Free Cell Phones for the Poor?
By 2besure
No such thing as a Free Lunch
The government is giving free cell phones, to low-income families. It is nothing new, lifeline has been helping the poor get landlines for years. Now that we are in a new era, they have upgraded the program to help poor families get cell phone service.
You will hear ignorant things like,"Why should hard working people have to pay for phones, for lazy people who won’t bother to get a job? Or, "I'm sick and tired of carrying the burden for, good for nothing bums. Get a job like the rest of us and stop being a burden to society! Nobody feels sorry for me, why should I feel sorry for them?"
The Working Poor
Did you know that everyone who is poor is not unemployed? There is a large part of the populations, who have one or two low- wage jobs and still need government assistance to make ends meet. The working poor, work for employers that don't give them enough hours to qualify for medical benefits, or can't afford them.
Many are quick to resent the poor, yet how many of us would really be willing to exchange their menial salaries and low income communities to receive the so-called free stuff poor people get?
Over 40,000 factories have been ship overseas. These are the jobs that were a vehicle for many to move from poverty to the middle class. The export of these high paying factory jobs, have created a whole group of people who are trained for little else.
Your Social Security Number Please
If you have been on a job for a long period of time you may not know this; but when looking for work, most or all companies ask for your Social Security number, to check your credit rating. If you are poor or have had a period of financial difficulty, this excludes you from many good job opportunities. I often wonder is this custom is put in place to keep the poor where they are.
What does a person’s credit standing have to do with being qualified to do a certain job? I suppose, when working for a bank, that may be a consideration. Of course, if you have bad credit you are also probably a thief.
If you ask me, they should be have been scrutinizing, the folks at Enron and the bankers who caused the 2008 crash. It would appear that those who are most likely to steal are not blue color employees but white color executives.
Have a Heart?
Many people feel they are not responsible for other people's problems. "If you are poor, that is not 'my' fault is the sentiment. If you can't feed your family, then starve. If you are sick and don't have medical care, that's your problem."
Is there something wrong with a society who has no concern for his follow man? What happens when we take on a, 'every man for himself sentiment?'
In some of the most difficult times in the history, man's survival was dependent on family and community. At one time, the church and community played a great part in helping the poor. There was a time when you could knock on someone's back door and ask for work in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep in a barn.
Are there no Workhouses?
"Are there no workhouses?" These words croaked out by the hardhearted Ebenezer Scrooge, in the Christmas Carol. Workhouses were instituted in early American history, when English poor laws were implemented in the colonies.
Workhouses or almshouses were our way of gathering the poor and putting them out of sight. Workhouses were large institutionalized ghettos where children were separated from parents and siblings and husbands were separated from spouses to prevent breeding.
The people were divided into of seven categories, by age and physical condition and each group was separate from the other. You could live in a workhouse your whole life and never see your parents.
Unless a wealthy benefactor gave you an opportunity to rise above poverty, you were doomed of them lived and died in these houses of horror.
The word, poorhouse always brings up the image of Oliver Twist living in squalor with a group of boys his age. They were cold, hungry and in tatters, begging for a bit more gruel.
The Great Depression
During the great depression, over 25% of the workforce were unemployed. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, established a number of programs, that provided assistance to the poor. Two of these programs were as Aid to Dependent Children and unemployment compensation!
I cannot image what would have happened to this country, if some of these programs were not instituted in America. While there will always be those who try to abuse these privileges, there are those who cannot do without them. I believe it is the church's responsibility to care for the poor; but being many do not, the government has stepped in, to take over this necessary task.
So, although you may feel that the poor don't deserve, food stamps (EBT services) or help with housing, WIC for their infants, and they sure don't deserve free cell phones, what are the alternatives? There are no longer workhouses, to ship the poor, that they may be unseen and forgotten.
I suggest this, be grateful that you still have your house, your cars and most of all your job. You are blessed, but remember, by this time next year, the roles may be reversed, and you may be in line applying for unemployment, Food Stamps and a free cell phone! To those who are not as fortunate, yes, you can get a free cell phone!
Comments
Thanks for you comments Thomas! My mom and dad both worked at a factory when I was a child and though we had everything we needed and was happy, when I look back...we were poor. I liked using the black and white images of the 20's because, we look at them with sympathy and compassion. We say, wow,they had it hard! There is a sympathy for that era of poverty we don't have today.
My father always told me as a child "We are all just two paychecks away from the street". It is so much more true now than when he was growing up. I've known people that judged others by the car they drove or the house in which they lived. Also known quite a few less who rated a person by their heart. A person's lot is theirs to bear, but when those of us who have been blessed with good fortune forget that we have what we do only through God's good graces, then exists hell on earth indeed. You are truly a writer that feels what she writes, and possess a huge heart...thanks for the good read :)
familyis1st, read the hub again. You are not understanding what the writer is saying.
just because one has food stamps or the government cell phone does not mean im poor or lazy, it just means im not doing to good and i need some help. i DO in fact work 40 hours or more week. and im sorry that you feel that way. i am a real woman and i have a family to take care of and if that means i have to get free food for 6 months then so be it. i do understand that you are talking about "those" people that are taking advantage of the system. but not everyone is like that. i see it like this i work, and i pay for all this, so why cant i use it. right?
Thanks craftdrawer for taking time to comment!
Excellent Hub - Voted up !! Great writing....
