Fifteen Minutes a Week: An Appeal for Help

[JeffR]

They are children and they are seniors.

They are minorities and they are white.

They are straight and they are gay.

They are college graduates and high school dropouts.

They are disabled or sick without insurance and they are healthy.

They are jobless without benefits and they are working one or more low-wage jobs.

They are mothers and fathers and they are sons and daughters.

They are devout believers in God and they are atheists.

They are conservatives and they are liberals.

They are recent immigrants and they are descendants of Mayflower families.

They are strangers and they are friends, relatives, neighbors.

They are invisible, yet they are hidden in plain sight.

They are the poor. They are one in eight of us nationally, but in Milwaukee, Philadelphia or Newark, the number is around one in four. In Detroit or Buffalo, the number is closer to one in three.

For middle class Americans today, a rapidly worsening economy threatens foreclosure, unemployment, lost health insurance, ambitions deferred, dreams abandoned. For over 36 million Americans, however, the crisis is already here.

The media, mainstream and alternative alike, have paid shockingly little attention to poverty in America. The same can be said of all but a few of our politicians.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has declared January "Poverty in America Awareness Month" with these stated goals:
· Releasing a powerful public service campaign to raise awareness of poverty in America.
· Encouraging the editorial media to focus on poverty.
· Educating the public to be sensitive to the needs of those in poverty and to treat poor people with respect.
· Holding events in Catholic schools and public settings to make sure poverty is top-of-mind for all Americans.

Whatever one's religious beliefs, or even if one has no religion, it's difficult to imagine anyone committed to social justice being unsympathetic to these aims.

On behalf of a group of DU members (all of whom, I hope, will add their comments here), I'd like to urge everyone to follow the example of the CCHD and devote some time in January to help raise awareness about poverty.

What can be done in fifteen minutes a week for four weeks?

Write to your local newspaper, write or call your elected representatives and, perhaps most importantly, contact President Elect Obama to help ensure that his vision for change includes addressing poverty, hunger and affordable housing as the urgent issues they are.

Can fifteen minutes a week of our time really help? There's only one way to find out.

Please consider making this effort your resolution for a truly New Year. January marks a new beginning for the nation after eight long, terrible years. Let's do what we can to make it a new beginning for the poor as well.

[bobbolink]

1. "Can fifteen minutes a week of our time really help? "

ABSOLUTELY!!

And it's not asking too much.

Thank you, JeffR!

[JeffR]

2. Thank you, Bobbie.

The credit is yours. Thank you for all your hard work and perseverance.

[Fireweed247]

7. yes

Bobbie is the best, a tireless advocate for the homeless.

[maryf]

25. 15 minutes times 100 is 1500 minutes

If just 100 of us took 15 minutes, look at how much time per week, 25 hours of work...

[bobbolink]

34. There's the power... "Yes, we can!" ^_^

Together, we can move mountains..

Oooops, not our Colorado mountains, pleeeez.

[maryf]

38. Nor even the Catskills!!

But we can make a difference, even one anthill at a time!!

[dajoki]

41. Or the Poconos...

but we can move the mouniains of injustice if we are willing!!

[undeterred]

3. Thank you.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Kicking...

And Recommended.

While once we did, our culture no longer honors service (community or public or charitable).

A change is underway, and the need for it more urgent than ever.

Thanks, JeffR.

[smokey nj]

5. Kick!

[Fireweed247]

6. K&R

Bush made a big freaking nighmare for everyone, but it is up to US to help eachother through it.

[varelse]

8. At least it is an item on the Obama-Biden agenda

http://change.gov/agenda/poverty_agenda /

Although after looking through the agenda, I see a good deal of emphasis on "jobs" and "working families" and "tax credits" and no mention of helping those who can't work.

[bobbolink]

11. Yes, we're the invisible and forgotten ones.

And often just plain reviled as "lazy".



Thanks for noticing! It's very upsetting to be invisible!

[Cetacea]

97. Yes, it is upsetting n/t

[dajoki]

44. You are one of...

the very few who have noticed that, thank you for that. They say that a person will govern as they campaign, I hope that is not true, because poverty was never mentioned during the campaign. I am willing to wait and see.

[NanceGreggs]

9. KICK!!!

[H2O Man]

10. Nominated.

[whoopingcrone]

12. kicking and recommending

that when we write those letters, we concentrate less on "poverty" and "the needs of the poor"
and begin talking about what everyone really needs, and has the right to:
a bottom-line guaranteed basic life-sustaining income,
available for the asking... just because.
No "charity", no "welfare", no "qualifying", no "justifying".
Just Because.

