TRICKLE-DOWN TRADITION

The World Health Organization defines health as "not only the absence of infirmity and disease, but also a state of physical, mental, and social well-being." I agree and would add that personal health also falls within the parameters of "promoting the general welfare," and "life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The Constitution and The Declaration of Independence. Two document the majority of Americans lean on when defining their Patriotism.

The complexity of these morally and legally guiding documents is too much for one to comprehend. It's much simpler to latch on to a particular part, or parts, and apply the principles of only those parts to every experience. When, in reality, the intellectually honest approach would be to assess each experience independently and apply the pertinent sections. Not just the ones that you feel comfortable with.

Although promoted within the first words of The Constitution, "Welfare" has a stigma associated with it in 2009. It's a code word now; associated with minorities and hurts many more Whites than it does minorities. Minorities, as the victims, recognize it and are able to adjust to it. While many Whites of the same economic level refuse to acknowledge who their true enemies are. As a result, many Whites who hold the prejudice against an association with "Welfare" do not receive the benefits they qualify for. Mostly because they never apply, out of shame.

The bottom-to-middle percentage of the "Middle Class" is already heading towards poverty, if they're not already there. The income scale has shifted; this must be recognized and responded to. Priorities must be adjusted into an updated view of the world. The jobs that were sent overseas are not coming back. Many are falsely hoping the jobs will come back and things will return to "normal." Normal is not permanent. It changes, and we need to keep up.

We are no longer in an industrial age. But we still teach our children with an industrial teaching model. Manufacturing is gone; basic auto repair is gone; Tele-customer service is gone. Public schools are failing because of lack of technology; telling a child to read 20 pages from a book is like telling previous generations to read from stone tablets. Boring and "out of touch." The same assignment can be given where the child reads three pages on a website, watch the video, or listen to the podcast. For success in the future, basic computer skills are the new minimum requirement. Replacing HS Diploma.

Many Whites, mostly college graduates, will argue against any advantage their skin color and legal classification provides. This is a common defensive reflex I have experienced when discussing Race relations with Whites. The logic used to defend white privilege is to ignore the overall statistics and make it personal. When you're the majority of a population, as white males are in the US, it's easier to accept the status quo without seeing any negative effects. Averages always work in your favor. There's also an unconscious trust Whites have with the government. That trust comes from a history of government assistance; as apposed to non-White males having a general hesitation regarding government decisions.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, Lancaster County, PA's poverty statistics(by Race) were the following:

TOTAL POPULATION FOR LANCASTER COUNTY = 493,910
TOTAL POOR WHITES (100% of FPIG) = 6.7% (28,134 ppl)
TOTAL POOR BLACKS (100% of FPIG) = 30.6% (4,779 ppl)
TOTAL POOR LATINOS(100% of FPIG) = 27.9% (8,935 ppl)

* Federal Poverty Income Guidelines

100% of the FPIG for a family of four is $22,050. That's $10.60/hr, 40 hrs/wk, 52 wks/yr. Even if you're lucky enough to have a job offering 40 hours for 52 weeks, avoiding illness is still very difficult. Especially when insurance is too expensive compared to wages.

Research from Penn State University shows the living wage for Lancaster County for the same family of 4 is $28.18/hr (or $58,614/yr). That's more than double of what the government considers impoverished.

To an extent, we've allowed this to happen by our lack of participation. Though the greater extent, of which we did not allow, is powerful and invisible. To be satisfied with what you're given impedes progress in every case. Information must be analyzed and compared to your current personal beliefs. When information is indiscriminately accepted as truth, the author must be identified. Then you will know the reasons someone would repeat their thoughts instead of creating original thoughts.

American Traditions are some times more powerful than its laws. And only a short time ago, did the US recognize women and Blacks as equals. More than property. This NOW in time is critical to the future of the World. There's an incredible burden on the majority of White Americans to recognize and mobilize when it comes to Racial divisions. The progress of Americans and America is deadlocked on Racism and Slavery.

It cannot be accepted as progress when our country is "harshly criticized" by The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in March 2008. After ignoring the World's request to stop rampant racism in the justice system, in March 2009 we boycott the UN Racism Conference to be held in April 2009.

There are many self-proclaimed experts in many different disciplines who haven't a clue of how to fix what's broken. Fortunately for them, they have the security of education, wealth, and health. They also have a support structure in those of similar economic levels. Color has less of a factor when education levels are comparable. Problems can be solved by cooperation and communication. The lower income/education-level folks are divided first by differences, even in parallel circumstances.

Imagine the 28,134 White poor folks working in unison with the 4,779 Black folks and 8,935 Hispanic folks to address the issues that are affecting all of them equally. It requires critical thought and honest acceptance of facts. Whereas today we seem to be satisfied with blaming one another based on something irrelevant and involuntary. Racism is American History. The truth about Racism needs to be addressed before we can ever hope to live in "Post-racial America."

Instead of a united group of poor people, we have divided groups of Races. This group labeled poor, and "under-privileged" by media and politicians, is the majority. And the majority of this majority are White folks. To unite this group will take a member of the majority. The minorities seem to have been waiting since the Civil Rights Movement for unity.

Dr. King had an approval rating similar to George W Bush in his last years. He was speaking out against poverty, and was organizing the Poor People's Campaign. He had poor folks from the south living in "Resurrection City" on the Washington Mall. Bringing the poor people's struggle to the nation's eye and the government's.

Then he was assassinated. We have yet to recover.