The Great Potential of Poor Americans. And How Plutocrats Just Want Them to Go Away.
(COMMON DREAMS) Paul Buchheit, January 25, 2016 — There’s plenty of evidence to support the work ethic of poor people.
Almost 63 percent of America’s work-eligible poor are working. Many of the remainder are plagued by a real unemployment rate that is two to five times higher than the official rate, as Congress has continually thwarted job creation proposals.
Immigrants comprise 13 percent of the population, but make up 28 percent of the small business owners.
Poor families don’t waste money. Two-thirds of their income is consumed by housing, food, transportation, health care, and insurance.
A study of 18 European countries found “increasing employment commitment as social spending gets more generous” — in other words, dividend payments encourage people to work harder, rather than the other way around.
Congress Ignores the Value of Average Americans
Given the right opportunities, low- and middle-income families could do a lot to improve America. But Congress only listens to the sound of money. As Robert Reich notes, an analysis by Princeton and Northwestern of 1,799 policy issues revealed that “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”
Government at Local Levels Have Turned Poverty into a Crime
In a survey of 187 cities, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty found that 18% of cities impose bans on sleeping in public, 53% of cities prohibit sitting in particular public places, and 9% of cities prohibit sharing food with homeless people.
The homeless are feared by the upper classes, and they’re often arrested for nonexistent or non-violent infractions, in good part because they are simply considered “offensive” to people of means. They usually have personal problems that society has failed to address. A study of nearly 50,000 cases revealed that most deal with alcohol or drug abuse, and mental health issues.
Legislating against impoverished people is expensive: shelters, emergency rooms, jail cells. The Interagency Council on Homelessness estimates the cost at between $30,000 and $50,000 per person per year. In Utah, a program called Housing First has cut costs dramatically by providing apartments to the homeless, no strings attached. Similar positive results were experienced in programs in New York City and Seattle. Once-penniless people did just fine with their own homes, acting responsibly, improving their lives, harming no one, and all at a cost savings for the local community.