[bobbolink]

13. Wow, a throwback to Nixon! ^_^

That is very similar to what Nixon proposed.. our last "liberal" president. You're right... it's so important for EVERYONE to have "a bottom-line guaranteed basic life-sustaining income" That's why there are so many vets and disabled people homeless.. we are given such a pittance that there is no "sustaining" to our lives!


While I concur completely with what you're saying, MOST will take your first line to mean "middleclass" concerns. And then we poor folk get left out again.

Thanks for a very thought-provoking post! I wish/hope it spurs some constructive discussion!

[varelse]

15. No "charity", no "welfare", no "qualifying", no "justifying".

The ultimate silver bullet against poverty - cuts out 99% of the administrative overhead associated with anti-poverty "programs" and puts the money where it's actually needed - in the hands of poor people. Why can't we do it? What is in the way?

[bobbolink]

17. "Why can't we do it?" Simple...we've lost our soul.

To hell with all the posting of 10 Commandments in public buildings.

Be real.

POST MATTHEW 25!!!

[dajoki]

46. "a bottom-line guaranteed basic life-sustaining income"...

I am wholeheartedly with you on this, as you say JUST BECAUSE it is the right thing to do. Get rid of the beaurocracy, get rid of the red tape, get rid of the waiting to be approved, etc. and just do it!!

[tishaLA]

14. Thanks for Posting This, Jeff. And thanks to Bobolink

for drawing my attention to it. K&R

[Coexist]

16. Will do. I promise.

[bobbolink]

18. Thank you so much! This is a New Years resolution that so many will benefit from!

and we thank you...

[suede1]

19. Right on! Thanks for posting. I'll do my part.

[bobbolink]

21. Hurrah! Thanks so much!

Your efforts will be very appreciated!

[skygazer]

20. You can count me in on that

Poverty is the issue that I am most passionate about, and you are right - it doesn't get a fraction of the attention it deserves. And while I belong to no church or carry any religious beliefs, I do recognize that churches are often the only organizations that address it in a given community.

[dajoki]

52. Thank you skygazer...

churches are often the only organizations that address it because it doesn't get a fraction of the attention it deserves.

[saltpoint]

22. In addition to signing on to this project, I'd like to add that

the cause is just or it would likely not have attracted the OP and those he is working with.

A second point is the caliber of the appeal. It banks off a respectful request for noble work but it is also extremely well written. Were Obama to uninvite Pastor Warren, I nominate the OP to speak in Warren's stead. I would greatly prefer the elevation of language and the greatly broadened and inclusional playing field.

I'll pledge two contacts a week, including to those suggested.

And urge others to join in.

Kick and recommended.

[maryf]

26. Yep, the OP could be a speechwriter!!

and I'll see your two and add another!!

[saltpoint]

28. - - - -

[bobbolink]

60. Thanks so much for your pledge!! We WILL do it!

[bobbolink]

62. You're sooo right, the writing is excellent! The passion shines through.

I'm so very grateful to all of you for what you add to this effort!

[20score]

23. Great! Thanks for posting this. Great idea, and I'll do something every week.

[acmavm]

24. Thank you so much for pointing me to that thread. I've been considering

volunteering for the Food Bank. I know I owe a debt to the community and that I need to be more involved than I am. Writing letters is not a problem for me. But I need to get out and physically do more. We all owe it to each other.

Peace.

P.S. I don't know how old you are, but you don't know how thrilled to see that very greeting, Peace, has come back into use. Not cries of war war war but Peace.

[maryf]

27. K & R, great job...

[ColbertWatcher]

29. k+r, n/t

[bertman]

30. Recommended and kicked. Thank you for the post, JeffR.

[wellstone dem]

31. Thank you so much for doing this.

I remember once when I was collecting for a charity, a woman and a child came up to donate and the mother said, "We receive, so we must give." I asked her what she meant. She said she was living at a battered woman's shelter. She said, "We don't have much, but we have to share what we have."

I have never been so humbled in my very privileged life. Yes, I'll take the pledge.

[bobbolink]

33. "Yes, I'll take the pledge. " Ohhh, thank you soo much! That's my Christmas present!

[flvegan]

32. I don't make resolutions, but okay.

I can commit 15 minutes every week to do something. I'll figure out before the 1st exactly what and how.

[maryf]

100. Even just informing folks

That the number one cause of homelessness is lack of low income housing is a great action, being the press in other words!! Thanks!

[UrbScotty]

35. Thank you for sharing this, Jeff.

[OneGrassRoot]

36. An enthusiastic K&R and a "Yes We Can!!!!" Thanks. :) n/t

[JNelson6563]

37. Excellent post!

K&R

Julie

[maryf]

39. Kick for the evening crew!!

And again, fantastic job!!

