a grandson

Part of the price of visiting my blog involves cutting me some slack--humoring me--regarding my four grandchildren, Gracie, Wyatt, Owen and Henry. 

Hey, it's my blog.  Deal with it! 

This video involves Wyatt in the love of his young, 10-year-old life:  sports. 

Great time had by all!

Just in: Employment Training Results

[Just now I received the following report on the employment progress made by our most reent graduates from our "Build4Success" construction training program.  I must say, it is very gratifying! LJ]

 

Team-

On Wednesday, May 7^,  15 students graduated from the Build4Success training.  The goals for the class: enrollment 18; graduate 15 (80% of 18); placement 13 (85% of 15). The placement update is as follows:

6-employed by CLP/TrueBlue--they started on May 14^th at $12.00 per hour

2-left the program early for employment, one is employed by Garden Ridge Distribution Center at $9.50 per hour; one is employed by On Stage at $11.00 per hour

1-is waiting for the Clinic to perform his Department of Transportation (DOT)  physical for a truck driving job. We will provide you with salary as soon as he is processed.

4 more placements are need by the end of July to meet OAI requirements for funding for 2013-2014. We are very optimistic that in the next 30 days the other 4 will be employed.

These are awesome numbers for the week after graduation. Daniel and Joe worked as a team and did an outstanding job assisting the graduates with placement assistance. If you have any questions please let me know

 Patricia Smith-Harrington

Director
WorkPaths
CitySquare

Lost and Found

Somewhere I read about two neighbors. 

Both grew up in a community of opportunity. 

One neighbor lived a cautious, responsible life.  He worked hard, saved his money and made his family proud--a real dependable guy.

The other, younger man lived in a more carefree manner.  It wasn't that he resisted work, he just had a different vision for his life--a real restless guy.

At one point, the younger man left the neighborhood of his family.  He cashed in his inheritance card with his father and set off to make his way in life. 

Things didn't turn out so well for him. 

He didn't use his resources wisely.  He romped and played hard for a while, but he allowed his initial freedom to sour his heart. 

He fell into poverty.

He knew, firsthand,  desperation, hunger, homelessness, hopelessness, exploitation and oppression.

He violated all of the principles of his upbringing--he really left home.

When at the very end of his rope, he "came to himself." 

He recalled his community, his neighbors, his family.  He went back home with a speech all ready to deliver.  "Please give me a job doing whatever is needed." 

He threw himself on the mercy of his lost, but beloved community. 

And, his community responded! 

They welcomed him home, threw him a party and supported his quest for reestablishing himself in a respectable life.  The community lived out of its strength to lean into the weakness and need of a fellow community member. 

However, not everyone was pleased.

The man's older neighbor threw a fit, organized a public policy response and opposed the younger man's attempts to get reestablished.  He urged the community not to assist the lazy, no good man who left and was now back expecting the community to help him out of a crisis for which he was responsible.

Finally, the white-haired mayor of the community confronted the older neighbor, "You don't seem to remember what sort of community we have here, a community we've worked hard to establish on principles of honesty, fairness, compassion and hope," the old mayor explained.  "We've all been in tough scrapes at one time or another.  We've depended on each other for support, second chances and the hope that comes from loyalty, understanding and high expectations.  Just remember, your opposition to your neighbor is revealing the true nature of your heart."

The lost neighbor, relieved to be at home again among supportive friends, thanked one and all for his new lease on life.  The last I heard he was working hard and making progress thanks to his new shot at a good life. 

[This parable provides a contemporary--some might say liberationist--re-framing of Jesus' parable of the lost son found in Luke 15.  This interpretation assumes the worst about a victim of poverty in terms of cause.  Such a view is necessary to adequately display the radical, counter intuitive response of the poor man's beloved community.]

Aretha to join CitySquare!

Making poverty illegal

Sunday morning as I walked across a parking lot to my car after church, a gentleman approached me. 

He asked if I could help him with a little money to help address his hunger.  I have no hard and fast, set rule on whether or not to grant such requests.  I almost always employ the time-tested "follow my gut" strategy. 

On this day my gut was telling me I needed to talk to the man, but not take part in his collection offering.  So, I began that conversation, or I almost began it. 

Before I could really engage the man, two police officers rushed across the lot on bikes to intervene on the man and our conversation that almost happened. 

One officer pulled me aside to ask if the man had requested money.  When I replied that he had, the policeman asked for my name and phone number, both of which he promptly wrote on the palm of his hand! 

As we talked, I noticed that a patrol car sped up to join the "apprehension." 

At this point it seemed a bit like overkill in real time to me. 

