“The study pointed to federal stimulus checks as the more important piece of this development. Those checks alone raised 12.4 million people out of poverty. Taken all together, recent antipoverty measures reduced child poverty from 30.1% to 5.6%.”
I can’t help but think this is a “feel good” moment versus any structural change in reducing…
“The study pointed to federal stimulus checks as the more important piece of this development. Those checks alone raised 12.4 million people out of poverty. Taken all together, recent antipoverty measures reduced child poverty from 30.1% to 5.6%.”
I can’t help but think this is a “feel good” moment versus any structural change in reducing child poverty. We have a tendency to spend money on societal issues and then pat ourselves on the back on “success”. Are children experiencing better nutrition, education, housing because of stimulus checks? Those would be the things that would have a long term impact on actually reducing poverty across the board. We don’t know because we are not measuring those metrics and we are looking at one or two years based on an income only number.
I went to a forum a few years ago (put on by one of the local NPR stations). The a panel (and room) comprised of all White individuals including Governor Baker to ostensibly tout the success of the reduction of gun violence in Boston. A half hour in, a group of about 20 young Black kids followed a Black woman and stood quietly at the back of the room. When the Q&A discussion, began, the woman called out that forum so powerfully with the reality of what the Black community experiences every single day..
Each young Black person in that room had a family member killed/injured by gun violence and/or had been shot themselves. There were daily shootings/gunfire and parents could not bring themselves to allow their children to wait for school buses. The neighborhoods were (and are) still living in constant fear. Think about the psychological impact on everyone in those neighborhoods. But, according to the forum participants and “statistics”, Boston was (is) doing great “reducing gun violence” as there were no mass shootings (unspoken but meant) of white kids.
The lack of representation of those in communities that are actually impacted by societal shortcomings happens all the time. The gathering and interpretation of statistics without valuable experiential input as part of the narrative may make us feel better but we also turn our attention away from a “problem solved”, when in fact it isn’t.
Thank you for sharing this story and for stating what I was thinking too. How can a $2-3K stimulus check "lift a family out of poverty"??? It sounds like a permanent condition, doesn't it - being lifted out? My state, right next to Boston, last week announced the median monthly rent on a two bedroom apartment (0.6% vacancy, essentially 0) for each county. These stimulus checks would barely cover two months of the state median rent. I'd like to see some numbers around just how long this will keep those children out of poverty and how exactly that happens. Sounds like magical thinking to me.
Throwing money at the problem will not solve poverty any more than a bandaid will cure cancer. Child poverty exists due to a lack of well-paying jobs for the parents or caregivers. Well paying jobs depend on employers, consumers, and users paying the real cost of services and products. It also depends on our political representatives stepping up and becoming leaders creating policies that bring careers to their constituents. Here in WV our governors and representatives have profited from keeping us dependent on coal for decades beyond when any clear sighted person could see it was going out. The Manchin and Justice families have sorely cost this state for their own personal benefit. Much of rural WV may well not afford broadband at over $100/month even as it becomes available.
Actually, it's my understanding that throwing money at the problem is one of the best ways to solve it, IF the money goes directly to the poor with no strings attached.
The fact is, the best money micro-managers in the world ARE the poor. They don't have the luxury of wasting it. When you give them money, they typically spend it on the most important useful things that have the biggest impact on their lives. Their problem isn't poor management skills. Their problem is lack of money.
Agree 1000%, Joseph. When examining poverty, it must be done not only with an eye formed from values of middle class but with a knowledge of the values AND strong resources of the poverty culture.
And let me ask a question of everyone on this forum….. what socioeconomic class do you consider yourself a member of : poverty, middle, or upper class?
I'm kind of no-class, dependent upon social security. I own my manufactured home, but not the land upon which it sits, paying a landlord $400/month for a "lease." I never thought I would end up here, but lost my 'money' in California real estate. I'm happy, but this situation depends upon politicians and could be devastating. I'm a doctorally prepared RN, retired after an amazing and wondrous career, and totally dependent upon social security.
