Clarion Ledger on poverty

If you have not read today's Clarion Ledger, you should. There are two fantastic editorials. One focuses on the increasing expectations in our schools. The one I am going to address in this post is about poverty, a favorite subject of mine.

These two articles deal with what defines us as Mississippians, poverty and lack of education. Like it or not, we are a poor uneducated state when compared to other states. Our leaders in education are working tirelessly to improve the conditions of our public schools. What we need is an effort to eliminate poverty in the same way are trying to eliminate ignorance.

The Clarion Ledger had this to say:

Now, 40 years later, a national report on poverty once again paints an ugly picture of poverty in America, and Mississippi.

The Measure of America study released earlier this month by Oxfam America and several private foundations found Mississippi last among states in most significant measures, from health care to education to the "opportunity to live a decent life."

The study was based on information collected before Hurricane Katrina struck, so conditions could even be worse now. According to the report:


Median earnings were among the lowest in the nation; figures for the Delta-based 2nd District were equivalent to the national median in the late 1960s.


School enrollment ranked nearly last.


More than one-fifth of Mississippi's adults lack a high school education.


Discrepancies were found in quality of life between genders and in ethnic and racial groups, with black males ranking lowest.

A Delta Task Force of the Mississippi Legislature found similar results and offered options for the state, but for the second time in two years lawmakers chose not to adopt the recommendations this year that could possibly help reverse the trend.

I just finished reading a book entitled "Ending Poverty in America". Sections of that book gave me hope that are things we can do that will slowly help pull people from the grasp of poverty. Too many Mississippians believe the canard that it is lack of ambition and personal responsibility that dooms people to a life in poverty. I would love to see a percentage count of those who believe that canard, who also grew up in HUD housing or on food stamps. I bet it would be less than a percentage point. The canard leads those who buy into this line of logic to think that they are somehow better than the poor, and that is the poor's fault alone for being poor.

We must help educate the poor and help them to build assets. This is not a political issue, or a social issue, but a moral issue. There are a lot of fresh ideas out there help those on the bottom to begin to create wealth. Putting the minimum wage on an index tied to inflation and the value of our currency is a good start. No one who works full time should be below the poverty line, period. Health care needs to be made available to all. Not just health care but preventative health care. If one family member becomes ill, it can bring the whole family into a downward spiral that is nearly impossible to get out of. Maybe creating an account for every child born that has $500 in it as a birthright, that cannot be touched until 18, except to add to, is another idea. There is strong evidence to show that asset creation is a major factor is transcending poverty.

I would love to see the recommendations of the Delta Task Force that our legislature rejected.