Extra Credit: Reflection Paper - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 25 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection" (pg.98). However, the rights to shelter and nutrition do not exist in the United States due to our excessive debt and economic instability. The government’s priorities are focused elsewhere, such as, funding wars and government waste. For instance, The Hertiage Foundation Leadership For America offers 10 examples of government waste responsible for this instability:

1) The Missing $25 Billion - The government knows that $25 billion was spent by someone, somewhere, on something, but auditors do not know who spent it, where it was spent, or on what it was spent.

2) Unused Flight Tickets Totaling $100 Million - The Defense Department purchased and then left unused approximately 270,000 commercial airline tickets at a total cost of $100 million. Even worse, the Pentagon never bothered to get a refund for these fully refundable tickets.

3) Embezzled Funds at the Department of Agriculture - Employees of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) diverted millions of dollars to personal purchases through their government-issued credit cards.

4) Credit Card Abuse at the Department of Defense - Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 for admission to entertainment events, $48,250 for gambling, $69,300 for cruises, and $73,950 for exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.

5) Medicare Overspending - Medicare wastes more money than any other federal program, yet its strong public support leaves lawmakers hesitant to address program efficiencies, which cost taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars annually. For example, Medicare pays as much as eight times what other federal agencies pay for the same drugs and medical supplies.

6) Funding Fictitious Colleges and Students - $21.8 billion worth of student loans are in default, and too many cases of fraud are left undetected.

7) Manipulating Data to Encourage Spending - The Washington Post, and several private organizations have found that Corps studies routinely contain dozens of basic arithmetic errors, computer errors, and ridiculous economic assumptions that artificially inflate the benefits of water projects by as much as 300 percent.

8) State Abuse of Medicaid Funding Formulas - The GAO and the HHS Inspector General have uncovered some states' practice of recovering improper payments, retaining the funds, and then spending them on unrelated programs-a practice that costs the federal government well over $2 billion per year.

9) Earned Income Tax Credit Overpayments - The earned income tax credit (EITC) provides $31 billion in refundable tax credits to 19 million low-income families. The IRS estimates that $8.5 billion to $9.9 billion of this amount-nearly one-third-is wasted in overpayments.

10) Redundancy Piled on Redundancy - Government's layering of new programs on top of old ones inherently creates duplication. Having several agencies perform similar duties is wasteful and confuses program beneficiaries who must navigate each program's distinct rules and requirements.

*You can view the entire article at this website:

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2005/04/top-10-examples-of-government-waste

These are fundamental reasons why America fails to provide the rights to shelter and nutrition. As soon as the government reevaluates their priorities and fixes the many governmental spending flaws and negligence, only then we may finally evolve into a nation that provides help to those that need it the most.

Hunger Banquet

I arrived at the Hunger Banquet with somewhat of an idea of what to expect, however, I was not aware of the reality of the experience. The random choosing of individuals in low class, middle class, and high class created an interesting and unbiased environment. I handpicked a piece of paper out of a small cup that read "Lower" and I immediately knew it was going to be an interesting day. As I walked into the room to join the lower class students on the floor, the first thing that caught my eye was those seated at the high class table and the delicious food that was laid out for all to see. I then noticed the abundance of lower class individuals and could not help but think about the reality of this situation, as I listen to my stomach grumbling from hunger staring at the fresh salad and shiny silverware on the high-class table in front of us. Embarrassment hit me when I caught the eye of a student seated at the high-class table, catching the hunger in my stare. However, as their waiter began to serve their full course meals I found myself shamelessly glaring at them with envy and in a somewhat angry manner, while I sip on my bland greasy broth.

I learned that poverty is more than the definition of poor and underprivileged. Although I was aware that it was merely a demonstration, the feeling of weakness and helplessness was difficult to ignore. I honestly began to understand the desperation of panhandling and stealing to survive. Furthermore, the reality in this exercise is addressed when video and statistics were presented to us revealing that the annual income worldwide is about $12,000. This opened my eyes to the incredible difference of what we consider to be poor in America and how we should appreciate what we have. Some people do not even have the option of hot broth to eat, let alone anything at all. Their demonstration of moving people around from one class to another revealed the ease of falling into poverty in one missed paycheck. Someone also explained Mark Robert Rank’s idea that poverty is a form of musical chairs in which the system is designed where someone is destined to fall into a life of poverty. My only hope is that others have also walked away with the same understanding and knowledge that I have had the pleasure of learning throughout this experience.

