of
Hispanics and Indians, but that was about it). I myself am white. When I went off to the
local college, between semesters (the summer of 1976), I was able to get a federally
funded summer job from their job office. The position was as a counselor in a program
that was helping the poor children catch up or reinforce what they learned in school the
previous year. (More like a camp counselor where part of the morning was dedicated
toward education and the rest of the day was dedicated to doing fun things, and going on
an occasional trip somewhere).
The job was in Paterson, the city across the river where I grew up.
When I arrived, I honestly felt like I took a plane somewhere - outside this country - and
landed in some far away - land locked - isolated - section of the world. Everything was
different. Peoples goals were not centered on trying to get ahead, but on survival. Physical
survival. Everyone deserves a fair chance of making it in life, but for these poor people
(and I do mean poor) they hardly had a chance. Everything was against them. Most of the
kids came from broken homes,.... there was... and....
And the homes they lived in were old, very old, and some kids came from the local
projects (high rise buildings which actually destroy any sense of community).
It was a horrible situation. You had to see it to believe it, and you know what the worst
thing about it was? A lot of these kids were never going to make it out of there, and if
they did they probably wouldn’t get very far. And even if, by the grace of God they made
it through high school, or learned a trade, or even went to college and got a degree.
Would they be accepted in society and be able to get a good paying, livable wage job? (a
job necessary to help sustain a whole family?)
Fifteen years after this summer job, in 1991, my wife and I bought a house in a town that
is actually about a half a mile - north - from where I used to work as a “camp counselor”
(The town is called Prospect Park) . And guess what, in 1991 the town was still - as it
had always had been - basically white (and this was just a half a mile north from this
area)......
Now Prospect Park’s white makeup is declining . In the 2000 census its racial makeup
was about 61% White, 38% Hispanic but only 13% African American (which to me is so
surprising since most of the Prospect Park side of the town that borders Paterson is the
Black section of Paterson). Five years after this census, in 2005 my wife and I moved to
Florida and it seemed to me that no new white people were moving into the Prospect Park
anymore. White flight was once again on the move.
And remember, this is Northern New Jersey (and by the way, the racial
makeup of the town was not why we left).
Other Minorities
The problem that was exposed in New Orleans is NOT a local New Orleans problem , but
a NATIONAL one. There are low income minorities in every city that are basically
trapped there by - as George Bush said in his speech at the national cathedral on 9/16/05
“...generations of segregation and discrimination that closed many doors of opportunity”
This is so sad, and the fact that “White Flight” is still
taking place in this country is further evidence that the racial situation has a long LONG
way to go.
Hispanics, are another major group that has been discriminated against in this country.
Granted they have not been discriminated against as long as blacks have, but the
prejudice is still there. If you need evidence look at the existence of Spanish barrios and
ghettos in our major cities. Hispanics are another group that has a large percentage of its
people trapped in poverty. According to U.S. Census data almost TWICE as many
Hispanics PERCENTAGE WISE live below the poverty line then there are whites. (Click Here for U.S. Census data on Poverty).That is another huge difference.
Also, the sad plight of migrant workers in this country is another thing you might want to
look at. All Hispanic, mostly Mexican. Sure many of them are probably here illegally (or
maybe not), but how many whites, historically, have entered this country without proper
documentation too? If you look you’ll find that a lot of whites grandfathers, and great
grandfathers came here without papers - and stayed, hoping for a better
life. These workers need help just as any other group of people below the poverty line,
especially since many of them have their children with them.
Also, if you look within the “Island Hispanic” population (that is the Caribbean
Hispanics) you’ll see that they have a large percentage of blacks within that group who
call themselves Hispanics, but are racially black. These people get the worst of
both worlds
There are other poor minorities (besides Blacks and Hispanics), that are trapped
in their situations too.
