Re: [FairfieldLife] more on poverty, should anyone be interested

[Vaj]

On Feb 11, 2006, at 9:17 AM, feste37 wrote: I don't think it's much use to tell a poor person that he or she is better off than  many people were 100 years ago. The poor do not need history lessons.  What really lies behind Shemp's claim that poverty in the US has been  eliminated is a reactionary political agenda that is typical of the Bush  administration. In fact, I'm surprised they haven't thought of this one, since  they do have a habit of dealing with problems by redefining terms and then  claiming that the problem has been reduced or eliminated (redefining what is  a pollutant, for example, to claim that pollution is being reduced). If you  redefine poverty so as to claim that it no longer exists, you can then just let the  poor rot, which is of course the real aim of the exercise.  An important point to make is "poor is a relative thing". I live in a state where many of the people are at the poverty line. An interesting thing I have heard from numerous people who moved "away", out of state, was that 'we never realized that we were poor till we moved out of state.' Within their own milieu--family, friends, social institutions, community groups, libraries with internet, church suppers, outdoors--a lot of home-spun, outdoor or community activity and interaction--these people felt they lived a very "rich" life. When they moved out of state they saw how people used money to entertain themselves or buy devices to do it for them. In some rural areas the institutions and activities that our grandparents would have recognized are still present. One thing that is often missed is how the social interconnections and culture were destroyed in many areas by two things: television and the automobile. People don't talk to each other, they look at the same TV. People don't talk to their neighbors, they drive somewhere. In some poorer areas, esp. rural areas, the indigenous social interconnections are still present and despite low income, these "poor" people lead very rich lives--in many cases much richer than those of the "wealthy". To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' SPONSORED LINKS Maharishi university of management Maharishi mahesh yogi Ramana maharshi YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "FairfieldLife" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.