Makin' More

Poverty isn't a new idea or fad. It seems that every developed country has seen their fair share of it. Though the US prides itself on a high standard of living, we are not exempt from this plague. Not that I am complaining. Obviously, I have access to a computer and other things that some would never dream of. I was raised in a generally rich area and was never exposed to food stamps, medicaid, or other forms of government support. Recently I moved to a border town (which will stay confidential) where kids sell food in public school. You couldn't imagine my surprise when I was offered food from my classmates. My curiosity got the best of me. Why do you do it? My reasons were innocent. I have to, I can't afford new school clothes if I don't. I went home with questions for my father. How can they not afford clothing? Don't they know its against school policy? Of course it is against the rules; teachers tend to look the other way though when a student comes to school in the same shirt every day. Young teens are faced with problems labeled as ADULT. So why does it happen? Who is to blame? Should we blame the parents, who can't support their families. Well believe it or not, not everyone can be a doctor or lawyer. There has to be people that work the minimum wage jobs. Everyone just wants to make a living, so why do we look down on them? The janitors? Bus drivers? Lunch ladies? Especially teenagers who think they are so much better than these hard working individuals. Would we prefer they be gang members? Robbing homes? Of course not. The truth is we don't all have the same opportunities. We can all have the same drive though, a drive to do better, be better. So this is a thumbs up to all the Mom's and Dad's who do the hard jobs to send their kids to college; A slap on the back to those kids who were given less and made more.