[dajoki]

40. So well said, Jeff...

thank you for your elegant reminder. Change won't happen on its own and FIFTEEN MINUTES A WEEK is not too much to ask. It doesn't really matter what we do so long as we do something positive with those fifteen minutes, you gave us a great start!!

[grantcart]

42. thanks

could you repost this in January when we have more time to soak it in

[JeffR]

43. Definitely!

Great idea.

[maryf]

45. Think we'll just keep kicking it til then!!

only 10 days away!!

[dajoki]

47. Not only January...

but we could use the rest of the calender as well!!

[saltpoint]

48. Kick.

[babylonsister]

49. Rec'd, and thank you, JeffR. nt

[depakid]

50. ...

[Beaverhausen]

51. K&R

The company I work for is working on partnering with it's employees to get us go out into the communities more in the coming year. I plan to get out there and do my part to help out.

[bobbolink]

66. That sounds like an interesting project. I hope you'll write a review of it, and how it's working

out, and what your experience is like.

What sorts of things do they plan to be doing?

I just hope they listen to the people they are serving...otherwise, it can get to be rather paternalistic.

[JeffR]

53. Time for a kick.

Thank you all for your responses & recs.

[intheflow]

54. K&R.

Thank you, Jeff, for keeping this front and center on the board.

[maryf]

85. Ditto!!nt

[tosh]

55. K&R and will do!

[Incitatus]

56. kick

[dajoki]

57. Back to the top n/t

[JeffR]

58. Thanks, dajoki

Was just going to do that myself.

[dajoki]

69. Here it goes again...

so everybody gets a chance to read this, it IS that good. Thank YOU!!

[pitohui]

59. why doesn't the catholic church consider selling just ONE major art work?

the millions raised would do much more than the entire combined efforts of every poor and middle class person on DU COMBINED

oh but wait, it isn't really about the poor, is it, it's about drawing money and attention to a church based campaign

sorry, i'll quietly find someone i know who is in need and give them some cash (in fact have already done so for christmas) but i'm in no way getting involved in a faith based campaign, the catholic church may be more "respectable" than the hate-based evangelicals, but the price of admission -- pretending to believe in crap that isn't so -- is too high


we need to get our money and our gov't money away from the churches and certainly not allow churches to use poor people to grab even more of taxpayer resources

i would suggest any DUer who thinks likewise to calculate how much money they earn in an hour a month or 15 minutes a week, find a poor person, slip the damn $$$ in an envelope, and slide it under their door -- that would be more productive and take less time too

raising "awareness" is just another fancy way of wasting time, we're all aware that we're falling into the toilet, the time to sit around talking about it is done in my humble view

[JeffR]

61. Couple of points:

First, this is not intended as advocacy for CCHD's effort. The link is provided for anyone who wants more information about their program. I for one will not be donating to them, but I can applaud their efforts. Our group felt that emulating aspects of what the CCHD is doing was worthwhile.

The Catholic Church could certainly do more; their track record on poverty issues is mixed at best. They same can be said of other churches, and most certainly of government, which at all levels has failed the poor, the homeless and the disabled.

Second, you're constructing a false dichotomy. We're asking that individuals here at DU take these small actions, but why would you would assume that asking people to write to the Obama transition team or a media outlet about poverty precludes them from donating their time, money and energy to food banks or homeless shelters or affordable housing advocacy groups? If anything, my assumption would be that many if not most people here do these things almost as a matter of routine. At least I hope they do. So there's no either/or being proposed here.

And finally and emphatically, no, raising awareness is not at all a waste of time. The numbers and the stories behind those numbers are an indictment of America's stubborn self-image as a generous and democratic society.

It strikes me that there isn't nearly enough talking about poverty. Even the alternative media, as mentioned above, have failed to tell the ugly truths about poverty. If the public at large isn't informed, there will never be sufficient pressure brought to bear on politicians to take meaningful steps to change the situation. Which means that the poor will ultimately have to rely on the well-meaning charity of both you and the CCHD, when ultimately what they need and deserve is real social justice.

[maryf]

63. Hear, hear, JeffR

What people don't know is phenomenal, and so many on finding out things become active, thats what got me going, getting educated by other folks. As the press fails completely to inform folks about poverty, we have to be the press, and with the number of people here, the word can be spread. Thank you for this thread, for your sharing nature, and for your stamina!!

[JeffR]

64. Atfer 30 years of demonization & neglect by the Reagan/Bush/Bush Right

the poor are out-of-sight and out-of-mind. You're so right about needing to be educated. I thought I had some grasp of the magnitude of these issues, but I read things every day that show me how much more there is to know. Thank you for being so helpful with my education!

