The unbearable burden of being poor

[jwirr]

19. Thank you for this post. 30+ years ago when we started on

this trickle down road many in the middle class turned away from the needy because they did not understand. And they let raygun and the tv prosperity preachers convince them that we were all welfare queens.

I think many of them know better now because they are slipping down also. I do not hate them for turning away but what I want is for them to finally look into who the poor really are.

We are the elderly who cannot find a job anymore. We are the disabled who cannot work. We are the family that lost their income because our jobs disappeared. We are the young who finished school but still cannot find a job with a living wage. We are the mother who had to stay home to care for a loved one and could not work outside the home. There are endless reasons why we are poor but I can guarantee you that none of us are welfare queens.

I beg those of you who have learned the hard lessons of poverty to remember so that when fortune shines on you and you rise up again you can look back in love and kindness on those who will never be able to rise because of their circumstances. Remember us when you vote.