The Poor Whites
It’s not just minorities that are trapped in their situations
My brother lives outside Richmond Virginia. When I visit him I have to drive along side
some rail road tracks on a highway that is called the “Po White” (yep, that’s its official
name). I am told that this highway was where the poor whites (Po Whites), used to live
[and I believe it for the poor always seem to live along side the tracks somewhere (for
that’s where the cheap land is)].
Poverty that’s found within the white community (the entrenched generational kind), is
usually (but certainly not always), the result of classism between the “have’s” and the
“have not’s”. Depending on the area of the country you live, poor whites are usually
found - not so much in the cities (because their skin color does give them an advantage in
getting out, but even so they are there, but not in “white ghettos” - so to speak), but they
are more than likely found in trailer parks, renting run down apartments or homes in
unfavorable areas, or if they do own a home it’s usually a shabby one out in the middle of
nowhere on land their family has owned for generations. Many poor whites do not finish
school, and work on the bottom rung of the service industry. They generally look poor
(who has money for nice clothes?), unkempt (my guess is justified depression), and can
partake of government assistance just as much any poor minority.
All these things are usually picked up by rich, educated, good job whites who as a result
don’t associate with them socially if at all. Sometimes middle class whites feel the same
way toward them (which is a shame for the Bible says so much concerning the poor of
this world).
It’s almost as if the poor whites are a race that is looked down upon by bigoted snobs.
(and let me say this... “classism” exists within EVERY race. You could take the word
“White” out of the above section and substitute the word “Black” or “Hispanic” and some
of the things I just wrote about the problems within the white community (in
regards to class) would be true about some of the things that go on within those
communities too. And while I’m at it let me say that - as far as whites blaming all their
problems on minorities - every minority could leave this country and you’d
still have poverty among whites because of this classism. That’s
something to think about
and guess what...
____________________
The educated almost always have an upperhand over the uneducated. Higher Education is
not in the cards for a lot of poor whites for they probably don’t have the high school
degree necessary to go to college. Owning a home - a great strength of any community as
well as a family raising stability - is usually not in the cards either for they more than
likely will never have a job capable of paying a mortgage. All the problems associated
with minority poverty (drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy, violence) exist within this segment
of society too (Watch the show COPS. Do you ever see them go into a rich
neighborhood? Poverty leads to all sorts of problems
regardless of
race).
A trailer park may be OK for a retired couple, but it is no place to raise a family. Neither
is living in a shabby, run down rental or home. The poor whites are trapped, not because
of race, but because of their economic situation and all the junk that usually
goes with that. In some places of this country the rich have been so unwilling to help that
the middle class - which is usually not part of the ‘powers that be’ - have all but
disappeared because of the “squeezing” that takes place through the ‘powers that be’
legislation to help the poor (what ever happened to the private charity of the rich? The
middle class should be the largest and ‘ever growing’ segment of society. A very large
middle class is a sign of a healthy society).
Don’t kid yourself, if the below solution to this problem never gets enacted it could very
well be because of this classism (as well as a good deal of bigotry too). Bigotry is usually
obvious, but Classism is usually not. Classism is very underrated and is
a very underestimated force. It’s something that - in
it’s purest form - is NOT bigoted at all for it has to do with money and power - not race
(for example, all the rich and powerful in the world can be at a party together and be
totally, totally color blind).
When you fight a fight you have to realize that the opposing fighter has TWO hands. This
country has been fighting poverty for so long and have been so focused on the opposing
fighters right hand (Racism), that MANY never realized that the reason they were still
getting clobbered was because the boxer had ANOTHER hand to fight with too -
classism. Don’t keep focusing on his right hand, focus on his left too. (And if you’ve
found yourself being part of this classism - repent and associate with the lowly).
(And PS there are not enough Blacks or Hispanics in the upper crust of
society to say that classism is a reason for the difference in poverty - percentage wise -
between whites and minorities. You would need a huge amount of Blacks or
Hispanics in the upper part of society to account for that difference (at least
double the amount of whites that are there now). Also, it’s been my experience that
people coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, generally “remember where they came
from” and try to HELP each other up the ladder rather than kick them back down. Yet,
classism DOES exist and is still something that needs to be factored into any solution to
the problem of poverty).
