Renee RosenowI am really getting tired of hearing people complain about how they don’t want to have their tax money go to “lazy people” who don’t work. I could understand their sentiments if the people benefiting were in fact people who don’t want to work, but in most cases, it just simply isn’t true.
Poverty is a huge problem in our country and worldwide. Today there are a billion people living on less than $1 a day. Do you honestly think that those people in poverty are in that situation because they want to be or they are too lazy to get themselves out of it?
We need to realize how lucky we really are. There are so many things that have gone right in our lives that allow us to be where we are today. Even little things, such as having books, eating dinner and having parents that tell us “we can be anything when we grow up” have made huge impacts in our lives that allow us to be successful working adults.
What about the people who didn’t have books, or went to school hungry and had parents who never really even wanted children or they are abused? Do you think that they have the same chance at a decent life as the kid from a supportive and loving family? According to UNICEF, 26,500 to 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. Do you think those children could have got themselves out of poverty if they just worked harder?
The people who believe that poverty is avoidable and can be combated simply with hard work are na’ve individuals that were born with advantages. Their egos are too large for them to admit that they are where they are not only because they have worked hard themselves, but also largely because of their privileged background. When I say “privileged background” I believe that includes the middle class family.
My parents are a graphic artist and a truck driver, so I come from a modest, yet comfortable household and I consider myself to be privileged. Even though I wasn’t given as many advantages as others I know, I was given enough to build a successful life and that in itself is a privilege.
Every day, more and more jobs are being cut from people who work hard, especially during the financial crisis. Even those that have jobs and work full time are having a hard time supporting themselves and their families.
According to Ralph Nader, our parents made the equivalent of $10 per hour as their minimum wage while our minimum wage is $6.55. With the current cost of living and rising food prices, it is nearly impossible to survive on a minimum wage job.
As a member of a community, we cannot allow this to happen. We need to help out our neighbors and lift them up in the face of poverty. There is no better investment in this world than the investment of a human life. By helping those in need and putting them on the path to self-sufficiency we are creating productive individuals to drive our school buses, perform our surgeries and fly our planes.
If you aren’t convinced yet, you don’t have to go far to look for evidence of hard working people that are struggling. Go to the Boys and Girls Club downtown, or visit a Head Start center and meet some of the kids that were born into poverty. Or better yet, go to inner-city Milwaukee, Chicago or Minneapolis and meet the kids on food stamps.
Compare your lives with theirs and ask yourself if you were in their situation when you were young. Do you think you would be in the same position you are today? Before people start accusing those in poverty of being lazy they need to put their lives in perspective and realize that they are truly lucky.
Novak is a junior psychology and political science major and guest columnist for The Spectator.
