BREAKING NEWS: It Sucks To Be Poor!

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God"
Luke 6:20

Not one bone in my body doubts that statement. The truth of it is so glaringly obvious it never ceases to amaze me when I hear "serious" people talk of a system that rewards evil being made to work. It can't happen and it never will. But you will notice a common trait among all these boosters: a most comfortable life. No one wants to hear what the people who are getting fucked have to say - we already know what they'll say anyway, they'll just want to shitcan everything. How selfish!

There's an article today in the Washington post on "The High Cost Of Being Poor":

You have to be rich to be poor.

That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand.

Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain.

OK, this lady "gets" it. She recognizes there's a massive underbelly of our society that is nothing more than a gigantic scam and a rip off. It's systematic, ruthless and a growth industry whose victims have no recourse (the best kind!). So while we keep trying to convince ourselves we've found paradise through pollution, we close our eyes to the true path to life. The poor, however, already see the world for reckless ponzi scheme that it is and have an open mind to accepting change and receiving the kingdom of Heaven.

"The poor pay more for a gallon of milk; they pay more on a capital basis for inferior housing," says Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). "The poor and 100 million who are struggling for the middle class actually end up paying more for transportation, for housing, for health care, for mortgages. They get steered to subprime lending. . . . The poor pay more for things middle-class America takes for granted."

According to the Census Bureau, more than 37 million people in the country live below the poverty line. The poor know these facts of life. These facts become their lives.

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me"

God would have flunked Economics 101. You know you live on a planet with low self-esteem when it creates an artifice like money and then declares the only inhabitants who have any worth are those who have monetary worth. How else can a loser feel good about himself? Create a god that showers blessings, call that god "God" and then pretend your worship is holy. Fine plan, that! Dumb ol' God just doesn't understand human nature and doesn't realize you just can't expect people to serve love - only money. And I think the state of the world today gives that belief all the credence it deserves.

"The cheaper housing is in more-dangerous areas," says Reed, who lives in Southeast Washington. "I moved out of my old apartment. I hate that area. They be walking up and down the street. Couldn't take the dog out at night because strangers walking up and down the street. They will knock on your door. Either they rob you, kill or ask for money. If you're not there, they will steal air conditioners and copper. They will sell your copper [pipes] for money."

The costs of poverty come in many forms, indeed. But my favorite dirty little secret on America is our institutionalization of de facto serfdom. Money flows up, not down. If you are a member of the working poor, every cent you got goes out the door! Suppose you get a better job and can afford a car now - a nifty item for trips to the ER and such. Who stands waiting in line for you but the oil companies, the insurance industry and sixty dollar an hour mechanics. All money gone again! No room for error, always living on the edge, hell a mere disastrous moment away. It's like living with a loaded gun to your head 24/7.

You don't say
What you see;
You leave it all
Up to me

The silence is awesome. When was the last time you saw a poor man's roundtable? I'd pay money to see George Snuffleupagus do his snotnose Sunday morning show with four homeless men. Or to see Lardball with a lineup of bag ladies who could care less about the nuances of political triangulation that no possible human interested in living could be concerned with. I wonder what it would sound like to constantly hear people who don't get a benefit from lying. Could we stand that? Would we all go insane? Well, I got some news for ya: you're going to go insane anyway listening to lies to make you feel good.

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