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OPINIONS
Mark Caserta: More must be done to keep kids out of poverty
Amid the struggles that negatively impact our nation, none so devastate our potential as the impact of poverty on our children.
"A great nation faces up to its shortcomings and acts to remedy them. Now our task is to save our children, families, communities and nation by ending child poverty. Let us keep our eyes on what children need to grow up healthy and productive, and not allow ourselves to be sidetracked by political winds or be deterred by the endless stream of excuses attempting to justify national indifference and neglect to our children who are our growing edge."
These words by Marian Wright Edelman in the book "Wasting America's Future" level the task at hand.
The U.S. Census Bureau determines poverty thresholds based on family size, composition and members' ages. If a family's total income falls below the income threshold, it is considered in poverty.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2006 about 12.3 percent of the nation's population, or around 36.5 million persons, lived below the poverty threshold. This weighting does not include government benefits such as public housing, Medicaid or food stamps.
West Virginia continues to fall far below the national averages in such vital statistics, coming in at 16.2 percent below the poverty threshold and among the 10 poorest states in the nation. West Virginia is second to last in median family income, exceeding only that of Mississippi.
According to the Children's Defense Fund, the number of uninsured children in the nation increased from 10.9 percent in 2005 to 12.1 percent in 2006 and escalated to nearly 32 percent in a family of four with a combined income of $20,000 or less.
The deficit lies in the reduced opportunity for the child living in poverty in all areas of their lives. Studies have shown that children living in poverty are not merely affected by health and welfare issues, but the resulting environment may limit avenues of learning and the development of creativity skills. The opportunity of the child is directly related to the opportunity for the parent to provide a living wage for the family.
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 57 percent of low-income families have at least one parent who works full time year-round and are more likely to be employed in the service industry, which provides a lower income on average and fewer benefits. Amazingly, 37.3 percent of the families living in poverty are those with single-parent households.
In many areas such as West Virginia, the primary job growth is in the service industry, and a parent working for an hourly wage cannot provide much beyond the very basics for his or her struggling family, much less afford reliable child care.
The system is flawed, and there are those who abuse it, but the children cannot be penalized due to a few unscrupulous adults.
John F. Kennedy once said, "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
Makes sense to me.
Mark Caserta is the founder of West Virginians for Prayer and travels the country teaching business operators situational leadership strategies designed to maximize profitability. He is a native West Virginian and resides in Cabell County.
