Monday, February 15, 2010

How Do we End Poverty?

Realize human beings make poverty, by not paying their workers the cost of living. We define poverty as being unable to pay for all our modest human needs, in one moth’s pay check. Allow these plain but heart felt utterances, flow into your own heart . Imagine just how you would feel living on $7.25 on hour. Not allowed entertainment, vacations, or even to make small repairs and replacements, without the budget being thrown into array for 2- 6 months.

You work as hard as you can on dirty and hard front line jobs, for extremely less then your monthly bills. These are bills you cannot reduce. The power company will not say, “Oh you work for $10 an hour, we will cut the rate of your services.”

I say, simply ask the 70% of all American’s who fall behind in rent, utilities, and other items of lives basics. , "What is it, that you need?" A dollar to a donut, in one fashion or another, they will say "Better paying jobs." This comes as no surprise. As the minimum pay is less then HUDs figures is required to pay the full rent.

Look in newspapers, the prices advertised is close to what HUD say they are in each state. Or the actual price of rents, are even more. Even slums cost top rate.

How does one manage to pay $10.00 to $25.00 for 40 hours, for rent, on an income of $7.25 on hour? You have to work two or more jobs. Then you, the front line workers are deemed lazy by the clueless. The clueless do not want to hear that the inadequately paid, are not at fault. They are targeted for bad compensation, in exchange of the workers life energy.

And the news does not want to carry the words, of how broken our economic and social system really is. Because the truth will piss off advertisers, who depends on the status quo. And advertisers support the news media.
Yet they will carry advertisement pitting elusive class against each other. Just today a scam about work from home, belts out for the radio the middle class is losing ground in paying their basic needs. While the counted poor are given all the free stuff they need. This is what promotes class warfare, based upon fabrications.

We can end human lack in the next 10 minutes, by believing it can be accomplished. We have the intellect, to do it. We just need to take a new step.

I, am someone mired in poverty 55 year out of 60 years, escaped only when my partner made above a livable wage. I deeply believe all, people who earn or is on a program which gives less then the need, Are entrenched IN a System creating POVERTY.

The answer is in front of our noses. How do we cure poverty? Ask what the need is, then Employers of National corporations tighten their, and their stock holders belts. It can be done, we can end poverty.

But when the big allies of poverty and homelessness call for just 50% cut in poverty, that is insuring the poor will hold the 6 figures jobs of those at the top.

I work with a small group doing a big job, but not enough for us. We want to end 100% of poverty. We need to tell the 70% of Americans paid less then the costs of living they are also the poor. Washington DC just do not count them. Washington DC would rather they fight and bicker with the counted poor, while capitalist make unseemly amounts of profits.

Let us end poverty in the next ten minutes, by believing in the worth of every individual. By acting as if we can make all jobs pay a decent wage, the full need; plus repairs. It is not our wallet which governs the faulty quiremire of being unable to pay ones bills. It is not our funds. It would only take 0.02% of the world resources to end world poverty. It is. just our attitudes, holding strong the nightmare of poverty. It’s our believing Human lack is the fault of those without enough funds to make both ends meet.

In the next ten minutes you can decide to examine for yourself If I could be right. These ideas are 62 years old to 2,000 year old. I ask you to do something nobody but you can do. Let go of your old ideas, examine mine. Ask yourself Do I want to live in a better, more equitable world? Join groups through out the USA, which fights for 100% Cure.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

When we Believe we can End Human Lack-We Will.

I moused through the Law and Poverty site, on Change.org. Can no longer say I thumbed through the book, when talking about links on the internet.

IT is great that someone is trying to make the soon to be wealthy, aware of poverty. The only issue I have is they cite groups of powerful people, whose top officials, makes a good living from poverty. A few make 6 figures. And they want to insure poverty remains.

Otherwise they would lose there job. They could go on to other highly paid jobs, after ending poverty. But that is the devil they do not know. Someday those in power like the National Homeless Coalition, will actually Listen to us poor. They need to End ALL poverty. Not, half, as they and other's intend.