I tried to explain what I did on my day job, hoping to talk the policemen down a bit.  They were professional and determined.  They were not abusive toward the man, but neither was the man to them. 

The guy is very poor. 

He was very hungry.

He may be an alcoholic, though I had no inkling of that from his behavior.

Like I say, the guy is very poor with few options, save the charity of church-goers on a Sunday morning after worship. 

Lesson learned at church last week:  it is very clear that poverty is now officially illegal.  You can go to jail for being poor, if you seek assistance from your fellows around you. 

I mean there are laws to protect people like me from guys like him, and from having to face the fact that the Dallas dance just ain't playing out so well for lots of our people. 

I don't guess you can get locked up around here for telling the truth, can you?

Richardson, Texas, circa 1955--my hometown!

 

I spent many a Saturday afternoon in the old Ritz theater right there on Main Street in "downtown" Richardson, Texas!  The center of town back then didn't enjoy the benefit of paved streets. 

 

The population wasn't over 2,000, when someone snapped this photo.

 

Everyone knew everyone. 

 

My dad served as City Secretary at the time.  City Hall was a white frame building that co-located with water utilities, police and fire departments. 

 

It was a different time, for sure!  

A forgetful God!

The God Who Forgets

 Matthew 28:1-10

At Providence House Sister Elaine liked to tell
a story about a bishop
who made fun of an old woman
because she claimed that when she prayed to God,
God spoke back.

Now the bishop had devoted his whole life
to the study of God,
and he was sure that if God spoke to anyone,
it would not be to such as she.
But she insisted.
“It’s true. God speaks to me.”

“Prove it!” said the bishop.
Arrogant. Almost angry.
“Ask God what are my greatest private sins.
If you return knowing these then I will believe
that God speaks to you.”

The woman agreed to do so and they parted.
The following day she returned
and the bishop greeted her with a smirk.
“Well, did you ask God what are my most secret sins?”
“Yes,” she replied. And the look on her face
was so intense,
so knowing
that the bishop hesitated but asked it anyway
“And what did God say?”

“God said….”
The old woman spoke softly but with assurance.
“God said . . . he couldn’t remember them.”

The Easter message:
God forgets!

Every time a woman arrived at Providence House—
in her prison-issued trench coat
$20 in her pocket
a curious blend of exhaustion and bewilderment
and hope on her face—
she was almost at a point of Easter.
She had passed her Maundy Thursday with its dark betrayal
passed the judgment and even the crucifixion
and now she waited . . . waited . . . waited
for the stone to roll away
for freedom from the tomb
for resurrection.

Such a stone is heavy and not easily removed.
Easter is sometimes much more than three days coming.
But every time a woman arrived,
prison lingering in her eyes,
she mysteriously brought us a whiff of Easter.

She carried good news
of the God of forgiveness
and new beginnings
and hundredth chances.
The God of resurrections.
The God who forgets.

Kayla McClurg lived in the community of Providence House in New York for five years. Their work has inspired resurrection for thousands of women.

By: Kayla McClurg
Season and Scripture: Easter A, Matthew

Add your thoughts at inward/outward

Gloria Campos Luncheon Celebration to benefit CitySquare's TRAC!

1

Shining eyes

Would you "see"?

Lest we forget. . .

FACTS:

1 in 4 Dallas residents live in poverty.

1 in 3 Dallas children live in poverty.

Over 1 in 4 Dallas residents is "food insecure" (euphemism for "hungry").

Almost no one in Dallas receives "welfare" benefits (7,611 persons receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF).

Almost 90% of DISD students take are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program in school.

Almost 73% of students in the various Dallas County ISDs are eligible for the free and reduced lunch benefit.

Dallas ranks 4th in poverty behind Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia.

27% of Dallas adults have no high school diploma.

Dallas residents more likely to be in poverty than in the United States' other 20 largest cities.

In 3 zip code areas 60% of the population lives in poverty.

33.3% of residents in my zip code area live in poverty.

The federal poverty level for a family of 4 is $23,550 or $64 a day.

10% of Dallas residents (1 in 10) live below 50% of the federal poverty line.

OBSERVATIONS:

Dallas is the richest poor city in the U. S.

People aren't poor because they are lazy, stupid or "sorry." 

People are poor due to gaps in skill sets, education/training; health issues, families of origin issues, life skills deficiencies, business reversals, human mistakes, and the accident of birth.  The zip code area in which one lives is a determinant of health outcomes.

To construct workable solutions and helpful approaches, we must learn to consult the people closest to the problems of poverty:  those who are poor themselves. 

We need to from robust, smart working groups and commissions on attacking poverty with a view to ROI for the entire community and a willingness to learn from other communities.