I agree with this sentiment except that there are many more reasons in addition to lack of well-paying jobs. Medical concerns, childcare, transportation, stacking and segregating poor families in areas of no available employment, lack of any quality education opportunities, and much more.
My school district is registering students for the next school year. The vast majority white middle to upper class families. I belong to a FB group of many of these families. So many parents are complaining and being very hateful on the fees charged to them for various supplies, music and sports enrollments, graduation fees, driver’s Ed, etc. the fees range from about $150 to about $800 total depending on age and how involved a child is. I was quite sick of it, and had to remind them that most were getting $250 per child x two months that would most likely cover those expenses. And add to that the “free” $12,585 per child taxes pay per year. One family with three children will be receiving $1500 in unexpected monies by the time these fees are due. While no one agreed with me, there was silence after that observation.
Please remember politics is the art of the possible. One has to start somewhere. I spent my career working with severely mentally ill people, all poor and some with children. There's no doubt in my mind that an extra bit of cash will help them and us, their advocates, find solutions to some problems. Half a loaf is better than no bread at all and it's not helpful to trash something because it's not the total solution. The ACA is a good example of something that missed the ultimate mark -- single payer-- but is still very valuable.
I don't believe anyone here is trashing the program, just disputing the conclusion that it has ended poverty for those receiving the short-term extra money. There's no question in my mind that it's program that is helping many people but, unless/until it's a permanent program, it cannot actually "end poverty".
Lifting people out of poverty is about SO much more than money. Being an educator, I felt myself stymied so many times by the challenges I felt because I compared myself as a member of the “middle class” and applied my values instead of trying to understand the power of theirs. It wasn’t until I became a student and advocate of Dr. Ruby Payne that my entire perspective of the “poverty culture” changed dramatically. I’ll reference her landmark text.
Same question occurred to me. Not to mention that the stimulus checks are not a permanent source of income for those receiving it though I've read that the extra $$ have helped some to focus on education and/or retraining so they can (hopefully) lift themselves out of poverty.
The stimulus checks afforded me the opportunity to repair my 2000 Subaru and continue to have wheels. I volunteer at the local foodbank and benefit from their services. To be old and poor is no joke, even though over-educated and cognitively intact.
2019 seems like a lifetime ago which is why I was thinking a "few" years ago :)
My husband and I just finished watching "The Wire" (2002-2008). Watching the video of the forum within the context of the complexities of the show in my head . . . we have gone nowhere!
I should qualify that while it was not explicitly stated, my takeaway (not intended to sensationalize) was that most of the Black kids in the room had a family member killed/injured and/or they had been shot . . . but without more specific information, it is probably more accurate to state that, at the very least, most had been exposed/witness to the horrors of gun violence on a regular basis. Certainly, the point Monica was driving home relative to the PTSD that the community experience. It is as real as being in any other war zone.
Wow! What a powerful statement that made. I’m guessing it would have been recorded by NPR? Could you please tell us what the local station there is? Excellent example for how to use your voice. I LOVE this!
I found this. Wish this community event with folks speaking up and using their voices could be elevated in the news cycle. The more who see it will feel empowered to speak up as well. Which would really help us all. Time to take the megaphone away from the spinners and liars. Thank you so much for sharing this Janet. ❤️ https://commonwealthmagazine.org/guns/students-interrupt-wbur-gun-violence-event/
Yes. And, in the show "The Wire", which is about crime and drugs in Baltimore , each season focuses on a different sub sector that feeds the narrative beast: politics, education, law enforcement, media, organized crime. It isn't just Baltimore or Chicago . . . it is most cities and the masses do not (are "not allowed" to see it).
“The study pointed to federal stimulus checks as the more important piece of this development. Those checks alone raised 12.4 million people out of poverty. Taken all together, recent antipoverty measures reduced child poverty from 30.1% to 5.6%.”