I do not know one authors of those books, who plainly says To Cure poverty one must pay real livable wages, and above. Some writer's, elude to bad pay. But they stop short of saying Human suffering is cause by the attitudes and the deeds of those above them on the financial ladder.

Among the thirty+ or so books on poverty, was Nickel and Dime. It gives you the feel, but the impending loss of life, the Hopelessness is not as vivid as if it were happening to yourself, and you had kids, or an elderly parent counting on you.

Ending all poverty is achieved, by destroying the myths. By recognizing all paid must be paid enough to cover the bills. By placing the shame of poverty, not upon those given bad wages; we place the dishonor upon the employer who pays 1/3 to 2/3 of the need.

Who will tell you this? It's the people at the bottom. It is the groups who work without a budget and often no pay, who know how to end this scarcity in a land of plenty.

When the powerful groups admit they lack the answers they will listen to us who know the answer because it is written in bible "Give unto the poor, their full need."

When the National Homeless and poverty groups admits that is the answer a decent wage, welfare and SSI which pays the cost of rents, utilities, and repairs then I will consider them the allies of the poorly paid. Until then they are just another middleclass, or upper class hurdle we must educate

It is simple but not easy. Our young people in Kindergarten, who should also be taught about "Ending Poverty".

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Joyless Street

Ostracized is what the poor are from the rest. Because we are not joyous in our poverty, the rest do not want to become as we. Yet are poverty is cause by others giving us meager pay. In the realm of human suffering we lack a say.

To them I say stick around do not flee. Hear and heed what we say. For that is the best insurance, to not become like me.

Hear me now, so you can fix our plight. Otherwise your light is lessenes and you might repeat our plowing through misery. You too can be found by joyless street, of bad pay.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Practicing Human Rights, Will End Poverty

No matter, or what side of the globe you reside, Human rights are Inherent. If they were applied here in America , it would wipe out poverty and oppression of all people. Human rights go beyond our Constitutional rights, to saying every human being has a right to dignity, the basics of life, Go to the United Nations website and it gives you the impression that human rights are for only the un-developed countries.

It is no wonder when you mention Human Rights, in America, and most people think, Human Rights are for other countries, such as the third world nations. A couple of the 30 articles, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was carefully, and eloquently written, by Eleanor Roosevelt and others.

These articles has to do with slavery. America does not have slaves. Or do we? How many low wage workers are free to place a price upon this own labor? Are we not free, until we ourselves place a price on our toils?

Most perform their labor’s with the remuneration left to the whim of the employer. Of course there is a gentlemen’s agreement, not to exceed a certain rate of compensation.

What about our Sweat shops? Just because most people in them are immigrants, does not make them less valuable as humans. American workers are often are subjected to sweat shops conditions especially in clothing industry.
We need not impress non-paid laborers like Burma did, on the pipeline, .http://www.greenleft.org.au/1995/187/12019 , to have slave wages.

To keep workers silent American employers just need to not pay adequate wages needed for 70% of this countries working people. This gives the illusion of freedom, while up holding a capitalistic tenant of paying worker less than they need. It keeps them servant to employers. Workers world wide have No Voice on how much they will need to be paid.

US Senator Kennedy said "For of those to whom much is given, much is required."No one who works for a living, should live in poverty.

http://uspoverty.change.org/blog/view/poverty_movement_loses_a_champion

One example of when this happens is mostly women are driven to work -creating garments without pause. When in their bosses eyes, people are transformed to mere commodities of production, and the pay does not cover the cost of rent this is a form of slavery. These are the conditions were not only the employee losses their humanity, but the bosses loses their humanity.
Is every person who toils for less then the cost of rent and their modest bills an unrecognized slave? Is such a form of slavery?

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Think about it 70% of jobs pay under the cost of living. We are free to find a better job. Only for our skill sets, the pay is about the same, bad. Being able to move from one badly paying job to another in many ways is the same as being an indentured servant. No our hands are not bind. We have our own homes, are own families but 70% +of all Americans are extremely to a little under paid.