We need to noodle on ideas that allow Dallas' trade reps and corporate recruiters to bring deals home that serve, employ and empower folks who are currently battling poverty.

We must face the fact that real progress will involve "over investment" or remedial strategies to really leverage change.

We need to realize that investments made at the bottom of our socio-economic structure are dollars that swirl quickly to benefit everyone in the city.

Attention needs to be given to micro industries and entrepreneurial options for low income persons with big, good ideas about work and business.

A goal for Dallas County:  that every child born here leaves the hospital with a savings accouint and a path to the establishment of an Individual Development Account (IDA).

We need to find ways to provide low-income, working neighbors access to capital/credit on reasonable terms.

We must address state and city mental health funding gaps.

We must insist that Texas expand Medicaid.

Will he find a home?

Possibly you've seen the news reports out of North Carolina regarding Timothy P. Schmalz's stunning sculpture, Homeless Jesus.  If not, take a moment to view the report below.

So, I'm wondering: will this Jesus find a place in Dallas?

I have a donor who has pledged to fund the cost of bringing this work of art to Dallas.

Where might this piece be placed?

Where might he find a home?

Let me know your thoughts.

Easter faith

Easter 2014.

The streamers will fly!

The music will rise to amazing crescendos!

The litany will inspire to tears.

The faith will be confessed again.

The children will laugh!

The pews will swell!

The preachers will preach an ancient message of surprising hope.

The Christian year ascends to its highest point before a time of more waiting.

Easter 2014.

How did we get here again, and so quickly?

Today should be a time to remember and reflect.  The cross, the place of death, signaled the results of an extremely radical message, a word from heaven directed to earth. 

Easter teaches us:

Defend widows. . .

Receive without exception children who are poor. . .

Challenge unjust, oppressive authority. . .

Resist injustice. . .

Shine a spotlight on wealth and its dangers. . .

Question religion. . .

Eat with the poor as buds. . .

Embrace sinners. . .

Accept "Samaritans". . .

Touch the "unclean". . .

Champion the homeless as fellow residents of the streets. . .

Welcome women as leaders/contributors. . .

Call for a new Kingdom emerging from within everyone. . .

Dare to announce forgiveness to thieves. . .

Befriend enemies. . .

Welcome the world to your party. . .

Prefer the poor and the weak. . .

Indeed, these are the sure, certain steps to a cross, yet giving birth to individual acts of resurrection upon which to build a life that blesses all.

An empty tomb must lead to emptied lives.

Easter 2014!

Now what?

Good Friday: Faith costs. . .

What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket when, of course, it is the cross.

Flannery O'Connor

Source: Flannery O'Connor's Library: Resources of Being by Arthur Kinney

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More than you can know

A key learning from two years on the street, almost every Thursday afternoon:  human touch, affirmation and sincere appreciation bring people back from the dead.

As I've talked to my friends who have no place to call home, other than a makeshift campground under an interstate highway bridge--ironically, highways built to take most people home after work--I've learned the importance of touch and human expressions of kindness and love.  In fact, it's clear to me that the one thing we all desire is to be genuinely loved.  That love involves respect, expressions of friendship and affection, and simple appreciation.

The street has taught me that "a pat on the back" is much more than an English idiom.  Touching a friend on the shoulder or back in a greeting or a farewell usually elicits such positive reactions as to be surprising to people like me who take that sort of non-verbal communication for granted. 

Love raises people from graves of hopelessness, depression, oppression and despair.

So, for me, over the past several months the thought has come again and again to bring the ultimate expression of affirmation to my friends on the street.

I did that a couple of weeks ago when I served Communion on the side of a street where I've been hanging out for almost two years. 

Reactions were mixed and taught me other lessons that I'll unpack here in time. 

But claiming and declaring the love of God for and to my homeless friends turned out to be an amazing experience for me and a number of them.

As hard as our mean streets are, they aren't hard enough to shake off our need for acceptance. 

Lent gives way to Easter just as love opens doors to new life, often unexpected new life.

I've seen it again and again on the street.

 I observed it again, even more powerfully, when I asked the simple question of those who passed by, "Friend, would you like to receive the Lord's Supper?  God loves you more than you can know."



Seth Godin: Smart Bidness!

The smart CEO's guide to social justice

It seems as though profit-maximizing business people ought to be speaking up loudly and often for three changes in our culture, changes that while making life better also have a dramatically positive impact on their organizations.
Minimum Wage: Three things worth noting:

1. Most minimum wage jobs in the US can't easily be exported to lower wage places, because they're inherently local in nature.
2. The percentage of the final price of a good or service due to minimum wage inputs is pretty low.
3. Many businesses sell to consumers, and when they have more money, there's more demand for what they sell.

