“The myth of American
exceptionalism, of being the best of the best, overshadows an inconvenient
truth. We are a nation where poverty of opportunity is dangerously close to
becoming a permanent reality.
The
power of this myth stifles most of our leaders’ abilities to even utter the 'P' word in public. For decades, every President has stood before the American
people and assured us that the ‘State of our Union is strong,’ despite years of
convincing contradictory evidence, especially as it relates to poverty.
Although
politicians hate to address poverty, the media are delving into the plight of the
poor because the escalating numbers of the ‘new poor’ and ‘near poor’ are white
citizens who are now struggling along-side citizens of color.
Discussions
of poverty, like the ones of once-verboten global warming, have finally moved
into the public sphere. This is due in large part to the historic protests of
the Occupy Wall Street movement. However, we refuse to allow poverty to become
another topic du jour on mainstream media’s drive through menu.
Why?
Because like terrorism and the nation’s deficit, poverty is a matter of
national security. The current poverty numbers constitute a state of emergency
in America, which means that ending poverty must become a top agenda item for
all political leaders. There must be a constant drumbeat heard throughout the
land about how widespread poverty is and why every citizen out to have a sense
of urgency about its eradication.”
– The Rich and the REST of US by Tavis Smiley
and Cornel West, p. 45
“I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea
that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you
come from or what you look like or where you love (ph). It doesn’t matter
whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young
or old or rich or poor, abled, disabled, gay or straight. You can make it here
in America if you’re willing to try.”
-President
Barack Obama, Chicago, November 6, 2012
The optimistic view expressed in Obama’s winning speech has
added to my fear that “four more years” is all we’re really going to get from
the Obama administration. The myth of American individualism clearly has Obama’s
support despite overwhelming evidence against it. The problem, my friends, is
that it does in fact matter if one is rich or poor. It really, really, really
matters in this country where poverty rates are high and social mobility trends
downward. Deciding to “work hard” or “try hard” is not enough now. The Obama
campaign’s refusal to devote attention to the issue of poverty, frankly,
depresses and scares me.
Today, Veterans Day, is a great time to consider the threat
of poverty that awaits our soldiers when they return from service. United
States veterans are more likely than non-veterans to be homeless. They are more
likely to be homeless in a country to which they have given years of their
lives, their mental and physical health, and their trust. There are currently
more than 67,000 homeless veterans on any given night due to poverty, lack of
support networks, or poor living conditions.