The prices of rents varies from state to state a two bedroom t starts at $ 10.88 an hour for 40 hours in North Dakota And goes up to $29.53 an hour in Hawaii. So the minimum wage being increase to a purposed $9.20 an hour, in 2012, means, as a nation, no minimum wage person can pay their rent. Isn’t that the very definition of one form of slavery?

Giving workers enough to barely survive, but not enough to thrive, means employer can keep all their workers beholden to them. It means workers will not become their competition. The drudgery of their workers, will continue making profit for their bosses.

Knowing that Human Rights were accepted by the UN on Dec 10, 1948 only tells us that higher ideas of freedom have been around since before your grand mother day. Maybe its time we all explore our Human Rights in depth, to come to know then intimately. So we can yell when some one tramples them. Then tells us they are doing us a favor.

Most likely 90% of Americans do not know we signed that treaty, not in 1948. When are leaders said the constitution provides all of our freedoms. That was signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. He signed that covenanted saying “Social justice advocates of today and in the future could us the UDHR to obtain a greater freedom.”

The second bill of rights was also for Americans So the Horrors of the second world war would NOT be repeated.

So do you think people worker sometimes extremely less than their need are in essence slaves? Is not Providing a decent wage akin to slavery is one of the many question We might dive into at this sight.

We will also examine, if lost of human right affects the affluent. And other areas of life and human rights as education, health care etc.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss15/collingsworth.shtml#Heading38

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Paid Less than the Need, Means Treating People Like Disposable Machines

Noticed on Yahoo’s listing of green jobs the most desirable pays are told as yearly rates as $90,670 a year. Even in greens the lowliest drudgery jobs are told in terms of say $7.50 to $10.00 a hour. I guess even the employers do not want you to know that you will be making under $25,000 a year.

I guess Under $25,000 is not the bait, you want to use when trying to snag the cream of the cream. So you boast of an hourly pay, which is above starvation rates of $8.50 an hour.

Looking at regular jobs, this is the practice, not the exception. Then, looking through the State employment data base, I found most of the listed jobs start at $10.00 and under.

If you use logic and HUD's fair-market rent values, one needs to make $15.57 an hour for 40 hours to pay the rent. That means you live in sub-standard housing, or cannot pay the rent. Even at $10.00 an hour instead of $15.57 it can take two full weeks or more of income to pay for a two bedroom apartment. Then you have taxes removed before you see them.

Every one needs to be working at the advertised yearly rates of even $40,000 a year. All jobs should be advertised by the yearly income. And workers should only have to toil one week to pay there rent.

This means either rents go down, or salaries come up. Look at your own job listings. Are jobs over $35,000 a year posted by the yearly rates? Are $10 and under, jobs posted by the hourly wage? This is an indicator of unfair pay.

If people did not do office and bathroom cleaning, executives would not want to do their jobs. So in fact that job is worth $20 dollars an hour. While educated people, as nurses get the purchasing power of $45 an hour.

I know of only one land who said, you have a low income so this apartment is $550 a month rather than $625. It can happen but usually the sounds issuing forth off most landlords lips am "I have to pay my insurance and other bills. The price is as I advertised. If you do not take it at that price someone else will."

This is a Humpty Dumpty world were 70% of workers are paid less the rent. Equality and decent pay goes together. It would mean a change in our economy.
But after more than 2,010 years it’s about time, everyone working disabled and stay at home mothers.

For Mom and Pop employers the government will compensate the difference.
By paying a decent wage, taxes for most aid, not covering the full need will be saved. Aid will seldom be required. Human dignity will be respected. Workers will be joyously more productive. Employers will also benefit.

Employers will benefit, on their taxes, because with a truly livable wage, social services program will seldom be required. People will be told, through deed they are of value. So it will follow, that ALL LIFE IS OF VALUE. With well paying jobs, both violence and human suffering will end. In the long run money will be saved.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Criminalizing fires caused by lighting with candles

Lewiston Maine. This past year, Lewiston had two house fires due to lighting by candles. A seven year old girl died. No we are not talking about a romantic dinner. The families electricity, been cut off due to lack of payment. They were lighting by candles

A Lawmaker decides she knows the way to fix the situation. She will pass a law telling the landlord his tenants are in a financial bad time. Due to their inability to pay bills they might be putting his property at risk of burning.