Given that for even the biggest organizations there are more potential customers than employees, the math of raising the minimum wage works in their favor. More confident and more stable markets mean more sales. Workers struggling to make ends meet are a tax on the economy.  (Consider the brilliant strategic move Henry Ford made in doubling the pay of thousands of his workers in 1914. The assembly line was so efficient that it created profits—but only when it was running, and high turnover made that difficult. By radically raising pay, Ford put pressure on all of his competitors (and on every industry that hired the sort of men he was hiring) at the same time that he created a gateway to the middle class, a middle class that could, of course, buy his cars, whether or not they happened to work for him). Also, consider this point of view...

Climate Change: The shift in our atmosphere causes countless taxes on organizations. Any business that struggled this winter due to storms understands that this a very real cost, a tax that goes nowhere useful and one that creates countless uncertainties. As sea levels rise, entire cities will be threatened, another tax that makes it less likely that people will be able to buy from you.

The climate upredictability tax is large, and it's going to get bigger, in erratic and unpredictable ways.
Decreasing carbon outputs and increasing energy efficiency are long-term investments in global wealth, wealth that translates into more revenue and more profit. 

Anti-corruption movements: The only players who benefit from corruption in government are the actors willing to race to the bottom--the most corrupt organizations. Everyone else is forced to play along, but is unlikely to win. As a result, for most of us, efforts to create transparency and fairness in transactions are another step toward efficient and profitable engagements.

Historically, when cultures clean up their acts, get more efficient and take care of their people, businesses thrive. It's not an accident, one causes the other. 

In all three cases, there's no political or left/right argument being made--instead, it's the basic economics of a stable business environment with a more secure, higher-income workforce where technological innovation leads to lower energy costs and higher efficiency. 

Disruption no more?

Worn Smooth

Like a jagged rock thrown into a flowing stream, the church once “troubled the waters.” Now, however, it seems as if the church has slowly, often imperceptibly been worn so smooth by the culture that it no longer creates any disturbance at all.

Charles Campbell

Source: The Word on the Street

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Anniversary of Dr. King's terrible death

Alone or One?

No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels that he can live alone is sleeping through a revolution. The world in which we live is geographically one. The challenge that we face today is to make it one in terms of brotherhood…. Through our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this world a neighborhood, and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Source: A Knock at Midnight

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Summer jobs now open!

Pure fun! Baseball's back!

Here's 33 seconds of unbridled fun watching my grandson, Wyatt at the plate!

Check it out now, right here!

Where's the ministry?

Preach the Gospel

Arise—go! Sell all you possess. Give it directly, personally, to the poor. Take up my cross (their cross) and follow Me, going to the poor, being poor, being one with them, one with Me. Little—be always little. Be simple, poor, childlike. Preach the gospel with your life.

Catherine Doherty

Source: The Little Mandate

Add your thoughts at inward/outward

"Asset Poverty" on KERA

You can watch last night's "One Crisis Away" program on KERA TV-13 right here!

Red state, blue state. . .the children

One Crisis Away on KERA tomorrow evening. . .

Here's a notice about what will air Thursday evening, March 27 on KERA TV 13 here in Dallas.

Data: Extreme poverty

Last week an unsettling report came across my desk.

Prepared by one of our Neighbor Support Services team members who engages directly with the thousands of people who come to us for assistance of one kind or another at our Resource Center on Haskell Avenue, the report noted that 64.17% of our neighbors who receive case management services learn less than $10,000 annually.

An additional, small group, (6.84%) earns between $10,001 and $20,000 annually.  An even smaller additional group (4.23%) earns between $20,001 and $30,000 each year.

Almost 80% of the people we touch live in Dallas County.

We work with the poorest of the poor, and the vast, vast majority are not homeless; they are the working poor who understand the toxic stress of the constant pressure of extreme poverty.

Ignoring this challenging reality will not serve us or our community well.

Tracking cost and location of tax deductions

Breakfast in Bed: 19th Annual Community Prayer Breakfast--at your house!

Reactions to my call for community engagement

Last week The Dallas Morning News published an essay that I wrote on "asset poverty" and "asset wealth."  You can read it here.

As a change of pace, I thought I'd share readers' responses to my column.  Here they are:
_______________

I read with concern your article about asset poverty as it is the second article I’ve read In the newspaper recently about asset poverty, and I’m guessing that is the new term to push these days.  I’m glad you defined it for me, as I wasn’t sure what the term means.  But according to your definition, asset poverty has been around since the beginning of humans and I don’t think it will end regardless of what the asset-rich folks do.