[maryf]

65. This teacher has a lot to learn...

If we all shared our knowledge we just might get this world back in shape! Thanks back to you for being such a giving servant for the impoverished!!

[dajoki]

70. You just don't get it...

do you? Yes, the awareness must be raised, poverty is probably the most ignored subject in the media, any media. But its also about justice and getting to the root of the problem and educating the public and our lawmakers. If, and only if there is enough outrage among the people of this country will our leaders take notice. We have made a wrong turn about 30 years ago and have been going down the wrong road ever since. So I don't care if it happens to be a church that comes up with an idea that might work, right now things are so bleak that every option must be explored.

[maryf]

81. Fantastic post dajoki!!!

Sorry I missed it until now! Hope others catch it!!

[JeffR]

67. Kick.

[maryf]

68. Kick for poverty! nt

[Window]

71. Great job JeffR. K/R.

Let's get this done!

[NaturalHigh]

72. I'm too late to rec...

but I'll give this a kick for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

[bobbolink]

73. Thanks for keeping this in view... We need all the New Years Resolutions we can get!

[maryf]

74. Here's half a minute of my count!!

Big Kick to keep this visable!!

[Two Americas]

75. I take the pledge

Thank you, Jeff.

The defeats and victories of these years have given to us as a people a new understanding of our government and of ourselves. Never since the early days of the New England town meeting have the affairs of government been so widely discussed and so clearly appreciated. It has been brought home to us that the only effective guide for the safety of this most worldly of worlds, the greatest guide of all, is moral principle.

We do not see faith, hope, and charity as unattainable ideals, but we use them as stout supports of a nation fighting the fight for freedom in a modern civilization.

Faith - in the soundness of democracy in the midst of dictatorships.

Hope - renewed because we know so well the progress we have made.

Charity - in the true spirit of that grand old word. For charity literally translated from the original means love, the love that understands, that does not merely share the wealth of the giver, but in true sympathy and wisdom helps men to help themselves.

We seek not merely to make government a mechanical implement, but to give it the vibrant personal character that is the very embodiment of human charity.

We are poor indeed if this nation cannot afford to lift from every recess of American life the dread fear of the unemployed that they are not needed in the world. We cannot afford to accumulate a deficit in the books of human fortitude.

In the place of the palace of privilege we seek to build a temple out of faith and hope and charity.

- FDR

[varelse]

76. Kick+another link

http://www.workingpoorfamilies.org/

[bobbolink]

77. A big Christmas hug to all the "Pledgers"! And a reminder to give it some thought

to all the others.... poor folk will thank you!

[maryf]

78. And a huge salute

To the queen of poverty advocates!! and to Jeff, thanks again!!

[JeffR]

79. Another Christmas Eve kick.

[maryf]

80. And yet another kick

Still Christmas eve my time, Christmas DU time. And again remember the beautiful story of the homeless couple with child with no place to lay their heads but a stable...15 minutes for the impoverished, consider making it a gift to the world...

[maryf]

82. Kicking 'til the first!!

7 days, my resolution is set!!

[mntleo2]

83. This is wonderful Jeff.

I hope Skinner will consider support for January for Poverty In American Month!

Love
Cat In Seattle

[maryf]

84. Kicking again for the night crew!! nt

[I Have A Dream]

86. Nobody should be hungry. nt

[maryf]

87. Or without knowing where they will sleep...

Or if they will be allowed to!!

[lonestarnot]

88. No one should suffer due to lack of shelter!

Especially when McMansions are empty!

[maryf]

89. There are some groups

who are actually getting foreclosed houses for use for the homeless!! there was an article about it, I'll try to find it quick and post it here...

found it in time! not the same article, but same guy!! great stuff:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/08-6

[I Have A Dream]

90. I wish that everyone knew what it felt like to live in poverty.

I certainly don't wish poverty on anyone, but I wish that everyone truly understood how it feels.

[lonestarnot]

92. I'm sure that if everyone did,

they would all agree that it sucks ass, and that something should be done about it.

[maryf]

94. So we need to let them know

and pledge that 15 minutes a week to do so!!

[I Have A Dream]

95. Kick. nt

[lonestarnot]

91. wAY cool!

Thanks!

[pinto]

93. Kick

[lonestarnot]

96. kick

[I Have A Dream]

98. Kick. nt

[maryf]

99. 15 minute resolution for Humanity!!

New Year's is two days away...how will you help? Thanks! and watch for January articles on Poverty!!!
Right click on the banner below and paste it into your signature, if you want to use it for January.

[JeffR]

101. Kick, and please stay tuned for Friday, January 2

and Fridays throughout the month of January.

[maryf]

102. Thanks JeffR!

and in case people are still looking for 15 minute actions, there should be some ideas in those articles!!