T
TexasSky
Guest
I had an interesting conversation with a college Dean recently. They stated that though they believe in God, have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and DO attend church, they do NOT believe in religion in America as it is presented today.
They said that they have discovered that many Christians today take the attitude of, "We don't have to help poor people because they aren't trying," and that they close their eyes to the fact that the reality is very often that the poor people have been pushed down so many times that they are too tired to stand up again.
I grew up hearing certain people say things like Tim said. Things like, "They are poor because they don't want to work." Yet, in examining situations, I often find the following:
Working 40 hours a week at minimum wage earns a GROSS pay of 220 a week. Mulitple that times 52 weeks, with no days off, and you still have a gross income of $11,440. Now, forget "taxes", but assume they must pay social security at least.
Now, imagine trying to pay rent, buy clothing, buying a bus ticket to get to and from work, and buying food off less than $10,000 a year that is "net" pay.
You can't afford medical insurance, doctors or even an aspirin. You can't afford meat half the time, so you live on beans.
You ask for supplements to your income, so you can work and still survive, and you're told no. That welfare and unemployment are people who "NEED" it and that if you have a job, you don't "NEED" it.
So you live like some refugee in a third world country, barely existing.
Then you meet the neighbor. He gave up. Just quit trying, and he was given rent reductions, food stamps, insurance and medical care, dental care, and the government paid for his baby sitter.
He wanted to work, but he did the math. His family lived better with him NOT working than they did while they were working, because there is no assitance for the working poor.
By the way. MOST of the poor in America ARE working poor.
They said that they have discovered that many Christians today take the attitude of, "We don't have to help poor people because they aren't trying," and that they close their eyes to the fact that the reality is very often that the poor people have been pushed down so many times that they are too tired to stand up again.
I grew up hearing certain people say things like Tim said. Things like, "They are poor because they don't want to work." Yet, in examining situations, I often find the following:
Working 40 hours a week at minimum wage earns a GROSS pay of 220 a week. Mulitple that times 52 weeks, with no days off, and you still have a gross income of $11,440. Now, forget "taxes", but assume they must pay social security at least.
Now, imagine trying to pay rent, buy clothing, buying a bus ticket to get to and from work, and buying food off less than $10,000 a year that is "net" pay.
You can't afford medical insurance, doctors or even an aspirin. You can't afford meat half the time, so you live on beans.
You ask for supplements to your income, so you can work and still survive, and you're told no. That welfare and unemployment are people who "NEED" it and that if you have a job, you don't "NEED" it.
So you live like some refugee in a third world country, barely existing.
Then you meet the neighbor. He gave up. Just quit trying, and he was given rent reductions, food stamps, insurance and medical care, dental care, and the government paid for his baby sitter.
He wanted to work, but he did the math. His family lived better with him NOT working than they did while they were working, because there is no assitance for the working poor.
By the way. MOST of the poor in America ARE working poor.
