Poverty: The Sin of Omission by Corporate News
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It is no secret that I question the sincerity of the Unite Rochester initiative of the D&C. They fail time after time to put their money where their mouth is. And, since they are a corporate, profit-making entity, this should come as no surprise. I want to share a letter I sent some time ago when the latest ACT Rochester stats came out for Rochester. The D&C did not publish it. No surprise there either. Anyway, here it is for your consideration.
Unpublished letter to D&C:
The City of Rochester in the latest report is fourth in poverty in the nation. For children in poverty we rank first. It's academic standing is last in the state.
So one would expect a look at the headlines in our local paper would be screaming out these terrible facts and crying for solutions. A look at today's online paper is a real trip down denial.
Roller coaster Jack Rabbit honored for its history. Whatever Happened To...Heaven nightclub? QB competition in full gear as Bills lose... Jarron Jones reportedly hurt during Notre Dame... Penfield-Brighton 14625 ZIP code hot. Hype builds for Twilight Criterium's return. How to survive your freshman year in college. Yes there were a couple of crime headlines about marijuana laws and a stalking Greece policeman. Where is the outrage? Where is the emergency warning? Where is the headline stating that for too many in our community, life is not going on day to day as the normal the rest of us know?
Does the D&C know that poverty is about real people? It is about our neighbors. Neighors who are desperately living without jobs. Desperately living in slum dwellings owned by absentee landlords with heating and plumbing problems including sewage in their basements and rats upstairs. Desperately trying to keep their little kids safe in neighborhoods where their evening lullabies are gunshots. Desperately trying to stretch their food budget to cover more days than it reasonably can until they can revisit the food cupboard, get their below-living-wage paycheck, or reach the first of the month and receive their assistance money. Desperate to figure out who is going to watch their sick child who can't go to school, probably for several days, so they can go to work or get fired from, again, their job that doesn't even pay a living wage. Or maybe it's two or three jobs. And how is the sick kid going to get to the doctor?
We have a real crisis here folks. With the rapid spread of poverty, these statistics can only grow worse. So don't look at your neighbor and think. “There but for the grace of God, go I.” There is no grace involved. It is greed, plain and simple. And it's coming for you and I next. Wake up! Get up! Get going!
