Reply #111: Poverty is institutionalized, many don't get that

[mntleo2]

I know what you are speaking about. It is sick to assume that someone "wants" or "choses" to be poor and homeless. GAWD what idiots! But I am not making this up that I have actually heard DSHS high up Suits call someone's poverty a "choice" and they had to be publicly corrected to their embarrassment.

Who would REALLY want you to get out of something that makes them a lot of money and/or gives them a job? It is a perpetual circle if you ask me.Especially when it is an $91 MILLION industry for ONE agency, much less the other 8 agencies who are also getting that much as "contracts."

Also it is not against the law to discriminate against anyone if they are poor, this goes for a job, housing, or anything, it is perfectly fine to discriminate because a person is in poverty. Because see, most poor people have bad credit and if you check their credit records, it doesn't matter if you always paid your rent on time, if you couldn't pay that heat or phone bill, well too bad no home, or too bad no job.

While the criminalization of poverty is a veiled attempt at racism since many people of color are poor, it is really now about classism and many people of color are seeing this as well. They know they are being used as the "face" of poverty, when in fact there are as many if not more whites in poverty as any other ethnic group, particularly white women.

In reality now they can discriminate against EVERYONE they so choose and poverty is the "legitimate" reason. This goes for added fees, taxes, and service costs because everything has to be paid for up front by the poor and if they don't have enough to pay it on time, well add another 15% and refuse to take what they do have to pay ~ all or nothing. Bad credit checks are the death of any hope for most jobs, housing and any credit. How can you repair credit when you don't make enough to even afford the necessities and therefore are robbing Peter to pay Paul?

Cat In Seattle