God’s Kingdom Principles
The treatment of the poor was something the prophets of old pointed out time and time
again as a reason judgment came upon a society. In fact it wasn’t just societies treatment
of the poor that got them in trouble, but its treatment of the widowed (that is: women
without husbands) and the fatherless (that is: orphans), and the alien, that got them in
trouble with God too.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Execute true justice,
Show mercy and
compassion,
Everyone to his brother.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless,
The alien or the poor.
Let none of you plan evil in his heart
Against his brother.
But they (the people) refused to heed, (and they) shrugged their shoulders, and stopped up
their ears so they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the
law and the words which the Lord of hosts has sent by His Spirit through the former
prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.”Zechariah 7:9,10)
Note the theme the former prophets spoke of ... “executing true justice,” which
one may define as Showing
mercy and compassion
toward 4 segments of society (the widowed; the fatherless; the alien and the poor.
Actually 5 segments, for the phrase “your brother” is broad and can encompass everyone
not listed in this breakdown of society, HOWEVER it’s the lowest part of society that
God is very concerned with here).
One would think that the prophets centered all their words around obedience to the law,
but all the laws of the Old Testament are broken down into only 2 principles in the New
Testament, and that is to Love God and Love your neighbor. If do these two things you
fulfill all the law in the Old Testament. If you don’t do those two things you don’t.
Again, the treatment of the poor was something the prophets of old pointed out time and
time again as a reason judgment came upon a society (as the scripture said, the people
refused to “hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts has sent by His Spirit
through the former prophets” therefore “great wrath came from the Lord”). And again it
wasn’t just societies treatment of the poor that got them in trouble, but societies treatment
of the widowed (that is: women without husbands), and the fatherless (that is: orphans),
and the alien, that got them in trouble with God too.
God loves the world (which includes everyone), however it’s the worlds lack of mercy
and compassion toward these 4 segments of society that gets them in trouble with God
time and time again. Why? for it’s these 4 levels of society that are usually the most
defenseless.
If society - any society - continues on such an unmercifully path of indifference (or lack
of compassion) toward these four segments of society, judgment from God may,
and probably will, come upon that society.
It’s the lesson of history (and it’s certainly the lesson of biblical history).
______________________________
A Solution
Actually 4 possible solutions
As said before, most poor have learned to just settle in their condition; some try to get
out, but get beaten back in a variety of ways (racism, classism etc.) (
and
have very poor self-esteem as a result); while others
do get out , but definitely need a helping hand (from government programs, court ordered
remedies). It’s this last area of a government’s, a benevolent
government’s “helping hand” I wish to address.
President Lincoln once said, a good government is “of the people, by the people and FOR
the people.” It’s these THREE criteria the define a good government. Take away any one
of the three and you have bad government. Again, if the below proposals for fighting
poverty fail, all the reasons I gave previously in this essay will enter into the “why” of the
failure, but all of those reasons will fall under the failure of one of the three above
categories mentioned by President Lincoln. President Lincoln was very wise for his time
and went down in history as a great President. May future leaders follow his example of
greatness.
Urban Homesteading
As proposed by President Bush in the New Orleans Recovery Speech of 9/15/05 (see
quote below). A genus of an idea for it allows people to have all the benefits of
homesteading, yet be able to live near an economically viable area where they can make a
livable wage. This idea - if implemented nationally by congress - would
definitely give low income families a fair start in life, (and hopefully get them out of the
ghetto areas of the cities or towns where they live) Again, it’s almost impossible for low
income minorities to get out of these areas simply because they are a minority and low-income.
Actually its very hard for any low-income person to get out of these areas regardless of race.
God Bless President Bush (and Congress too). A portion of President Bush’s speech the
on Homesteading (from his New Orleans speech) , and what it’s all about is quoted
below.
