Poverty and the community Part 4

We will never wipe out poverty. Why? Simply put– for too many people poverty is a state of the mind.” These people refuse to recognize that they are their own worst enemy and resist all efforts for self-improvement. They prefer to wallow in their present condition. For those people there is no hope.

But we can improve the plight of the ones who do want to improve their lives. We must reach out and create opportunities and rekindle hope for them and their children.

The first cause of poverty is low wages. Families are poor because their wages are too low. While these parents possess the traditional family structure and have a good work ethic, their educational level is far below that of the nonpoor on the average. We can and must effectuate a change. An employer buys skills and is willing to pay good wages for them.

Unemployment is the second cause of poverty. This cause is extremely sensitive to economic conditions. However despite fewer jobs available, the affected individuals must posses real motivation in seeking work. In such dire times the government should step in and stimulate the economy.

A third cause is disability and retirement. In many cases one or both parents are unable to work because they are ill, disabled, or retired. Here too the government must create benefits to assure that these handicapped persons are provided for. Programs should be instituted to provide assistance.

If our island nation is to prosper, all people must be participants in the prosperity. Too long we have neglected the silent poor. I agree with Dr. Ellwood when he states that our “support for the poor comes not from our most selfish instincts or greatest fears, but from our highest virtues. Helping is motivated by a sense of compassion and desire for fairness.”

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed in a pastoral letter in 1986, that our willingness to aid others ought to flow directly from our common sense of community and dignity. Two principal themes expressed were: “Every economic decision and institution must be judged in light of whether it protects or undermines the dignity of the human person,” and “Human dignity can be realized and protected in community.”

In conclusion Dr. Ellwood states: ” If we are willing to decide what is expected of citizens and then look carefully at the poor, we can understand a great deal about why people are poor. By understanding that, we can design a set of social policies that will reinforce our values by encouraging and supporting the efforts of the poor. Our system of support for the poor can be something more than a holding ground for people who are not making it on their own. It can address the real causes of poverty and be the basis of hope.”

The United States prides itself on its economic might, but when hundreds of thousands of its citizens roam the streets looking for food and shelter, I question its true concern for a benevolent society. Are we in the CNMI to follow this example or will we take the lead in helping our less fortunate neighbors at home? How a government and its citizens meet this challenge is the true test of greatness. The gap between the haves and have nots is widening dangerously.

The causes for poverty and ideas to alleviate the misery it brings can be discussed ad infinitum, but hopefully these articles will awake a desire to innovate programs to help. For a prosperous CNMI, we must create “human investment programs” for our poor and for all our people!