To understand where I’m coming from, my grandparents (both sides) were poor and never had any cash reserves, much less 3 months’ worth. This was at a time when there were no welfare, Medicare and Medicaid, social security benefits.   Neither of my parents were high school graduates, and they each worked two jobs to send four of us to Baylor.  They never had any cash reserves.  If the hot water heater broke, we did without hot water for several months until the money could be found to pay for the repair.  But they felt they had a much better life than their parents, and they wanted us to have a better life than they had.  To me, that’s the key to surviving and having a decent life in  this country…working to better yourself and your children, no matter if you have to live paycheck to paycheck.  We all worked to get an education, and it paid off.  There were no scholarships for women, no government student loans, no nothing.  My parents borrowed money and paid it back—borrowed money and paid it back.  They did without a lot of things to do this—and they had no one or no government to help them do it.

For years after my husband and I got married (and we were both university graduates), we never had cash reserves…I guess we were living in asset poverty.  We made such low salaries as a high school teacher and a high school track coach that we had to live month to month for years—especially after our two sons were born.  If either of us had lost our job, we would have had a hard time—BUT we worked hard, continued to get more education (which we paid for—and borrowed the money to pay for it if we didn’t have it).    Our assets were our house and our cars, but we didn’t own them for decades.

The housekeeper who worked for me when I returned to teaching, worked for me 47 years and I paid her social security and paid her an above-average salary.  She is retired and her social security isn’t enough for her to live comfortably, so I pay her a monthly sum to help, and she gets free medical care and food stamps.  People like her deserve to be helped because she worked all those years and was an honest, hard worker.  My mother always told us that we (and the government) should help those who cannot help themselves and those who temporarily need help, but she was not in favor of taking money from workers and giving it to those who won’t work.  I believe a lot of people who live in poverty today won’t work, or they have come here illegally and can’t speak English, or they have low-paying jobs because they are undereducated as a result of choosing to drop out of school.  They get government aid in several forms, but that’s not enough to have 3 month’s cash on hand.

Now that I’m 79 and my husband is 80, we have assets.  I taught 39 years and he has been coaching 57 years and is still coaching.  We have lived within our means all of lives.  We are where we are because we had parents who taught us the value of education and hard work.  A lot of people in poverty didn’t or don’t have parents like that, and they drop out of school, have numerous children (many times without the benefit of marriage), and they want to have the same standards of living as people who have gotten an education and a job.  And many people like you seem to think that those living in asset poverty will be okay if they just have 3 months’ cash on hand.  How long do you think that cash would remain in savings?  Are we who have worked for our assets to continually give to these people so they can have cash on hand?  It seems to me that it’s not a matter of giving people money but of trying to help them make wise decisions even if they didn’t have parents who did.  Otherwise, we are just enabling these people to continue generation after generation in poverty when there are opportunities in this country for them to get an education and to provide for themselves and their families.

We support our church and  numerous charities every year because as Christians we feel concern for the less fortunate.  If you are encouraging people to give about 2 years’ salaries to the less fortunate, we’ve done that if you give us credit for all the years we have contributed.  And we have many relatives and friends who have done the same thing—BUT, as you say, we still have people who are living in asset poverty.

How do you know what the asset-rich families are contributing and that they need to do more?  How do you know the percentage of the asset-rich families who aren’t acting responsibly, and—for heaven’s sake-- what are “scalable” solutions you mention?  You mentioned more philanthropy and the coordinating function of public policy reform-- is this supposed to explain what you recommend?  I know what more philanthropy is (and I think more of us could give more) but I’m vague on the coordinating function of public policy reform.  By public policy, do you mean laws, regulations—or what?  You barely mention that asset-poor families need to do their part?  What is their part, as you envision it?  Do they stay in school and get a job?  Do they have only the number of children they can afford?  Do they live responsibly, within their means and spend their money wisely?  If they do, then I’m in favor of helping them out of asset-poverty.  But how do we get them to do these things?  I don’t think it’s by giving them money that other people worked to earn.

You probably think I am hard-hearted, but I think I am a realist.  I think some of the people in poverty are bettering themselves, but I think the irresponsible, lazy, takers will always take from the responsible workers if they can, and will even expect it’s their right to take it.  I think many people today are creating even more problems by suggesting that people who work should support those who won’t work and to make those of us who live responsibly and contribute to society feel guilty because we now have (after many years of struggling) assets that some people don’t.  When you come up with a way to get people who live in poverty to pull themselves up, with help then please write another column with how to do it.

________________

Hi!  

