84 Reasons Not to Stereotype Poor People

As a volunteer preparing income taxes for low income people, serving lunches a few times a year at the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen, or helping elderly folks carry a bag of groceries upstairs from my church's basement food bank in Benton Township, I have had my eyes opened wide as to the variety of poor people. There are young or old, men and women, veterans, hard working (some work more than one part time, low paying jobs.) Some are disabled.

I have met highly intelligent poor people. One of my favorite tax clients at the EITC Coalition is a fellow who is writing a book while working as a janitor at a church. Other folks are learning disabled, receive SSI, and may work menial jobs because it provides them dignity and respect.

On occasion, one of my fellow volunteers will wonder out loud: Do some of these people "scam" the system? Are they simply here to "get a hand out?" Are they just "lazy?" (That is like asking: "Do all rich people cheat on their taxes?" In my estimation, these stereotypes pigeon hole people. It seems to me, the truth is much more varied.)

Please allow me to introduce you to a young African American man who I met about a year ago at my church's food bank. In a brief conversation, the young man told me he drives several times a week to a truck driving job in the Chicago area. He was one of 84 families present that day:

84

Nearly end of the month
the benefit and other funds are running low
so 84 families wait in pews
to be called by number
to the church basement
for a meager bag of groceries
to help them be less hungry
for the next week or so.

(Don't they have names?
Or do we have to give them numbers?)

84 families,
different stories each.
Some old and finding it difficult to maneuver the stairs.
Some with little babies strapped to their breasts.

A dad with his three year old
waiting patiently just as he waits
for a truck driving job with benefits to open locally
so that he can spend more time with a little girl
and less time commuting six hours daily,
four times a week.

(Me screaming inside,
Don't tell me that all poor people are lazy!)

His little girl's smile
is all the blessing I need today.
But then I look up and see
83 more.

Another region to meet and discuss strategies for poverty reduction

After a successfully beginning to regional planning efforts by the Poverty Reduction Initiative and Lewis Walker Institute, they will now be asked to provide organizational and technical assistant to another Michigan region. Today Region 3 will convene in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the first time, bringing together over 30 representatives to discuss poverty reduction methods.

Region 3 includes the counties of >Kent, Lake, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Montcalm, Ionia, Mecosta, and Osceol. Over 30 organization representatives have RSVPed to become engaged in poverty reduction efforts originally initiated by the Voices for Action Poverty Summit in November, 2008.

As they accomplished in Region 6 (SW Michigan), the PRI will create an organizational structure so that participants from this region can communicate effectively and create common goals for poverty reduction they can address as a larger whole.

Region 3 is led by Beverly Drake, Community Action Director, and James McCormick, the Director of the Newaygo DHS. Stayed tuned to learn more about developments in the area.

Youth continue to struggle in Calhoun County

According the Battle Creek Enquirer yesterday;

"Poverty has put more children at risk than any other factor recently, according to a national survey on children's health and well-being, whose results were released Tuesday.

The annual Kids Count state-by-state survey by the Annie E. Casey Foundation says 26 percent of children in Calhoun County lived in poverty between 2005 and 2007. The rate of children countywide eating government-subsidized lunches nearly doubled from 25.7 percent in 1990 to 45.3 percent in 2007."

Calhoun's youth are going through a lot of pain right now, with high risk statistics in several categories including:

• Teen pregnancies
• Teen Drop-outs
• Unemployment among dropouts

"Calhoun County had the highest percentage of high school dropouts between 2005 and 2007 -- 11 percent annually -- with the next closest counties reporting 8 percent of students ages 16 to 19 dropping out."

The Community Indicator System in development by PRI and the Lewis Walker Institute will give a better mapping of the services in the county, as well as the areas where teens are struggling most. It is important that we understand the areas in which they needs are highest before we begin trying to fix them.

Programs like the Kalamazoo Promise won't be able to succeed unless we give families the sufficient support they need to support youth education. Only then will we see a reduction in poverty substantial enough to affect the community as a whole.

Despite Postponement, Eastside Stands Strong Makes Steady Progress

Eastside Stands Strong had the promise to be an event which raised awareness, inspired leadership, and brought resources to the Eastside Neighborhood Community.

