Child Poverty in the United States:

[SoCalDem]

Child Poverty in the United States: The Need for a Constitutional Amendment and a Cultural Sea Change
http://www.abanet.org/irr/hr/winter05/childpovertyinus.html
By Robert C. Fellmeth

Johnny S. was eleven years old and his homeless mother had his five-year-old sister to worry about. So she left him on a street corner in Ocean Beach, a neighborhood in San Diego. Johnny looked for his mom for four days before he was picked up by social workers. He scrounged for odd jobs and conned a restaurant manager into letting him wash dishes for three hours a night, earning just over $135.

When the social workers found him, he had every penny in his pockets. He had confined himself to just one meal at the restaurant because “Mom needs .” Johnny is a bright-eyed boy with above average intelligence. However, he has a slight stoop due to a correctable bone malformation, and his teeth have painful cavities.

He has not been to school for two years. He presents a microcosm of child poverty in America: a child with strong potential and admirable character but with health problems, an educational deficit, and likely relegation to group home foster care or to the streets. Regrettably, Johnny is not unique.

He lives in our wealthiest state and, until gathered up, was sleeping under bushes by the beach, in the shadows of $5 million homes.

snip...

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. If this doesn't outrage you

you have no heart.

[file83]

3. This is why ALL children should be allowed to have state provided medical insurance

...at the VERY least. It would be a good first step (among many other first steps) that needs to be taken.

This story upsets me. What upsets me more are how many children are in similar situations. In this country of all places!

[SoCalDem]

4. And..then there's the "employer" who paid him "under the table"..

The crux of most of our problems is ''EMPLOYERS" who insist on the downward wage-spiral..

That "employer" should have called CPS immediately instead of "hiring" a homeless 11 year old.

[file83]

5. That 'employer' was probably proud of himself for finding cheaper labor than an illegal alien...

..."I saved myself $30!!"

I'm sure Satan has a very special place for him in eternity. :evilgrin:

[Gormy Cuss]

8. It's not always that simple.

First off, I absolutely agree that employers who pay people under the table to keep wages down shouldn't be tolerated. Period. The other side of the coin is that in addition to cheapskate employers who use it as a way to keep their own costs down, there are others who offer short term under the table jobs as a kindness to someone who needs money.

As for calling child protective services, it's not obvious that the employer would have guess his situation in this case. the piece says that Johnny conned the restaurant mgr into hiring him. It doesn't say how. Maybe the con was that he wanted to save money for a bicycle or new clothes. Maybe Johnny claimed to be 15 or 16 -- I was routinely assumed to be an older teen when I was twelve because of my height and my mature manner. Of course I wasn't mature, but that took a little time to figure out.

Of course none of the above matters as much as the fact that we still have children trying to fend for themselves in our country.

[donsu]

2. kicking for justice for children - american don't care

nt

[Gelliebeans]

6. Thank you for posting this

So important to remember the children.

[bleedingheart]

7. and some people in those homes resent paying taxes to help

people like that kid out...

[Hobarticus]

9. Goddamned freeloaders...how dare they want to EAT, and SLEEP INDOORS

In this, the wealthiest and most comfortable nation on the planet.

It makes one sick to think about it.