Ryan McFarland

This year’s theme for Blog Action Day is poverty.

The poverty threshhold used by the US Census Bureau calculates that in 2006 a single adult under the age of 65 making less than $10,488 a year is living in poverty.  That was in 2006.  Since then heating oil prices have risen, gasoline prices have at least doubled, food prices are rising, and most people are feeling the pinch.  The Federal minimum wage is $6.55 an hour (individual states may have higher minimum wage laws).  Assuming a 40 hour work week someone making the Federal minimum wage earns $13,624 annually.

The last time i was making $6.50 an hour was in Utah in 1998/99.  That was working for an after school program run by the Parks and Recreation Department.  Even then that wasn’t enough to get by on.  At least not enough to pay back school loans and live a life outside of poverty.

I think it is important to have a poverty line but the reality is that poverty reaches far over the federally established line.  Sort of like calling something “wilderness” when that word has a legal description that covers specific pieces of Federal property as defined in the Wilderness Act of 1964.  Are there wild places outside of “Wilderness areas?”  You bet there are.  Are there poor outside of poverty.  I’ll go with yes.

For many of us it is easy to accuse impoverished of laziness.  A homeless person or someone that just breeds themselves into poverty seems to have a cloud hanging over — “get a job.”  Surely some are just taking an easy road.

I give change to the occasional beggar when out of town.  I donate toward the local charity that helps with food service for the needy.

But sometimes i wonder what it would be like to live on the street.  True poverty.

Then nights like tonight make me very glad to have a roof over my head as the rain pounds the metal roof.  The chill in the air is gone under my comforters and assortment of cats.  And i’m glad to donate my old stuff to an organization that is committed to giving to those that are less fortunate than me.