I can’t help but think this is a “feel good” moment versus any structural change in reducing child poverty. We have a tendency to spend money on societal issues and then pat ourselves on the back on “success”. Are children experiencing better nutrition, education, housing because of stimulus checks? Those would be the things that would have a long term impact on actually reducing poverty across the board. We don’t know because we are not measuring those metrics and we are looking at one or two years based on an income only number.
I went to a forum a few years ago (put on by one of the local NPR stations). The a panel (and room) comprised of all White individuals including Governor Baker to ostensibly tout the success of the reduction of gun violence in Boston. A half hour in, a group of about 20 young Black kids followed a Black woman and stood quietly at the back of the room. When the Q&A discussion, began, the woman called out that forum so powerfully with the reality of what the Black community experiences every single day..
Each young Black person in that room had a family member killed/injured by gun violence and/or had been shot themselves. There were daily shootings/gunfire and parents could not bring themselves to allow their children to wait for school buses. The neighborhoods were (and are) still living in constant fear. Think about the psychological impact on everyone in those neighborhoods. But, according to the forum participants and “statistics”, Boston was (is) doing great “reducing gun violence” as there were no mass shootings (unspoken but meant) of white kids.
The lack of representation of those in communities that are actually impacted by societal shortcomings happens all the time. The gathering and interpretation of statistics without valuable experiential input as part of the narrative may make us feel better but we also turn our attention away from a “problem solved”, when in fact it isn’t.
Thank you for sharing this story and for stating what I was thinking too. How can a $2-3K stimulus check "lift a family out of poverty"??? It sounds like a permanent condition, doesn't it - being lifted out? My state, right next to Boston, last week announced the median monthly rent on a two bedroom apartment (0.6% vacancy, essentially 0) for each county. These stimulus checks would barely cover two months of the state median rent. I'd like to see some numbers around just how long this will keep those children out of poverty and how exactly that happens. Sounds like magical thinking to me.
Throwing money at the problem will not solve poverty any more than a bandaid will cure cancer. Child poverty exists due to a lack of well-paying jobs for the parents or caregivers. Well paying jobs depend on employers, consumers, and users paying the real cost of services and products. It also depends on our political representatives stepping up and becoming leaders creating policies that bring careers to their constituents. Here in WV our governors and representatives have profited from keeping us dependent on coal for decades beyond when any clear sighted person could see it was going out. The Manchin and Justice families have sorely cost this state for their own personal benefit. Much of rural WV may well not afford broadband at over $100/month even as it becomes available.
Actually, it's my understanding that throwing money at the problem is one of the best ways to solve it, IF the money goes directly to the poor with no strings attached.
The fact is, the best money micro-managers in the world ARE the poor. They don't have the luxury of wasting it. When you give them money, they typically spend it on the most important useful things that have the biggest impact on their lives. Their problem isn't poor management skills. Their problem is lack of money.
Agree 1000%, Joseph. When examining poverty, it must be done not only with an eye formed from values of middle class but with a knowledge of the values AND strong resources of the poverty culture.
And let me ask a question of everyone on this forum….. what socioeconomic class do you consider yourself a member of : poverty, middle, or upper class?
And more importantly….why?
I'm kind of no-class, dependent upon social security. I own my manufactured home, but not the land upon which it sits, paying a landlord $400/month for a "lease." I never thought I would end up here, but lost my 'money' in California real estate. I'm happy, but this situation depends upon politicians and could be devastating. I'm a doctorally prepared RN, retired after an amazing and wondrous career, and totally dependent upon social security.
Middle-class. I work for a living, and don't have the option of quitting. I'm paid well enough to not have to be a particularly good money manager.
I agree with this sentiment except that there are many more reasons in addition to lack of well-paying jobs. Medical concerns, childcare, transportation, stacking and segregating poor families in areas of no available employment, lack of any quality education opportunities, and much more.
My school district is registering students for the next school year. The vast majority white middle to upper class families. I belong to a FB group of many of these families. So many parents are complaining and being very hateful on the fees charged to them for various supplies, music and sports enrollments, graduation fees, driver’s Ed, etc. the fees range from about $150 to about $800 total depending on age and how involved a child is. I was quite sick of it, and had to remind them that most were getting $250 per child x two months that would most likely cover those expenses. And add to that the “free” $12,585 per child taxes pay per year. One family with three children will be receiving $1500 in unexpected monies by the time these fees are due. While no one agreed with me, there was silence after that observation.
