12% live in poverty

12% live in poverty

user icon Acebass in Action Feed of
2/07/2008 at 2:32 AM EST

The last I heard that was the figure. Those are Americans I'm talking about. A former industrialized country, filled with hope and promise. 12% of the population lives in poverty. Thats a disgrace. So what do we do about it?

Don't get me wrong I don't begrudge a wealthy man anything he's rightfully earned, as long as he's willing to give back for his good fortune. Men like Warren Buffet, George Soros, John Yarmuth and John Edwards to name a few. However we still have 12% of our population living in poverty while the Forbes list of the wealthiest keeps growing larger.

The problem could be that the 12% who live in poverty don't even know we're here talking about them. They don't know they have a chance to change things. Remember, the Republican party has convinced them they are responsible for their lot in life. Having to work 3 jobs to make ends meet had nothing to do with higher cost of living and a shrinking wage scale.

These people may be able to stop and watch some television while they are lying on a table at the plasma bank giving blood. Chances are if it's news it's Fox News or their affiliate CNN. They may have time to read a paper but for the most part they get their politics from a co-worker at lunch break.

These people are the ones we need to reach. If you see someone driving down the street in an old beat up (insert car here), with a vote Bush sticker on their car, you need to touch that person. You need to educate them in what we are doing. Take them to a library and show them how to operate a computer.

Seriously, there are people, in their 30s and 40s who have never registered to vote. They have no idea they can make a difference, and change their lives. Those are the people we need to reach. I would propose that One Corp work on a project of neighborhood outreach centers to not only assist these people in learning how the system can work for them, but be proactive in contacting people so they at least have the opportunity to participate and an opportunity to make that choice.