EDITORIAL: Suprised by poverty

Written by by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 01 February 2000 18:00

Our article on Marion County children who live among low-income families is alarming. Poverty may not Our article on Marion County children who live among low-income families is alarming. Poverty may not be widespread in this area, but even one child living in a substandard situation is one child too many. We don’t like to consider such issues, and many of us may be surprised—even skeptical?—that the situation even exists to any significant degree. After all, we don’t see needy kids roaming our streets. Of course, we don’t. Poverty, by its nature is a hidden hardship. It’s hidden in part because those who face difficult economic challenges often try their best not to let on. It’s an issue of personal pride and resilience for many. It’s also a “hidden” problem because most us don’t want to look. Evidence of poverty makes us uncomfortable with our own relative wealth, and we jump too quickly to the assumption that we can do nothing to help those “who will not help themselves.” We can’t envision any grandiose schemes just yet that could help resolve economic problems among families in our county. Awareness is good a place to start, though.