Political Indifference: A Raw Deal for the Poor
By George Jones | November 20, 2006
On November 15th, the USDA released a report that confirms a lot of what people living in and working with low-income communities have known for some time: that hunger is a serious problem in our country. According to the report, 12 percent of Americans - 35 million people - were unable to put food on their table for at least part of last year. And yet, these 35 million Americans are no longer being classified as "hungry," they are being designated as having "low food security."
The government certainly has a way of obfuscating the reality of impoverished people in our country. This attempt to erase hunger from the discussion reminds me of the mixed feelings I have regarding the recent mid-term elections.
Early on Election Day, I left my home in my Woodbridge, VA neighborhood, some 25 miles outside of Washington, DC. I stopped off at the neighborhood elementary school and casually placed my vote for the state Senator and Representative. As a 46 year-old African American and heir to the civil rights movement, I can readily admit that I take pride in fulfilling my civic duty of voting.
And yet, as I stood in line and glanced over the mock ballot handed to me by the poll volunteers I experienced a growing sense of discomfort. Along with the opposing candidates, the ballot included a same sex marriage amendment and bond referendums regarding building new libraries and expanding several Prince William County roads. I would hazard a guess that throughout the US these kinds of issues dominated the ballot choices.
What has been erased from the ballot is concern for impoverished Americans.
Now, when America stands as the lone superpower, you are hard-pressed to find a politician who will utter the word poverty, or speak to the plight of the poor. Even in the nation’s capital, the election process for the next mayor was conducted without the "P" word surfacing.
In a report recently released by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, "Disparities in the District: Poverty is Major Cause of Social Problems in the District of Columbia," the plight of the poor was underscored in a number of discouraging indicators.
The report revealed that:
- The District’s poverty rate increased from 17 percent to 19 percent in recent years.
- The number of high poverty neighborhoods (areas where 40% or more of the families live in poverty) increased in the District during the 1990s.
- Ward 7, where Bread for the City is located, has the second highest poverty rate (21.6% for families and 24.9% for individuals) and the second lowest median household income of the eight wards in the city.
At Bread for the City, we work hard to alleviate the pain and suffering experienced by the 10,000 low-income families we see each month. These are households that have an average annual income of only $7,000. They turn to us for assistance with food, clothing, medical, legal, and social services, and we provide it. But as we serve all who come, we are constantly aware that the challenges affecting these families really require political solutions.
So, yes - voting is a right that I will continue to value. But I am also hoping that the results of this election will lead to a political environment where the issues on the next ballot reflect a renewed war on poverty and hunger, rather than an ill-fated war in Iraq. A ballot that defines the next new deal rather than the same old raw deal for the poor.