     I appreciated your column.  My modest property tax was about $2800.00 last year.  Could I pay one percent more?  $28.00?  Of course I could.  Even ten percent more, $280.00 would't hurt us.  We would never miss it.  I don't understand why people complain that they can't afford small  tax increases.  My wife and I are not great income/financial managers, mainly because of our children, however even WE can afford to pay a few cents more on the dollar in taxes.

     I have thought for a long time that we needed a half penny,  penny more in Medicare, Social Security taxes,  whatever is needed to balance the cost of those excellent and necessary programs.  Perhaps it is the well-to-do who need life style counseling?

Peace!

___________________

Asset rich families already do their part in helping those less fortunate by paying taxes.  And then paying more taxes.  And then actually being philanthropic. 

I wonder if you have ever actually owned a business in a predominately minority part of town and seen live the effects of your money being siphoned off by lousy government, crooked officials and thieving neighbors. 

In your liberal mind the successful method of dealing with poverty in America is to blame the successful people that work for a living and to dream up new ways to tax those people out of their money while you hand it to those that have never accomplished anything except learning how to vote and signing up for entitlements.

Personal responsibility goes a long way but you claim that only the successful should shoulder the blame.

I have owned businesses in Oak Cliff, I served in the Marines, I even spent a brief  time as a police officer.  The one constant I found is that people like you don't have a clue in the world except to confiscate my money. 

America is collapsing under the weight of the federal debt and really bad government.  You are part and parcel of that collapse.

___________________

Your suppositions about the wealthy having to provide more in order to balance the scales of opportunity and poverty to wealth is purely analytical and fails to consider the people that have those assets and the promise they were asked to keep 60 years ago.

The leaders of this country asked us to save and invest for our retirement and to take responsibility for securing our families future. That was our first responsiubility.

We were told we could retire and live our lives in luxury.

Many of us, using some luck and with disciplined saving and investment and occasional risk taking, actually made it. That is quite evident by the fact that over 60% of all personal wealth is in the hands of those 60 years of age and older.

We paid the majority of taxes in to support our government, at least if you accept that the government actually followed the guidance of their accounting offices and actually kept our taxes at rates that were needed to support the programs that enrich us even further in our retirement, (which they did not).

Sure we are well above those poverty figures, but are still (most of us) in a mode where we want a big comfort zone so that we can fulfill our greatest fear of asset preservation looking at never being a burden upon our children.

We do all of this while trying to be of service in our communities, and trying to help at the food banks, and ETC.

You are asking those that face potential 7-8000 a month in old age living costs to potentially give that earned income over to whom.

The same government that put their SS fund and spent it while putting IOUs in the fund, the same government that did not adequately fund their Medicare health system, the same government that rushed off hell bent for leather to avenge the deaths of 3000 of its citizens against not a government but against a loosely knit widespread theocratic band of extremists, created a health plan to cover 30m uninsured in this country that through 6 months covers only 1m that were previously uninsured.

We planned for our future and earned every dollar we have and with what we see from the way our government has responded feel pretty lucky to actually have succeeded to the point where our reliance on those programs and that government in general will not destroy us they eventually scale back on the promises they failed   to keep up with.

_____________________

just read your article on the asset rich doing their part.  I completely agree that we are all in this together, but I struggle every time I hear someone say that the answer lies in taking more from those who have earned more.  Our tax system is a progressive one that does that already.  We now have an government insurance program that will do the same.  Some say it is Socialism, I call it Robinhoodism.  Absolute redistribution of wealth.  I tell my children that much of what we have is due to hard work, education and taking advantage of opportunities.  However, we also have had our share of “luck”.  Some say you make your own luck, but I also believe we get some opportunities that are just plain “luck” - be it good or bad.  Thus,  I do feel I have a responsibility to help those less fortunate than me.  However, where does it stop?   There is a difference between “helping” and “subsidizing”.   The “asset rich”  do DO their part.  Would if be enough if they gave 75% of their income to the state?  That is how Texas “helps” those districts that are less fortunate.  The “property rich” districts send an “unfair” ratio of money to the “poor” districts so they can have awesome football stadiums.  This approach doesn’t seem to have done much for improving the quality of Texas education K-12.  I don’t really view 46 out of 50 as a very good report card.   We need to focus on setting up programs & processes that help people help themselves.  This “entitlement” mentality is growing and not changing behavior.    We, as a whole, need to take responsibility for our decisions and actions.  Not everyone is the same.  We should be promised to have the same opportunities - not the same of everything. Thanks

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Thanks for the article in this morning DMN. .  

