Poverty?

The Dallas Morning News has an op-ed section in their Sunday edition. It contains, as you might imagine, letters from readers on a variety of subjects. I had a few published myself. In the most recent edition, I caught some letters that attack Republicans for not having any idea what poverty is like. The writers contend that Republicans are all just a bunch of rich people wanting to cut taxes for rich people. I wonder how these people get dressed by themselves. I am not rich and I vote Republican most of the time.

Poverty today means free food, free or reduced housing cost, assistance with utility bills, free medical, free cell phones, and an income. What the writers really want is for themselves to live like the rich folks and not work for it.

I spent eight years coordinating low-income programs with the State of Texas. I’ve been there and seen how poverty lives. I’ve been inside homes that lived better than I did.

When I was growing up, I lived a different kind of poverty. We had little or no food at times, no medical, no free rent, no cell phone or house phone, and we certainly didn’t have cable TV. I didn’t like being poor and so I did the only thing I could do.

I went to work.  At 15 years old.

PMO
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