“And to help lower-income
citizens in the hurricane region build new and
better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading
Act. Under this approach, we will
identify property in the region owned by the federal government and provide building
sites to low-income citizens free of charge,
through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage
or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. Home ownership is one
of the great strengths of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the
revival of this region.” (see below maps)
______________________________
Suburban Homesteading
Same reasoning as above except in a more suburban setting. (again see below maps).
People, the fact of “White Flight” can be used to show that things are just not working the
way they should. The statistics are there and it’s well documented (the National Census).
Well guess what. Most whites flee to the suburbs and there IS federal land in the suburbs
(State land too, which is another avenue that can be explored) If Congress won’t act beyond the Urban Homesteading
Act a case can be made against this type of thing (white avoidance actually) and brought
before the courts. The remedy should be that land should be set aside - in the suburbs -
for minorities to offset and combat this continuing problem (and I do
think President Bush would be sympathetic toward this type of Homesteading too).
Parts of this country will always remain segregated (with all the baggage that goes with
it), if whites keep retreating to the suburbs on their flights of fancy to avoid people of a
different skin color. This movement of large segments of white population has got to
stop.
But minorities, don’t forget about the Poor Whites. You’ll find that there are non poor
white white people that look down on them too (their trash). It’s an
economic thing as well as a racial thing.
Everyone deserves a chance at making it in this country.
Suburban Homesteading is my favorite form of Homesteading for - like Urban
Homesteading - one can still live in an economically viable area, yet have all the benefits
of nature surrounding you. The city is really no place to raise a family.
But... you may have to buy yourself a car, ask for a ride, or walk further to the bus stop -
to get to work.
Big deal.
And PS: One remedy that minorities (and poor whites) might want to entertain is the
“Rent to Own” option. Under this option NO DOWN PAYMENT would be necessary
and the “Rent with the Option to Buy” philosophy would be in play. I know this type of
program has been suggested in the urban arena, but I for one frown on that because it
usually involves housing that cities are in the process of giving up on (that is, it
already costs to much money to maintain, However I don’t want to discount this
plan for urban areas entirely). The “Rent with the Option to Buy” would be a perfect plan
for suburban areas where there is no federal or state land, but there is more
than enough private housing for sale. The government could give grants for the down
payment to the working poor, and as far as minorities are concerned this would
become a perfect chance for them to help stop the advancing tide of white flight. Again, this massive movement of white populations away from minorities has
got to stop.
______________________________
Rural Homesteading
Same reasoning as Urban Homesteading, except in a more rural setting. Geared toward
people who are more agricultural in their makeup (Cattle, crops etc.). [And by the way,
what are we saving all this land for? Greenpeace? (again see below maps).
This land was bought for, fought for
and paid for by the
American people over the last two centuries. The
people own this land, Congress should give it back to them.
People who’d rather do rural homesteading should be given the necessary time to make
the land productive...
Agricultural use of the land is one avenue that can be explored, “corporate” use of the
land is another. People can band together to form “company towns” where they could
persuade industry to ‘set up shop’ near the new towns or villages. Additional revenue
would be made by our government (through taxes) rather than our government spending
revenue (collected taxes) continually on programs that really don’t work well - if at all.
Also, Congress and the States should band together and find out whether the large
amounts of privately owned land in this country has been obtained legally. There are
individuals that own thousands upon thousands of acres. Are these people government
employees who have access to information not accessible to the general public? Are they
clerks, registrars, attorneys and judges who see “For Sale” information first and buy land
at a huge discount? These facts are not hard to find out, and once found out the
government can take appropriate measures and confiscate this land for public use.
______________________________
Wilderness Homesteading
This is the old form of homesteading where only the strong need apply. People whose
makeup is geared toward this type of thing know that they are - for the most part - on
their own and help can be more than a day away. Alaska is perfect for these pioneers as
well as a good part of the American west. (again see below map). People, there are plenty
of areas in this country that still need to be tamed and I know that there are plenty of
people willing to do it if given half a chance.
http://www.calinst.org/bulletins/b1115h.htm
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/wales/government/en/1115311668520.html