It will just have to wait another year until that promise is realized.

Choosing to coordinate their efforts with the campaign for a youth/community center on the Eastside, the walk leaders decided best to postpone the event until next fall, when it is likely the center will be in a full push for a capital campaign.

What the event planners accomplished, however, was no small task. Though a year is a long time to wait, the meetings established a sense of cohesiveness and leadership that will develop positive changes in the neighborhood in the future. The meetings also established a name, logo, and planned a route of which to center the event.

When it is time to reconvene for the event next fall, our committee will be substantially more prepared to create a momentous event. We can the support of the community center developers, as they will look to garner support throughout the greater community of Kalamazoo.

We can look forward to seeing a substantial event next year which surely will raise awareness and bring resources to the Eastside Neighborhood of Kalamazoo

Fixing Michigan's budget deficit means starting with the tax structure

There's been a lot of talk lately about cutting services to compensate for the state budget deficit facing Michigan in the near future. Cutting services would not only worsen the economic problem, but increase the plight of many already struggling.

The problem is that there is a stigma on the word "tax"; the word "tax" has been weaponized by politicians to push their self-serving agendas. In truth, there are multiple ways that we can increase tax revenues without really affecting our state's prosperity.

• Increase the amount of services that are taxed - Michigan taxes only 26 of the 168 types of services in the state. The argument that it would make investing in Michigan less appealing doesn't really make sense: Michigan currently ranks 40th out of the 50 states in how many services they tax. It's not like we would doing something that no other states employ.
• Reduce Prison Spending - Michigan is one of only four states that spends more on prisons than higher education. Eliminating jail time for some of the lower level crimes would help ease the burden for the prison system.
• Higher Scrutiny on Tax Expenditures - Tax expenditures reduce or eliminate taxes that would otherwise have been paid by individuals and entities, thereby reducing tax revenues. Studies have shown that these expenditures do not stimulate economic development or create jobs. We need to review these expenditures to determine which are worthwhile and which are not.
• Adopt a Estate or Inheritance Tax - 22 states levy an estate or inheritance tax, and Michigan could stand to collect $250 million a year by adopting one. Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota currently have one, making Michigan not the odd one out in the Great Lakes.
• Increase the Beer Tax - An increase of 4 cents, from 2 cents to 6 cents, would generate approximately $100 million in additional revenue for state services.
• Limit Senior Tax Preferences - Michigan tax breaks for seniors are the highest in the country, and three times the national average. Michigan could free up $200 million a year and STILL offer generous breaks.
• Change from a flat income tax to a graduated scale - In the United States, only seven states have a flat tax. A graduated tax could help up to 90 percent of filers because the burden would be reduced in middle and low income earners. Here's how a graduated income tax could work:
  
  3.9 % rate, $0-20k (single) , $0-40k (married)
  4.35%, $20-60k (single), $40-120k (married)
  6.9%, $60k + (single), 120k + (married)
  This tax structure alone could raise up to $600 million in revenue.

Facing a $1.8 billion state deficit in 2011, we need to find ways to balance our budget. No business, organization, or government has ever benefited from cutting services. In fact, success usually means doing the opposite. The problem with Michigan is we have a structural deficit, a deficit that exists regardless if the times are bad or good.

There are easy ways to balance the budget through taxes increases and reducing exemptions that won't break the backs of anyone. It is important that we do not feel the pressures to cut services, and maintain our support system while the economy is at its worst.

We need to set up a budget that works for both next years budget and decades to come. Fixing Michigan's tax structure is the first step in stabilizing our government.

Kalamazoo's Master Plan: 2030

Would do you want Kalamazoo to look like in 2030?

I read this article from the Gazette today and came up with some ideas of my own, which are not exclusive , but the starting point of many ideas to come.