Please remember politics is the art of the possible. One has to start somewhere. I spent my career working with severely mentally ill people, all poor and some with children. There's no doubt in my mind that an extra bit of cash will help them and us, their advocates, find solutions to some problems. Half a loaf is better than no bread at all and it's not helpful to trash something because it's not the total solution. The ACA is a good example of something that missed the ultimate mark -- single payer-- but is still very valuable.
I don't believe anyone here is trashing the program, just disputing the conclusion that it has ended poverty for those receiving the short-term extra money. There's no question in my mind that it's program that is helping many people but, unless/until it's a permanent program, it cannot actually "end poverty".
Word.
Lifting people out of poverty is about SO much more than money. Being an educator, I felt myself stymied so many times by the challenges I felt because I compared myself as a member of the “middle class” and applied my values instead of trying to understand the power of theirs. It wasn’t until I became a student and advocate of Dr. Ruby Payne that my entire perspective of the “poverty culture” changed dramatically. I’ll reference her landmark text.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948244187/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_36908SA0ATEJ6348E79H
Have posted Amazon link.
Also available through Dr. Payne’s company AHA Process
https://www.ahaprocess.com/
I tried to find out how they came up with their numbers. Seems there is a claim of research done. Maybe I’m just too tired to look further, but I’m no closer to understanding their claims for how they know that poverty levels are dropping. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/2021-poverty-projections-assessing-impact-benefits-and-stimulus-measures
Same question occurred to me. Not to mention that the stimulus checks are not a permanent source of income for those receiving it though I've read that the extra $$ have helped some to focus on education and/or retraining so they can (hopefully) lift themselves out of poverty.
The stimulus checks afforded me the opportunity to repair my 2000 Subaru and continue to have wheels. I volunteer at the local foodbank and benefit from their services. To be old and poor is no joke, even though over-educated and cognitively intact.
The forum (Tackling Gun Violence- WBUR March 2019) is now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWrqtnfDwFY
Around 1 hour 20 mins in is when "Monica" spoke.
2019 seems like a lifetime ago which is why I was thinking a "few" years ago :)
My husband and I just finished watching "The Wire" (2002-2008). Watching the video of the forum within the context of the complexities of the show in my head . . . we have gone nowhere!
I should qualify that while it was not explicitly stated, my takeaway (not intended to sensationalize) was that most of the Black kids in the room had a family member killed/injured and/or they had been shot . . . but without more specific information, it is probably more accurate to state that, at the very least, most had been exposed/witness to the horrors of gun violence on a regular basis. Certainly, the point Monica was driving home relative to the PTSD that the community experience. It is as real as being in any other war zone.
Listening now, and that's pretty much exactly what she said about PTSD.
Just watched the portion where "Monica" spoke. She is a force.
❤️🙏thank you!
Wow! What a powerful statement that made. I’m guessing it would have been recorded by NPR? Could you please tell us what the local station there is? Excellent example for how to use your voice. I LOVE this!
Two local stations, WGBH and WBUR. I don't know which one she's referring to.
Exactly!
Janet, I’m wondering if this may have been the forum you are referring to? https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/sph-forum-gun-violence/
I found this. Wish this community event with folks speaking up and using their voices could be elevated in the news cycle. The more who see it will feel empowered to speak up as well. Which would really help us all. Time to take the megaphone away from the spinners and liars. Thank you so much for sharing this Janet. ❤️ https://commonwealthmagazine.org/guns/students-interrupt-wbur-gun-violence-event/
Yes. And, in the show "The Wire", which is about crime and drugs in Baltimore , each season focuses on a different sub sector that feeds the narrative beast: politics, education, law enforcement, media, organized crime. It isn't just Baltimore or Chicago . . . it is most cities and the masses do not (are "not allowed" to see it).