My agenda, as it were, is to get you to change your appeal from an ethical argument, to one based on fundamental roles of government proposed by Thomas Hobbes in the Leviathan, (Chapter 30: Of the Office of the Sovereign Representative).

1) Take care of those that cannot take care of themselves

2) Provide work for all those that can work

3) Provide Law and Order. 

While Hobbes designed these roles that some call Contractualism, to avoid the evils of civil war, John Locke went further and argued that the denial of liberty would be sufficient cause to bring down the government.  Since, without liberty society can't advance.   

Our government therefore has the obligation to assure "liberty and justice for all" which incidentally we often pledge our allegiance.  Liberty, by definition has two components: freedom of arbitrary authority, and having the means to exercise free will.   

I understand that CitySquare serves many that do not have jobs or cannot take care of themselves and therefore do not have the means to exercise free will.  I believe it is the privilege and obligations of both those that have liberty as well as those that have been denied, to remove from government those that restrict government in performing these fundamental duties and divert public resources to the false goal of growing private economic gains. 

I would very much like to discuss this further with you over lunch or coffee.  As I am retired from an engineering career, with pensions from Raytheon and Lockheed I hope we can work together to realize this common agenda.
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  I wanted to thank you for your article of March 18 and thank you for your work on the Poverty Task Force.  I retired just over 10 years ago and realized that I had the time to "give back" and possibly be able to make at least a small positive difference in my community.  One of the things I did was to become a volunteer in Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  After just a couple of years I noticed a pattern that existed with the kids I mentored; they were poor, lived with their mom and a couple of siblings, their dad was in prison, and their mom was a teenager when they were born.  Plus, I discovered that their grandmother was a teen when their mom was born.  This set me off doing some serious research on the problem of teen pregnancies and I learned, among other things, that the U.S. has the highest teen birth rate of all the 28 developed nations in the world and Texas leads the nation in teen births. 

  Most teen moms never finish high school, only 3 percent get a college degree by the time they are 30.  Their offspring are 9 times more likely to live in poverty, are twice as likely to go to prison and are most likely to become teen parents themselves.  Being a teen mom leads to depression and a high percentage tend to use drugs and abuse their children.  Teen births are clearly a root cause of poverty in Texas and Dallas specifically.

  There is a way to reduce our teen birth rate. Other states with similar demographics to Texas have done it.  We can do it too!  We as a society, particularly here in Texas, concentrate more on the consequences of poverty rather than dealing with the causes, we need to change that.

  If there is anything I can do to help, let me know.
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Death penalty should go. . .

Here is an interesting clip from a speech by Bob Ray Sanders delivered at this year's meeting of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP).  

We really should abolish capital punishment in Texas.

Way too costly--119 counties have never executed anyone, largely due to expense involved..

Way too risky--too many ways to arrive at unjust or erroneous verdicts.

Way to inhumane--how can I tolerate something that I could not personally do?.

Garland adopts strong payday lending regs

(Earlier this week the Garland City Council adopted Dallas' "Model Ordinance" to regulate payday lending in that city.  This makes the 16th city to provide protection to its citizens.  Below you will read the rationale behind the ordinance.  Thanks to CitySquare's Public Policy efforts led by Rev. Gerald Britt and supported by Keilah Jacques.)

GENERAL TALKING POINTS

PAYDAY & AUTO TITLE LENDING ORDINANCE      

These are the key messages we, as a coalition, will use to advocate consistently for the Model City Ordinance.  Please utilize these key messaging points to ensure we all stay on message and deliver a powerful, consistent message to City Council.

Key Messages for City Council Visits:

Ø  Garland’s citizens deserve the same protections as other major Texas cities, including Dallas, Austin, Houston, El Paso, and San Antonio (now totaling 14 statewide).  I am here today to ask for your support of a strong ordinance modeling other major cities in Texas ordinances on payday and auto title lending.

o   In 2005, Garland had 18 payday and auto title lending storefronts and it has grown by around 40% to a total of 32 storefronts in 2014.

Ø  Adding Garland to the list of cities with strong payday and auto title ordinances will add to the push for statewide reform.  

Ø  High cost payday and auto title loans damage our city and citizens by:

• exacerbating already desperate financial circumstances of the borrowers.  Payday and auto title loans often lead to further financial distress for borrowers—statewide 35,000 cars were repossessed in 2012 due to auto title loans. Loss of transportation for Texans can mean loss of employment further compounding a desperate situation.
• having a payday loan increases borrowers’ risk of having their bank account involuntarily closed and nearly doubles borrowers’ chances of having to file for bankruptcy.
• draining nonprofit resources and undermine investments in family financial stability.  A 2012 Texas survey found 32% of nonprofit clients seeking financial assistance were in trouble with a payday or auto title loan.
• diverting critical business tax revenue away from our city. It is estimated that Garland loses approximately $1.2 million in sales tax revenue each year.  Currently, payday and auto title lenders are draining approximately $14.1 million a year from our local economy in fees alone.  This is on top of the actual loan amount! 