Ehrenreich Text

Barbara Ehrenreich's experience in her Walmart job in Minnesota seemed unpleasant and frustrating. Nevertheless, she appeared to maintain her strength and sanity, remaining aware of her surroundings. She describes Walmart’s orientation video, containing compelling and positive incentives with a feeling of family and great customer /employee relations, as a reflection of the grandeur scale of a successful corporation. However, her first day on the job, Barbara immediately became aware of many contradictions in the orientation’s message. Her fellow employees showed evidence of bitterness, exhaustion, and lack of fulfillment in their work. The endless wave of customers destroying the order and cleanliness of the store that took the employees hours of hard work, slowly begin to extinguish the message of great customer/employee relations. Yet, while contemplating whether to eat or buy new clothes, hauling around her laptop and portions of food in her car through various whether conditions, Barbara struggles to start her day with a positive attitude finding ways to manage her spending and escape her situation through any form of entertainment. Her daily concerns consist of finding ways to manage her money while struggling to maintain a healthy level of hygiene.

She had the opportunity to work at Menards for supposedly $10 an hour but as she states "unforeseen physiological reasons" came into play and she somehow ended up taking the job at Walmart for $7 an hour (Nickel and Dimed, pg. 143). According to the Poverty in America: Living Wage Calculator (http://www.livingwage.geog.psu.edu/places/2704343198), the living wage in Minnesota for a single adult is $6.97 an hour, the poverty wage is $5.04 an hour, and the minimum wage being $7.25 an hour with monthly expenses for food and housing totaling about $650. The average hourly wages in Minnesota place Barbara Ehrenreich’s earnings of $7.00 an hour at Walmart slightly below the required minimum wage, yet, keeping her just above the poverty line. The annual income before taxes that is required to be considered earning a living wage in Minnesota is $14,494. In my personal opinion, Barbara's struggle of bearing the decision of whether to eat or maintain a sensible form of hygiene should be considered living within the poverty range and must obtain the required level of assistance to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Article from reliable source, addressing food insecurity in Chicago or Cook County

"New Study Provides Food Insecurity Rates For Cook County"

Author: Aaron Krager

Date of publication: Wednesday September 21st, 2011, 2:39pm
 
Source: Greater Chicago Food Depository

This article provides a first time look into the existence of hunger and food insecurity in the suburbs and the city of Chicago revealing profound differences. According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, "Citywide, a staggering 20.6 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity, which is defined as reduced quality, variety or desirability in a diet that leads to disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake"(Krager, 2011). A map by the GCFD shows that the rates in Cook County suburbs are much lower, with a percentage of 15.4. However, the GCFD map displays Ford Heights at 55.5 percent, Robbins at 45 percent, and Dixmoor at 38.7 percent, revealing the highest amounts of poverty in the 119 communities of Cook County. Due to the subsiding economy this number will continue to rise and more and more families will plunge into the cycle of food insecurity. The Greater Chicago Food Depository states, “Roughly 11 percent of Chicago is currently unemployed and there is a large number of city residents who are either working part-time or no longer seeking work. More than one third of all food insecure individuals live in a household earning more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning they do not qualify for assistance programs like SNAP or WIC” (Krager, 2011).     

Similarly, Ranks ideas in “Why American Poverty Affects Us All” and the Greater Chicago Food Depository map, both address the issue of poverty with the purpose of creating positive change in the world. Rank covers the nature of ‘American poverty’ through discussing contrasts between the words and poverty as a structural failure. He also offers cause for concern in terms of our own self-interests and essence of citizenship, along with creating fundamental change through presenting ideas of new paradigms and future directions. Both Rank and the GCFD's purpose is to cause awareness through making public, the existence of family suffering by revealing the rates of food insecurity in the Chicago area and reporting the global issues of poverty. Rank provides solutions and explanations to hunger and homelessness in society and the GCFD provides the facts, both offering up the possibility for any form of assistance along with addressing the need for improvement and action.