• The redevelopment of brownfields, blighted and vacant properties and lots into business on the Eastside Neighborhood
• The continued development of downtown Kalamazoo, offering arts, entertainment, & nightlife to the city
  
• The development of Rockwell park in the Eastside Neighborhood into a Community Center for residents
• The creation of an Educare center in Kalamazoo, a pre-school service for the most at-risk children in the community
• Increased supports around the Kalamazoo Promise to increase graduation rates and send more KERESA students to college, universities, and job training
• More living-wage jobs and technical training for those not entering into college fields
• The development and creation of a "green jobs" industry to focuses on weatherization, solar & wind power as well as conversational technology
• Increased job training programs for low-income and minorities to enter them into technical careers
• The re-establishment of WMU as a dominate and competitive university in the Midwest
• More entry level jobs and opportunities to attract young and college-level professionals to live in the city
  
• Improved health care access and resources for all citizens
• Improvement of the public transportation to connect more residential areas to commercial spots
• Increased banking and financial options for the low-income and poor credit residents
• More city parks that offer recreation and aesthetic escapes for residents
• Development of Kalamazoo as a major player and leader in Southwest Michigan poverty reduction
• A high speed train depot that connects Kalamazoo to Chicago, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Ann Arbor and Detroit
• A decrease in violence through the combination of more opportunities for youth and adequate public safety
• The reduction of poverty by 50% in the city of Kalamazoo!

What would you add to the list? Where are our biggest needs? Best opportunities?

Could an arena in Kalamazoo improve our community?

Yesterday, residents and community leaders raised questions about the proposed construction of a new arena in downtown Kalamazoo during informational sessions Monday at Kalamazoo Valley Community College's downtown campus.

As the Gazette reported, some included:

"Could drivers navigate the one-way streets or find a place to park if an arena brought thousands of people to downtown Kalamazoo?"

"Would the local arts community suffer from the competition?"

"Would the new facility's attendance suffer if Western Michigan University students were unwilling to leave campus to attend events?"

It is a discussion that many of us have had as we debate the impact. What it really comes down to is, will economic force of this arena benefit the community enough to warrant its proposed construction, and taxation on the county's residents?

For one, I am skeptical of the perceived benefits this area will bring. It has been reported that it would be able to support up to 8,000 participants, a number strangely in between small venue and large venue events. K-Wings games and Broncos events, which only average about 3,000 in attendance, would not be able to fill all the seats planned.

I know the Van Andel Arena has done marvels for Grand Rapids in terms of downtown development, but in creating this arena we will essentially be competing against it and others of similar size. If you are a major host trying to fill a venue, would you rather pick smaller Kalamazoo which hosts 8,000, or Grand Rapids with its 12,000 spaces? Could the arena bring in enough events to fill that medium range?

Maybe in a heighted economy, yes, but let's face it: the music and convention industries aren't exactly hitting a crescendo right now. It would be difficult to bring in events with our market alone, not even considering competing against larger arenas in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Chicago and Detroit.

We have 36% of Kalamazoo residents in poverty, and we are considering taxing our citizens for an arena in downtown that may or may not stimulate the economy. Maybe there are a few aces up the sleeves of Kalamazoo planners Bill Johnson & co. I haven't considered, but I just don't see the benefits of this arena in improving the city.

Would we give those jobs to the residents who are at the highest risk? Probably not, I'm guessing WMU, KVCC and K College students would gobble up a significant portion. And that's not a bad thing. But if we really want to improve our community, and reduce poverty, we need to consider our priorities.

I would love to see an arena in the Kalamazoo someday in the future. However, taxing the community for an arena, which seemingly will underwhelm the local economy, just doesn't appear to be worth the trouble right now.

Poverty is a cultural, communicative, and generational issue

Culture, communicative, and generational factors play heavily into poverty. This is why it is so difficult for people in generational poverty to pursue the fabled "American Dream" and escape the confines of their birth.

As my old Communication Philosopher Corey Anton loves to say, "You aren't born with a mind." In fact, he discuss that the mind is a collective and communal system, which gets its ideas from the others interact with. He goes off in this video about the collective mind and communication. It's a little dense, I know, but he really have some good points.

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If we all do share a collective mine, and what we think and perceive is affected by the people we interact with, then it would seem to shine a light on some of the reasons why impoverished people have such a difficulty at overcoming their circumstances.

First of all, you have a system which provides as many barriers as possible to people who are in poverty. This all plays into the state of mind of which people are in constantly in poverty. This system that feeds feelings of hopelessness, stress, anger and despair.

