let them eat cake....

The other day I went to a meeting of Human Service professionals from several counties. It was a meeting about developing a new program that would provide diapers and pack and plays for families in need. We were to explore if it is needed and if yes...how exactly would that look.
I went figuring that for the most part we were all for the most part on the same wave length.
Surprise!
We were not.
I detected something that I have been suspecting for awhile now. Here's the thing...times are getting tougher and people are getting harsher.
This is what happened:
I had a one on one with a woman...a nurse...that threatened to get downright ugly real quick. I went from 0 to 120 in about 2 seconds and I think...no I am sure... the anger was very evident.

This is what the woman said that torked me so...she said
"I am against just giving "these people" diapers for nothing. I am tired of handing people things without them having to do a thing."

Okay, now them is fighting words for me. First...as soon as you refer to anyone as "those people" you have me on the defensive...and subsequently the attack.
However, I tried to be open and see just exactly what she meant. So I said " oh really, please do be more specific."
So, she looked at me and said " well many of these people
( there is that phrase again)are irresponsible and use their money on things like cigarettes. If they can afford cigarettes and not diapers they should be turned into child protective."

Oh my Oh my...it took every single once of patience that I had in me not to leap across the table and choke her.
But I did not... I figured the board would have to fire me if I did that and I like my job.
I also did not say as I wanted to" you have no freaking clue what you are talking about."
But, i did say.."oh really? Child protective? So, you think when a family comes in and i can smell the cigarette smoke on them and the poop in their kids diapers and I have the diapers I should "teach them a lesson" by refusing them diapers and calling child protective?" She said "well why should we support their bad habits?"
Sigh~
But a fair question. The fact is I have more than once...probably more than once a week said very directly to people that IF they were to stop smoking they would have more money.
I do not condone it. However, I completely understand it.

Now to be fair I also actually understand what the nurse meant...it is hard to understand that someone would not see or worse does see the correlation between the amount of money they spend on cigarettes( or getting their nails done or going to McDonald's)and they still do it.

I think...we have a whole different ball game going on these days.

More and more people are falling through that invisible line that used to be middle class and falling straight...do not pass go... into poverty.

That does two things.
One,it makes it so the people who are now there haven't quite been able to let go of everything that is"a waste of money." Smokers are the most glaring example but there are others.
I figure that it is almost like "waving the white flag" to poverty. We give up...were poor. That's hard to wrap your head around.

The other thing is that the rest of the people who are slipping towards the edge or just sense that ever widening gap..are scared. They want to believe that this is something that most certainly can be avoided its just that people are "doing it wrong".
If that's the case then they won't ever be in that situation.

This month at House of Concern, the food pantry that I have been in charge of for over 4 years now, had 306 families in for food. That number smashes all previous numbers by a tremendous amount. We were barely able to keep the shelves filled. We spent... in 10 days... almost $2,000 on food at Aldis's. That's a lot of food.

306 families, and 30 of them were brand new to food pantries. Most still employed, places like Wal-Mart, the Outlet Mall, area diners, most married families with children.

I believe one of the reasons for the huge number is that Seneca Falls did not have any kind of program for children that provided food in the summer months and that was crippling to the families involved.
My goal is to have something in place next year one way or the other.
I think that will help them and I think it will ease the burden on the pantries.

But mostly, I think we are looking at a shift. The rich are getting richer and the number of poor is increasing.

The middle class is vanishing.

So we all have some choices to make.
Many of us( like myself) need to stop living beyond our means. We need to develop a plan because when you totter along the edge sometimes you fall in.

We also each have to think about what we feel we are called to do.

For myself,as a child of God who is trying to live in to the kingdom, i feel it is my call to help those in need.
Period end of story.
Hopefully, I will help in many cases by making an impact beyond a bag of food, or a couple diapers.
And if that is all it is, well then my prayer is that God will keep me from growing cynical.

Oh and one more thing... if you ever hear me saying anything about "those people" you have my permission to slap me.