Is Being Poor in the United States a Personal Choice?

Our Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal." I firmly believe that.

In the United States of America, you're born equal; after that, all bets are off. You're on your own.

You're not entitled to any kind of free ride at the expense of your fellow citizens unless you're physically or mentally unable to contribute to society.

In those cases, all necessary help that can be provided should be provided. Your situation is beyond your control.

What's It Like to Be Homeless?

In the 1980s, I was a flat-broke panhandler living in my out-of-gas car on the streets of San Diego. What was that life like?

It's a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it's nice to wake up every day with zero responsibilities.

No jobs, taxes, responsibilities, and free food at soup kitchens, relief centers, and churches.

The downside is safety. Being robbed by other homeless or rousted by police.

So, people experiencing homelessness travel in pairs or small groups for protection.

Someone always knows when the bakery throws out yesterday's doughnuts that didn't sell.

Working Your Way Out of Poverty

I could have stayed in that life and been relatively happy, but I wanted something more.

So, I panhandled for gas money and bathed in gas station restrooms as best I could to keep shirts as clean as possible so I could go on job interviews.

Shoplifted razors, shaving cream, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, etc. Not all in one trip, but occasionally and only after casing the store.

Few security cameras back then.

The heat coming through the back window of my hatchback Mazda would press my white shirt and one suit for job interviews that I found in the paper.

I had to park near a pay phone (this was before payphones were outgoing calls only) and long before cell phones.

It was the only way to find out if I got a job. I prayed the traffic would be light if anyone did call.

That One Big Break

I went to a job interview, and the interviewer sensed that I was in trouble, and after some denial, I told him my story. He referred me to a local church.

I met the people there who allowed me to shower, use their washer and dryer for my meager clothing, and gave me a few bucks for gas.

They invited me to the church service that evening, and a gentleman on disability offered me his couch until I could find a job.

At last, I had an address and phone.

I finally found a job a few months later in a town nearby, so I moved out and got a room in a flophouse motel.

No lock on the door, so each night, all my possessions came out of the car and into the room. Reversing the procedure each morning before work.

After a time, I could rent a room in a home, then eventually a tiny apartment.

Some Final Thoughts on Poverty

The only thing that got me out of poverty was my personal desire to get out.

To make whatever sacrifices necessary to get off the streets and pay my own way.

Not everyone could follow my example precisely as it happened to me. It didn't happen overnight. Took a couple of years.

You can have a better life if you want something and are willing to sacrifice for a short time.

Opportunities are all around us if we can just recognize them.

But from first-hand experience, I also know that unless you're physically or mentally unable to work, being poor in the greatest country in history is a choice.

Help, not never-ending handouts, is available everywhere, but you must choose to take advantage of it.

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