1. POVERTY
“Poverty is like a bleeding wound. It weakens the defense. It lowers
resistance. It attracts predators. “
Income Tax- A tax that governments impose on financial income generated by
all entities within their jurisdiction. By law, businesses and individuals must file
an income tax return every year to determine whether they owe any taxes or
are eligible for a tax refund.
People rely on income tax to pay their bills and live day to day
Anne, a working mother was too poor to declare bankruptcy
$700 for a laywer
$200 for a filing fee
Men and women who have succumb to poverty attempt to help those who are
currently suffering because everyone deserves a chance pg 27.
2. POVERTY AND ADDICTION
“Many middle-class anti poverty workers feel no right to dictate that the poor
shall not purchase middle-class pleasures.”
-Formally poor people provide help to the current poor people
-They can monitor and encourage how they spend their money
-Addicts and alcoholics spend their money on their addiction
-Drug and alcohol treatment programs require a wage report of what the
residents spend their money on
-Brenda, a drug and alcohol counselor guides her young mothers and addicts
“ I make them write a list before they go to the grocery store”
“Money saved for bills goes to soda, cigarettes, and pets”
3. WELFARE
“Poor people and investment bankers have one thing in common: they both
expend considerable energy thinking abut money.”
Welfare benefits are based on a persons income
Those who are on welfare don’t have milk but they have money for a cable
bill
Are people taking advantage of the system?
• “One year, they used their check from the IRS to get tattoos” – talking
about a young married couple, Willie and Sarah, who had a rough life,
but used their money to get tattoos instead of feeding their children.
• Poor families typically find that food stamps only cover one half or three
quarters of their groceries
• When Christie completed a training course and earned a 10 cent raise,
her food stamps dropped $10 a month
These people must come up with a way to feed themselves and
their families
4. GENDER
Women and sewing: The Garment Business
Women who are able to sew work in the “fashion industry”
They sew in factories and barely make minimum wage
-Joe Zabounian, a factory owner has women stay at his factory for over ten
years
-Joe pays his women $7-7.50 a hour
-No benefits
-No guaranteed regular hours
-No guarantee hour pay, had to pay piece by piece
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5. GENDER
Men
Stay out of women’s bathroom
Women
Stay out of men’s bathroom
If caught you will be fined $30.00
Everybody has there restroom so stay in your own place
-This sign was in a house designed for only one purpose, to house workers
-Women and men were kept separated in a farm working house
6. GENDER
Sexual Abuse in America
Barbara, a caseworker asks a ten year old girl how many times she has
been raped.
The girl responds unsurprised
Raped by her sixty seven year old father
The young girl grew older and by eighteen she was pregnant
Family’s living in poverty tend to develop drug or alcohol problems causing
fathers to take advantage of their young children, mainly women
“ A surprising number of women at the edge of poverty turn out to be survivors
of sexual abuse”
-Their future may become crippled
“Girls who had been molested as small children tended to have consensual
intercourse at a slightly younger age and they become pregnant earlier”