Ø  Payday and auto title lenders take advantage of unfair market competition.  While they are not regulated at all, less expensive options available to consumers are regulated.  Why should payday and auto title lenders be exempt from any time of regulation or oversight?

Ø  Local advocates stand united with advocates across the state on passing the Model Payday Ordinance.   Listed below are its main provisions, for reference, if needed.

1.      Require Credit Access Businesses to obtain a valid certificate of registration from the City of Houston annually.

2.      Limit payday loans to 20 percent of the borrower's gross monthly income.

3.      Limit auto title loans to the lesser of 3 percent of the borrower's gross annual income or 70 percent of the vehicle value.

4.      Limit loans to no more than four installments or three rollovers or renewals (a rollover or renewal is defined as an extension of consumer credit made within seven days of the previous extension of credit).

5.      Require the proceeds from each installment or renewal to reduce the loan principal by 25 percent.

6.      Require that every contract be written in a language the borrower can understand, or be read in its entirety to any borrower who cannot read.

7.      Require the lender to provide to the borrower a form created by the City which references non-profit agencies that provide financial education and agencies with cash assistance programs and contains general information regarding extensions of consumer credit.

Ø  We urge your support for the Model Payday Ordinance so that:

• We can limit the costs to the City through lost sales tax revenue and unfair market competition
• We can limit the costs to our families through high cost, predatory products providing protections against predatory practices.
• Garland can join other cities as a united front in sending a strong signal to state legislators that predatory practices must stop.

 Potential Questions and Answers:  These are potential questions and positions you may hear when discussing the Garland ordinance. 

1. I don’t want a Lawsuit.

If the ordinance is going to be meaningful and contain strong consumer protections, you will be sued by the industry.  Enshrining the status quo only sanctions predatory practices and allows more borrowers to be trapped in a cycle of debt.  In addition, Dallas defended the suit in house and has temporarily won the lawsuit. 

2. I believe in a Free Market

• We also believe in a free market and do not wish to push the industry out of business.  However, as things stand currently:  Banks, credit unions, credit card advances, pawn shops and finance companies are lenders that follow state rate and fee caps for consumer lending and serve sub-prime customers.^[1]   These alternative products are regulated, unlike Payday and Auto Title lenders.  This sets up unfair market competition.

3. The city does not have the budget for enforcement.

• Enforcement is a tricky issue and we suggest that you turn for advice and suggestions from other cities that have passed ordinances.  A suggestion is to work in enforcement and its issues into the ordinance.

4. There aren’t enough votes on City Council.

• We are here to assist you in working with your fellow council members.  We have many advocates from the business community, over faith leaders, and non-profits all willing to assist you in this effort.

5. Businesses will just move outside of Garland.

• We agree, but we need to begin somewhere.  We are also willing to assist our outlying communities with education and ordinance language to broaden the scope and impact of a strong consumer ordinance.  Garland itself is becoming a haven for lenders due to the restrictions in Dallas—that is why it is up to cities like Garland to form a unified front in helping economically vulnerable citizens.  Garland passing the Model Payday Ordinance is key; if Garland goes a down a different path from the other cities, we will weaken our position during the next legislative session, leaving room for the industry to pass weak regulation that will pre-empt all of the cities’ stronger ordinances.

6. Aren’t these the only option for people that just need a small loan?

• No, they are not.  Less expensive options include finance companies, pawn shops, credit card cash advances, credit unions and banks.  However, each of these alternatives is regulated, including pawn shops.  Why should all of these options be regulated, while payday and auto title lenders do business without any regulation?

7. Won’t this ordinance cause these lenders to go out of business?

• No.  Lenders still have flexibility and can charge the same fees (along with the interest that goes to the third party lender).  We are just asking that borrowers have the ability to pay off the loan within a reasonable time frame. 

8.  Why can’t we just wait for the Texas Legislature to provide regulations?

• To pass meaningful regulation, the Legislature needs political will—something that is provided when cities unite in passing a uniform ordinance regulating payday and auto title lenders.  The next legislative session is a year away and even given real reform, in the meantime, many Garland residents will become trapped in the cycle of debt.  An ordinance with real reforms to these predatory products can help borrowers sooner. 

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[1] Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner list of 342 E and F lenders, October 2012.  Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner list of licensed pawn shops, August 2013.