This compassionate lawmaker is hosting a bill to inform landlords of the tenants default on paying their electric bills. I think with the idea the land owner will pay the bill and tact the cost onto his sum of income. The TV News took this opportunity a chance to focus on the proposed law. The news touched upon the fact this might break the privacy of the renter.

But beyond that fact, is that evening with the most caring landlord, he or she would be placing their earning at risk by paying the renters electric. The easiest course is to evict the family. This would place individuals and families at risk of homelessness.

This bill does not address the CAUSE of the family being unable to cover the full cost of one of the basics of life. Which simply is the family is extremely underpaid.

Nor does the bill, require programs already in place to aid by paying enough of the electric bill to keep the electricity on. But the news story mentioned the last hope of help General Assistance, as a means of overcoming ones lack. Two thirds who apply are denied, even through they qualify fr the aid. So why should landlords be any kinder then people who transpose state laws?

There is gentlemen's pact entry level employment will not pay more than $8.50 an hour. Factories and unionized worker have a different income limit that, most producers abide by. The pact is way under the amount required to pay all one bills.

To pay all ones bills in a month a Maine think tank decided it would cost $17.40 an hour. If that figure is examined in comparison to what HUD says is required to pay the rent, some where around $15.59 an hour, the think tanks number, seems to be a low estimation.

A person working 40 hours a week would have about $2.00 an hour or $80 dollars a week, before taxes to live on. That is barely enough to buy food for two people. Bit bet you with Uncle Sam's cut , the person would be lucky to have half of that amount left.

What if this law would did past? Would it criminalize the low paying employers? No it would criminalize the poorly paid. Maine employers routinely pay under the Livable wage to 70% of all of Maine employee's. And this is representative of the USA. Notifying the landlord of the renters inability to pay, is the not the core problem.

Having a job paying livable wage, is. One out of three flipping burgers are over 24 years of age. Employers should be ashamed of their pact, to pay less than the needs. While it would be in the land owner's best interest to pay the electric, in the long run. He would then have wait to be reimbursed. So even through house fires or fatal house fire result in 2 of 1,000 people without electric but all could be penalized.

A renter having electrical power cut, would turn into a reason to evict. That would be the simplest of steps in the landlords own self interest.

If this lawmaker wanted to aid the poor, the best avenue would be to talk with the poor ourselves. We Know the Solutions. The poor would say better pay, and more purchasing power, is the best way, to overcome this problem. No child, or adults should die in house fires. If pays were adequate, the Utilities would be paid. Its a late millionaire saying this, not just us poor. There should be no working poor. The poor knows this.

If news were in-depth, the problems would be fixed.

Monday, January 25, 2010

State Lawmaker does NOT Know Civil Law Means NO Appointed Lawyer

A state lawmaker wrote back to a friend of mine that he thought lawyers were sopplied in both criminal and civil court cases. I polished what I write him.
Here is what I wrote, it could stand yet another coat of polish.

I am a bit surprised, and worried that lawmakers, who knows not the difference of criminal and civil matters of the courts. The Court appointed lawyer's, are ONLY for criminal matters. Even through Civil matter can take away money, and enjoyment of life.

CIVIL Matters as, foreclosures, driving licenses, evictions, Accident, insurance, big corporations over charging, etc. are often handled without Lawyers. In 2010 there are about 7 Pine tree lawyers for all of Maine, for the 225,000+ people who qualify.

In 1997 Maine's blue ribbon commission found about 83 % of Civil matters went unaddressed. What happen was in Maine, the number of Pine Tree Legal Association, Lawyers gets cut back?. Injustice Grows like a weed.

There was movement in 07' to get a Gideon law for Civil matters, lawyers for people who qualify for aid with civil matters as evictions. It failed. It was named after the guy who proved he should have a lawyer for criminal stuff.