History has proven that when people experience extreme hopelessness, stress, anger and despair, regardless of what income-level or culture they derive from, it can feed addiction into negative behaviors. It is not a surprise then that behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse, violence, child neglect, and mental illness all arise from long-term feelings of hopelessness, stress, anger and despair.

If you grow up in a an impoverished community, with negative behaviors such as these, who is going to provide the positive influence in your life? Who is going to educate you to reach beyond your circumstances and achieve a better life for yourself?

As Anton quotes Chorin, "The most important decision you can ever make is who to have as parents." This should not be taken literally, but as the mentors, the people you listen to who will guide your life.

If your collective mind is a community with negative thoughts and behaviors, one is much more swayed into take these as acceptable behaviors. One is also more likely to accept hopelessness, anger, stress, and despair as the norm.

This underscores the supreme importance of mentoring and relationship building in all communities. When we create programs to serve the needs of impoverished people, we need to have relational impacts on their lives. We need to add a new thoughts to their mind, that they can escape the confines of poverty, and that there is hope in reaching a better life.

Before you judge the problems of those who live in poverty, remember that these problems are collective. Unless checked, they can spread from one person to another. Until we implement positive values and objectives into a community, it will be difficult to reduce poverty in any form.

Our Health: What Cost Is Too much?

As congress approaches the possibility of adapting a monumental government health plan, both supporters and opponents voices have seemed to grow louder and more shrill to push their agenda. For both sides, it is both a moral and logical argument.

Supporters suggest that it should be a right of all human beings to have affordable, accessible health care. They claim that the the amounts necessary to fund a health care would be negligible compared to the current losses due to lack of insurance through by many Americans. They believe that it is morally wrong to deny someone the ability to continue living healthy and freely.

On the other hand, opponents of the system seem to fear both short-term and long-term affects of such a bill. First and foremost, they criticize the cost to Americans to support such a large and overreaching health plan. Secondly, they are weary of the long term debt such a plan could cause, some even citing the tax problem as our "moral duty" to leave our future generations out of debt. They feel that the private sector will always outmatch the public in terms of offering any types of services to the public.

Both sides have their merits, but what it really comes down to is: How much are we willing to pay to support the health and well-being of all of our citizens?

We may have some of the best health care in the world, but it is only available to the most affluent citizens. For the rest of us, it is an expensive, complicated and bureaucratic maze which can leave many with more frustration than actual care.

It is true that our country does support its lowest earners and its oldest members of society through programs such as medicare and medicaid. And those who have not overburdened themselves with financial missteps in this economy and make a decent wage can usually afford to pay for some type of coverage health plan.

But what about those who slip between the cracks? What about the four person family, who's mother and farther both work part-time, who barely make above the income level to qualify for government aid?

Sometimes this group of "just-above-poverty" earners can have it worse off than those actually in poverty. This is because though they make a little more, they still do not receive the services necessary to compensate for their everyday costs.

So the debate ends in a familiar showdown: Public plan or private innovation? Considering that there has been virtually no progressive movements towards universal health care from the private sector in the last 50 years, I'm guessing the government may be the only possible way to offer a better way .The health plan in development certainly wouldn't be cheap to cover (most) of all Americans, but how much would it really cost us?

"Starting in 2011, a family making $500,000 would have to pay $1,500 in additional income tax to help subsidize coverage for the uninsured. A family making $1 million would have to pay $9,000.

A partial, preliminary estimate by the Congressional Budget Office said it would cost slightly more than $1 trillion over 10 years to expand coverage as provided in the House bill. But Democrats said the cost would be fully offset by proposed savings in Medicare and other health programs and by revenue-raising changes in federal tax laws." - NYTIMES

Though it could cause us some future debt, it seems that according to the article the tax increases would not be a cause for alarm. Surely a family making 500k can find the extra cash to pay to the plan, whether they really enjoy doing it.

But shouldn't it be our duty to support our most vulnerable families? Is paying taxes towards the health of others really that different from making a donation of our own free will? Maybe if taxes were looked at more from a donation standards, it would be easier to support the programs. But unless we end our perception of higher taxes as a back-breaking, painful experience, it will be difficult to understand that paying them may actual be useful.