Surely no one say, I want to be poor when I grow up, yet million of people all over the world suffer that fate, every day!
right..the poor people try to get the most essential thing for life...cell phone is not basic need of life, food, shelter, cloth is the dream of poor people, when those need fulfill than the human watch other things..
Natfittn welcome to the HubPage family. Thanks so much for taking time to read and comment on this hub!
I agree that if we are human, we have to care about humanity. People need a path to independence and a way out of poverty. If not, we all will pay for it one way or another.
What a nice sensitive article. What we have to realize is that if we keep disfranchising people - well, how on earth can you expect them to obey the rules and laws of your society if they are not a part of it? And so they don't.
And working poor for sure. This is how Wal-Mart keeps earning billions. They pay as little as possible forcing people onto every kind of government subsidy - which of course is not footed by the other wealthy - but the average working stiff.
Rated up! Such a well done hub.
Pamela Wilson,
This hub speaks fot itself. How long is going to take for us to join efforts to save this Country? How disheartening it is to see Congress not willing to help our President. Not that I'm Democrat or Republican... but as so many said in here...Eventually we will close the cycle as Rome did 1,600 years ago. Seen lots of friends losing their jobs and therefore a roof over their head. How can we reverse all this?
LORD
Thank you, 2besure! You are absolutely right! An excellent HUB! Voted up, awesome, and shared! :)
Thanks American Romance for taking time to express you feelings. It think that 'all' overweight Americans are eating the wrong foods. So, it is not just the poor who are overweight. Check out the Movie "Forks Over Knives", very enlightening.
(latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index:
63.1% of adults in the U.S. were either overweight or obese in 2009.)
Thanks Rachelle! I know there are many problems with the middle class losing their status and falling into poverty. We still live in a country where if you are willing to take changes and try something new, you can find a whole new stream of income.
In the case of free cell phones for the poor, it's really not that bad of an idea. The cell phone will allow them, if unemployed, to have greater access to job openings. The second thing is that if the government covers the cost of the phone and usage, the telecommunication companies stocks will rise thus helping the market and economy.
I do not "resent" poor people as others do. I mind my own business, try to build my own wealth, donate to the causes that touch my heart, and try to keep it moving.
Most people do not realize that there are a lot of psychological issues that keep poor people poor, and render them unable to get out of the cycle of poverty...but, whatever, eh?
This is an absolutely amazing hub, it gets a vote up from me... and Pam, you get two snaps and a cookie!
Good article! I'm new here - just joined yesterday. I truly enjoyed this hub - as it speaks the truth! I will be following you.
........ever notice one seldom sees a skinny poor person? How can 50 million people be on welfare and most are obese? How did 50 million people not understand about a free education system along with a free school lunch program? I see people daily using food stamps (now days its a credit card) anyway they have items like chips and dips, soda and cookies? Is this what poverty sticken people crave? I seldom justify spending my paycheck on cookies so why should part of my salary purchase cookies for them? If they are truly poverty stricken then I am willing for them to have staples, flour, beans, meat etc..............I believe we have more lazy self imposed poverty than anything else and I resent it!
Rswilliams8, that for your comment and support!
Peter , thanks for taking time to comment. I like the old black and white photos from the depression era. They are haunting. It is a time we think of as our past, but we are pretty much in that same situation now, except we have many more programs to help that poor than during the depression. I did re-edit. Thanks again.
A very good HUB that could use a little editing, I also think you could use current photos instead of depression era ones. The new work houses are called jails or prisons. The poor,including the working poor, has risen in numbers drastically. The newest figure for poverty in this country is 15%, the fantasy unemployment figure is 9.1%, that should be at least 21% when you count the folks that have given up looking and those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. This is not a recession it is a depression just like the thirties. We need another FDR or his equivalent to save us now. Keep up the good fight,
Peter
enjoyed this article very much. I am now following you, voted up, and interesting :) happy blogging!
Maralexa, I must admit, I felt like I was rambling when writing this hub. I am glad you got the gist of what I was trying to convey! Thanks for your comments.
Thanks ENZKHVAM! It is a slippery slope when we begin to demonize any group of people. If we are to keep our humaniy, we must remember, we ARE our brothers keeper.
This article you had written is really thought provoking, In start it may offend you a little but you read it completely with all the different aspects of free meal and cellphones and jobs it ends up in a why do? feelings.
The work houses is really disheartening state of offair.
the depressions developed once again is really spreaded back to the society in a dismall way.
You had no doubt put upa brave subject and told the truth.My salutations to you for this commendable job.
I had voted this up and usefull.
with warm regards
Dinesh Nair
What an absolutely amazing article! If I were not already following you, I sure would now. Thank you, 2besure for such a moving hub!
Magnus Thunderson 4 months ago
the work house idea had merit as giving homeless unemployed a place to live, a job as well as training and decent food were you can save up for a new start however no matter how good the idea was the idea was twisted from the start to crewel inhumane path. However the idea was done much better in FDR big deal and job training camps for younger people. And more brokenly in places like salvation army who is way to strict in there program on time for waking up and locking out which is contrary to restaurant bar and retail jobs hours.
What is needed now is program for what the workhouses should have been which should include small private and semi-private rooms flexible meals and 24 hour access with state job training working with private sector were they keep 50% in holding pay then 40% of they pay to help with the operation and food cost and 10 percent weekly directly to them but should also have a zero policy on drugs and criminal activity