Consider the following facts of life in America:
Today, 37 million Americans live in poverty, including nearly 13 million children.
The number of Americans living in poverty rose from 35.9 million in 2003 to 37 million in 2004, an increase of 1.1 million Americans.
12.7 percent of Americans are living in poverty today. This figure includes 7.9 million families, an increase from 7.6 million families in 2003. Today, 13 million children under the age of 18 are living in poverty. That's 17.6 percent of all children in America.
Both the number of Americans living in poverty and the official poverty rate have risen for four straight years from 2000 to 2004.
2004 marked the second consecutive year in which real median household income showed no change.
Between 2002 and 2003, the number of uninsured Americans rose by 1.4 million. In 2004, the number of uninsured American rose by another 800,000, leaving 45.8 million Americans without health care coverage.
More than 8.3 million children under the age of 18 remained uninsured in 2004.
18.9 percent of children living in poverty are uninsured.
The proportion of people who receive health insurance from their employer continued to drop between 2003 and 2004, from 60.4 percent to 59.8 percent, the lowest levels in a decade.
Meanwhile, the number of people receiving assistance through government health insurance programs continues to rise. In 2004, 27.2 percent of Americans received some sort of government-sponsored health insurance, an increase from 26.6 in 2003.
24.7 percent of African Americans are living in poverty, making the poverty rate among African Americans nearly twice the national rate.
21.9 percent of Hispanics live in poverty.
24.3 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives live in poverty.
Women are nearly 40 percent more likely to live in poverty than men.
In 2004 women's wages declined in comparison to men's for the second straight year. Before 2003, women's wages had not seen an annual decline since 1995. Women make 77 cents for every dollar made by men.
There is much to consider here.
8 comments:
Larry, we are relatively new to your blog and ministry and are learning much.
I have questions to the two previous commenters, hopefully for constructive dialogue, not vitriol.
1. c hand: Please clarify and explain your suggestion that Jesus ever talked about an "ownership" model. Stewardship and responsibility certainly are godly attributes, but Jesus seems to teach about reliquishing ownership, if anything.
2. ibreakcellphone: I think you protest too much. Larry did not here extrapolate conclusions or policy intiatives from these statitistics, only provided them for consideration, yet you immediately jump on their veracity without a substantive alternative. Surely statistics can be manipulated, but are you suggesting that these numbers are not accurate? If they are not, do you have better numbers? If they are or may be correct, do they not demand a response from Christians?
In my attempt to add constructively then, let me observe that Christ did not set about to overcome poverty, but he certainly did command us to serve the poor, whom we still have with us, to be sure. The fact that humanity will always have "the poor" or societies with poverty does not relieve any of us of the duty and burden to serve and give.
Somehow I feel that some question the statistics(some have legitimate questions) simply to have less guilt and less reason to help the poor. Lets not forget that there is more to poverty than just money.
c hand, Let me respond:
"1) Colectivisation models do not work for society...they make things worse."
REALLY? DO YOU HAVE PRIVATE INSURANCE FOR YOUR HEALTH? YOUR CAR? YOUR HOME? EACH IS A COLLECTIVE SOLUTION THAT YOU NEVER CONSIDER BECAUSE YOU CAN AFFORD THE PREMIUMS. WHAT YOU RESIST IS NOT "COLLECTIVISM" BUT BENEFIT FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT PAY AS MUCH AS YOU. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE. BTW--SEE ACTS 2 AND 4 FOR THE EARLY CHURCH'S RADICAL COLLECTIVE RESPONSE TO POVERTY.
"2) Ownership-stewardship-responsibility models that Jesus talked about works best."
RESONSIBILITY NO ONE CAN ARGUE AGAINST. THE OWNERSHIP GIG IS SHAKY GROUND WITH JESUS AND THE BIBLE IN GENERAL.
3) "the poor ye have with ye always" but in the land of opportunity the poor get richer.(Most have a color tv, large number have a car, enough food - a leading health problem is obesity.
BAD THEOLOGY--READ, AS MR. JAMES HAS POINTED OUT OFTEN, DEUT. 15:1-11 ABOUT THE REAL INTENTION OF GOD. ADMITTEDLY, THE POOR BUY INTO THE CULTURE OF CONSUMMERISM. YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL BECAUSE THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE A LITTLE OF THE "AMERICAN DREAM" KEEPS THE REVOLUTION AT BAY. OBESITY IS THE RESULT OF CHEAP FOOD--MOSTLY WHAT POOR PEOPLE CAN AFFORD. YOUR INSENSITIVITY IS OFFENSIVE HERE.
4) We should assist without becoming an obstacle to people. When God gives opportunity, lets clear the path.
THIS WOULD BE THE PHILOSOPHY OF MR. JAMES'S ORGANIZATION. IF IT WERE UP TO YOU, SO LITTLE WOULD BE DONE IN REALITY.
If folks aren't taking jabs at Larry's higher standards for fighting poverty, they are questioning a simple recitation of poverty statistics. Not to judge, but I agree to some extent with anonymous that many people seem to question the issue of poverty to death, making excuses for their inactivity in fighting it.
I appreciate JRB's comment about Jesus' real mission on earth. This is important -- the new kingdom Christ came to establish was intended to restore the Cosmos to their intended state. This means our call is to right injustices. It means we are to love carelessly. And it means that we are to walk alongside people and invite them into the new way of life that joins God in his mission of restoration.
I'd rather err on the side of careless love and justice than constantly question every effort and miss the coming of the kingdom of God.
Dear Chand,
I have to admit that many of your posts have really frustrated me. However, now I am really starting to pity you and what must be a miserable existence.
I am a Christian. The God I know and serve calls me to be generous, loving, kind, forgiving, and welcoming. He leaves the judging up to Him. In fact, by my understanding, I am called to judge no other person.
Your posts all seem to be so angry and full of judgement which leads me to believe that your understanding of God is quiet different. I can't imagine carrying that weight around with me on a daily basis.
Sincerely,
your friend
C Hand,
I'm definitely not judging you. I apologize if I came across that way. I'm trying to understand your perspective. Every comment you make seems so negative to me. I don't see that as a judgement, just an observation. You are free to believe anything you like and to express it. Quite honestly, I appreciate different perspectives that challenge me to think about what I believe. Aren't we all ever evolving?
As far as pity, I think Jesus did show pity on people. I pray he shows pity on me and my sinful nature. In doing so, he loved them and connected with them in a genuine and authentic way.
your friend
c hand,
I have to respectfully disagree with you that this blog is "c-r-a-p."
You have taken two children into your home. That is very generous. I think Jesus would have definitely embraced the children you describe.
I do take issue with how you describe their mother. You see, it is someone like her that Jesus would have embraced as well. He didn't dismiss the most sinful and disgusting. He welcomed them. He befriended them. He didn't give up on them.
Another thought, yes there must be a hole in the hearts of those precious children, but I can't believe for one moment that giving up on their mother or shunning her is at all helpful to them. The best thing for them would be her rehabilitation so that they could be with her. I feel that this mother is the very person that Larry and CDM are looking out for.
People make big mistakes. They need mercy, forgivness and opportunity to get it right. Isn't that what Christ is about? CDM seems to be about all of these things.
"CDM is about...moral blindness. A little rehab, and we're ready to go? (rehabilitate to what?)"
CHand, you have so little idea about what is going on. I suggest you go down to CDM and work with them. They will open your eyes to your IMmoral blindness; immoral, because it is self-selected.
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