I'm not an advocate of large and bureaucratic government, but when the private sector won't make a stand, its time to look at other options.

A public health care might just be the way to limit the burden of millions of Americans.

Stevensville Citizen Advocates Supporting the Needy in Letter

This letter was written by a Stevensville, MI citizen to the Harold-Palladium. This letter highlights some of the core issues facing our country today, and is the center of the discussion on lowering taxes vs. supporting the needy through government.

"Editor,

Recent letters to the editor from Sen. Ron Jelinek and from folks who attended the Fourth of July TEA Party need to be rebutted.

There is more to being a good citizen than advocating for lower taxes. There is a responsibility to extend a helping hand to those who are unemployed or under-employed, to assist those who are without access to compassionate health care, to provide a dignified existence for poor youth and for the aged.

John Kennedy in his inaugural speech said: "And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

We have forgotten those words. They are words of the true responsibility of citizenship.

Pope Benedict in his recent encyclical said it this way:

"(The Pope) recognizes the fundamental and positive role of business, the market, private property but that economic and civil progress can only be made if they are oriented to the common good ... ethical and religious ... (and) respectful of the needy and of the rights of the weak."

I am not saying that we should not hold government accountable for delivering services efficiently and with minimal bureaucracy. We should hold government officials' feet to the fire to ensure that government is responsive and cost-effective.

However, budget cuts to social programs for DHS or community health programs being proposed in Lansing will have a profound and negative impact on our state's most vulnerable citizens.

I agree that the state needs to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. I agree that our state should have a warm and welcoming business climate. Those are also moral imperatives. However, the budget problems in this state should not be balanced on the backs of the poor. Too many of the cuts being proposed in Lansing impact the poor negatively.

One other moral teacher once said: "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"

Were we listening?

Robert Burgess
Stevensville"

Southwest Michigan News

Economy:

• More jobs to disappear in SW Michigan. The ripple effect of the auto industry's troubles will wash away at least 1,200 jobs in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties before the end of 2010, according to a report Michigan Works! issued Tuesday.
• Benton Harbor has hired a consultant to help it build a local economy that revolves around developing a local and regional economy that centers around the area's natural resources. Components of the plan will include the use of wind, water, plants, fruits and vegetables.

Housing:

• Residents in Battle Creek rallied on Friday against blight in their city. The city of Battle Creek has been seeking more federal money to demolish and renovate blighted homes. City commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to let city staff move forward with a joint application with the Calhoun County Land Bank for $10 million in economic recovery money to tear down an estimated 100 homes and acquire then redevelop an estimated 106 more homes.
• Last month, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) awarded the City of Three Rivers with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds in the amount of $233,475 for demolition of five blighted homes in Second District plus funding for construction of five new homes.
• A Sturgis Neighborhood Program has a new plan to help first-time homebuyers with those affordable “fixer-uppers.” Through its Homebuyer Purchase and Rehabilitation Program, SNP offers qualified homebuyers down payment and repair funds. SNP’s HPR Program provides up to $10,000 in down payment assistance and up to $20,000 in repair funding.
• Habitat is planning another home in Niles, MI.

Food:

• On Saturday, July 11, the “Cupboard to Cupboard” program was launched to help people in the Barry County area hit hard by the economic recession. The program encourages neighbors to help each other by donating items that cannot be purchased with ‘bridge’ cards or food stamps. onations being sought this week include backpacks, pencils, notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, crayons, colored markers, notebooks, folders, colored pencils, pencil boxes, scissors, glue and glue sticks.
• Light and Life ministry offers a delivery of free food service to needy citizens in Three Rivers.

Education:

• A new study by Western Michigan University and the latest enrollment data from The Kalamazoo Promise suggest the scholarship program is having a positive effect on student aspirations and Kalamazoo Public Schools' rate of college enrollment.

Government:

• Five public meetings will be scheduled over the next 12 months to gauge what community members' visions are for everything from Kalamazoo's neighborhoods and job-generating businesses to its recreation areas and transportation system.

Community Action:

• Members of Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC) and Communities for all Ages went door-to-door in three neighborhoods to talk with residents about their community and its needs.