Comments on: Is it a Crime to Be Poor?

By: Don

Don — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:03:13 +0000

It’s simply a very sad story. I see families everyday try to come-up with creative solutions to everyday problems as a result of poverty. What is truly criminal is that these parents are being punished for probably never being given an opportunity to find another alternative. The truth is, for this family, there really may not have been another alternative than to cage the children. And there are many, many families in the same situation.

Peace.

By: Sally

Sally — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:29:16 +0000

THANK YOU, you have raised an important issue here, one that we must take note of.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 21:45:28 +0000

LK,

Thanks for stopping by.

I agree that there is a better way of caring for children than putting them in a cage. The problem is that while you and I may be able to think of some better alternatives, not all parents can. So we have this situation where the authorities find children in a cage, get outraged, take the children away and make the parents into criminals. But really, who does this serve? What if the exchange between authorities and parents went something like this:

Authorities: “Why are your children in a cage?”

Parent: “Because my wife and I both work and we can’t pay a baby sitter. If I leave them alone in the truck without caging them, they might wander away. If they are in my truck, at least I know that they are safe.”

Authorities: “We see that you are concerned about your children, however, leaving them in a truck is not safe. Let us help you find child care or alternatives to both you and your wife working.”

Instead, middle-class sensibilities have been offended, and a poor family has been criminalized instead of helped.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:02:16 +0000

Ed:

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

Exactly.

These parents were both working which meant that they were “pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps” but were also unable to care for their children. If one or both were not working (so that they could care for their children) they would be branded as “lazy”.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of hard working folks out there who are never going to make a living wage. Ever. They have the “choice” then of never having children or having children and trying to raise them in ways that the powers-that-be do not approve of.

Rock and a hard place, I say.

By: LK

LK — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 18:42:01 +0000

There are better ways to deal with these problems. I’m not a bleeding heart liberal either, but the fact of the matter is that the taxpayer doesn’t want to support families on welfare. These same taxpayers are the ones who are screaming out against abuse and neglect. If only they knew that it costs an average of $20,000 a year to keep a kid in foster care. It costs an average of $8,000 a year to provide the services needed to keep a family together and the children safe and cared for.

There is no excuse for locking a kid in a cage though. There is always a better option.

By: Ed

Ed — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:48:14 +0000

Finally… Someone who recognizes the dichotomy we throw at the lower- and under-classes every day. The term “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” has never been more apropos than it is today for American making less than $50K/year. There are few, if any routes upward; dwindling spiritual and/or secular social support structures; shrinking and ever more ruthless “protective services,” and growing, angry police forces. As more people and families descend into poverty and misery, there’s little hope on the horizon for anything less than a human explosion of nuclear proportions. And, if we do our research properly, we’ll find that the current powers are even nefariously prepared for that. Its definitely time for some kind of action, but, even suggesting a type is insidiously considered “sedition.” Your thoughts?