In the 1960's Courts actually Heard facts of cases, in 2010 they do not. The courts get by on pretense of laws, Summary judgement- means before hearing the facts, or without a trial.
So that leaves Everyone who makes under $50,303 a year median income is usually un- or under -represented. As $10.00 an hour is considered good wages in Maine. Civil Law can cost tens of thousands of dollars. If can affect the quality of living. Loss of license, puts the poor in a virtual jail sentence.

It is also for the sake of justice that this case law which saves time for the Court, at the cost of justice, must be ruled unconstitutional. The Courts musst streamline, but not at the cost of justice for the poor.

When the poor are held to as high or in a few cases higher standards then a 15 year seasoned lawyer in procedural Rules of Courts matters as crossing T's and dotting I's justice is denied to both the poor, or those exercising their constitutional rights.

This phrase in case law ,"So the un-represented party will not benefit from their lack of lawyer" On its face it seems innocuous. But used on procedures of the courts it hold the pro-se or non lawyer party to standard they Can have no awareness of in their daily eking out a living. It is damning.

Even someone who has read the rules of Maine's courts has less of an understanding then a graduating student of law.
It has been a long time resolved, going back thousands of years that black smiths, farmers factory workers and store clerks, should not be hindered by technicalities of law. Yet, this pretense of law has been with us since 1977.

In practice lawyers who failed to appear has their cases automatically re-docketed. Or placed back on the schedule. Cases from attorneys who missed a court date even due to a vacation, are placed back on the court schedule. So the people who pays the attorneys fees, are not harmed by their lawyers actions. If the lawyer went out and got drunk, he might not be able to act as their lawyer but upon finding another lawyer the case will be re-instated.This reinstating occurs so the lawyer can make a living, from law.

Basically I saw things like Denying the Indigent, the right to file in formus paupiers or with out filing fee is outrageous. Dismissing a case because a written answer or affirmative defense was not filed in 20 days, in the accepted format, is to deny a day in Court yet this happens through out or supposed "Land of Laws."

Fathers are told they must include a citation of case law in their argument. Mothers are told they must retrieve a fee of about $49,000 called a bond to bring the matter to appeal. Parties who represent themselves are denied re-installment of case due to sickness. It it wrong to hold the defendant to a higher standard of competency then a 15 year in practice lawyer.

It is wrong to deny use of an impartial court, to those who make under the median income. AFDC Mothers in Maine make $5,000 a year or under. SSI disabled average under 7,500. Those at minimum wage about $12,000 depending upon hours. How is one suppose to afford a lawyer to fight car accidents, and big corporations charging on an identity fraud, when it cost more than 1/10 of yearly income for any of these people? Paying a $1,500 retainer for a civil matter from these meager incomes, often, can not happen. This inhumane case law needs to be exposed and corrected.

Even for criminal cases, the appointed lawyer who gets $60 an hour is Not going to work as hard as they work for someone who can pay $200 an hour. This denies justice to the poor.

Civil cases can effect nearly as bad as can Criminal cases, as in removal of driving license turning one in a prisoner in their home. That is if they obey the illegal and unconstitutional court order.

I will ask you the same as I asked Maine Supreme Court, Would you want your loved ones to have a bar upon their use of the courts bases on technicalities? It does not make sense to hold Non-Lawyers, working hard in areas, other than law, to the proficiency as School Taught Lawyers.

In reality many cases concerning the poor do not get the facts of the cases heard. This is NOT a "Land of Laws". Its a "Land of Barriers for the poor". The 30% who can afford lawyers are treated differently than the 70% who can not. This is WRONG!! It is Unconstitutional.

I took time to write this so you, a lawmaker knows, the difference between Criminal action and civil. This injustice can no longer be allowed to prevail. I guess in order to do so we have to educate lawmakers that civil matters, can impact the quality or amount of food we the poor eat. The life we live, if we are paying for someone Else's caused accident. And this injustice would be due to the case was decided on technicalities rather then the facts of the case. We are No Longer a Land of Liberty. In fact America is THE LAND OF HIDDEN TECHNICALITIES.