Why Not Just Stop Being Part of the Working Poor?

Cause it sure would be nice. My friend suggested that the government helping people is not a solution, but that to stop being part of the working poor is.

You know he's right.

It's far better to stop being 'working poor' than it is to get help from the government. Who the hell wants to be a member of that class, anyway? Not I, my friend.

In fact, no one wants to be. So, then, why is it that there are so many unwilling captives of that class?

Well, basically, it's because it's not that simple to get out of that class. Once you're in, quite often, you get stuck without some help.

Take single moms for example. Never mind how they got that way, that is none of anyone's business. But the fact is that there are a lot of them. Most of them didn't wish to be single moms. And many of them are struggling. They have to work and they have to pay all the bills and then they also must pay for childcare. Many would like to get an education. But they can't; there's no money left over at the end of the day to pay for that as well. Let alone energy. So how do they get ahead? Hard work doesn't do it all. You need a break.

I don't think government can solve every problem and of course, it shouldn't. People have to get motivated, they have to learn to make good decisions. A single mom who's struggling should take steps to save money, she should not increase her family size while things are unstable, she should make good decisions. Same thing goes for a single dad. Or just anyone who's struggling to support their kids.

People who have gotten themselves out of that situation or similiar often tend to forget just how hard it was to get out of it. But for people to sit in judgment of the working poor, to say they shouldn't get any help, is paternalistic. It's just not that simple.

It's not just a math issue. It's a social issue, an education issue. People are far more complicated than that.

Now one could say that we need to leave people alone and let them solve their own problems. But how do you reconcile that with the fact that, these days, the deck is stacked against getting out of poverty? The cost of living is rising, gas is rising, credit is freezing up, people are losing their houses, food costs have risen.

But are wages rising?

No, they are not.

For example, I got a 1% raise last year. Someone recently told me that sometimes you have to give yourself a raise by getting a different job. I would like to get a different job. But I have insurance here and I have a child with significant emotional challenges. There are many appointments to attend for her and I've been here for a while, so my employer has gotten more flexible with me. I also have been awarded more PTO because of my length of employment here. I need those supports in order to raise this child.

And since credit scores count when you are job hunting, my chances of getting another job that actually pays more than this one are slim. My credit sucks. I spent a good part of my life screwing up. Now I'm paying for that. Even so, things are looking up. I'm not *still* making those terrible decisions.

Coming from a crazy family of origin, addled by addiction - That's part of how you get stuck as part of the working poor. You come from a crazy family of origin. It's up to you to overcome it, not something government can really help you with, but by the time you finally do, you've already made some serious messes that takes years to overcome. You didn't go to college because you were all screwed up and had no support. You made bad choices. Your decision making process was all screwed up.

No one wants to be part of the working poor. Most members of that class are doing everything they can to get out of it. They're WORKING but they can't seem to get ahead. If the government wants to promote a strong citizenry, if they want to promote a strong economy, it makes sense to help those people who are working hard and not getting anywhere.

This philosophy of 'it's just too bad, those people should work harder' is a bunch of crap. Sure, it makes people feel good so they don't have to think about all the other people in this world that are suffering. But it's not a philosophy that actually does anything to help the situation.