Reflection Paper: "Broadway Youth Center" speakers

We had the pleasure of listening to four speakers from the fear advocate program on Broadway and Belmont in Chicago, IL called the "Broadway Youth Center". Their names were Muffin, who prefers to switch pronouns based on how she feels, Blade and Victor using male pronouns, and Robert who uses she pronouns. This LBGTQ facility, funded by Howard Brown, private donations, and social service organizations, serves 40+ youth (ages 13-24) a day in a revolving door form of assistance. They offer aftercare, a clinic with free testing, assistance in ID retrieval, link cards, GED's, food pantry, case management, and much more. They discussed many issues such as, the stereotypes and profile of a homeless individual pertaining to appearance and hygiene, harm reduction, what it means to be 'homefree' as oppose to 'homeless', community agreements in terms of a safe space discussion, and brief descriptions of their life experiences. They handed out multiple surveys to the audience and requested we express our honest opinions and beliefs on the subject of homelessness. Many discussions arose pertaining to the idea of what we feel the face of homelessness looks like with debates of its truth, as well as, why condoms are handed out in boystown and not in other areas.

I found their discussion of the difference between the definition of 'homefree' as oppose to 'homeless' extremely interesting and controversial. In my personal opinion, their nonchalant descriptions displayed a presence of sensitivity and shielding of their true emotions. I agree with their belief of homefree as a matter of choice and homeless as forced and a form of displacement. However, Robert describing his homefree situation in a positive light is an example of a defense mechanism. He described his homefree status as a choice that is enriching and a great way to rid yourself of bills and responsibility. The consciousness of him holding back from his true feelings is difficult to ignore. They each agreed with his explanation and did not display any form of support or argument in the reality of the issue of homelessness. It honestly looks as if each of them still have a few complications to work out in their personal lives in order for them to grow. To create positive representation of the organization it is vital that they display a sense of maturity and experience throughout their lives. They must have the ability to educate those who have no real life experience with homelessness, generating awareness and understanding that is capable of eliminating the existence of poverty itself. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure listening to their stories and I appreciate their courage for coming out and sharing their lives with us.

Service Project - What did you do for your project?

A.     October 26, 2011 (9:30am – 5:30pm)

Helped develop, rewrite, and organize The Night Ministry’s media book. Found new contacts in major newspapers throughout the U.S., magazines, radio stations, and television stations that focus mainly on hunger and homelessness pertaining to youth and health related organizations.

I organized welcome packets for clients and potential sponsors, cleaned up and disposed of outdated donations, and made notes of previous donations before 2005 in funding files. Lastly, I engaged in and observed conversations with staff members, calls, and walk-in donators that trickle in every few hours.

Some of the staff was extremely nice and welcoming. They work after hours and meet at certain shelters to further lend a helping hand to those in need. They ordered food for the staff and discussed leftover food being given to those in the shelter.

November 2, 2011 (8:50am – 3:30pm)

Continued to organize and find editors and writers to add to their media book from the Washington Post, The Sun Times, and the New York Times. Developed a template for their media contact binder and e-mailed it to my Night Ministry supervisor.

Re-boxed welcome bags containing items such as mugs, key chains, and pamphlets with The Night Ministry logo and explanation of their mission.

I cut and stapled thank you messages to pins for those that were willing to donate to the organizations in the month of November in preparation for mailing while discussing stories of how employees reading thank you notes from clients are the most rewarding part of their jobs and the reason why they love their career choice.

I developed binders for a potential sponsor seminar, created labels, designed cover sheets with The Night Ministry logo, and ensuring topics of their mission are properly displayed, such as important dates, introduction of board of directors, types of programs offered, etc.

I then hole punched all items that are to be placed into the bonders and organized them in the order of labeled sections and placed them into each binder.

November 12, 2011 (9:05am – 2:35pm)

Took part in volunteer training that began with introductions and why each of us chose to be there. We had the opportunity to get to know fellow volunteers, along with gaining an insight of where each of us are from and where we grew up.

We then watched a video on The Night Ministry and gained an idea of the organizations mission and funding, along with what programs they have to offer. We then broke up into groups and discussed our own cultures and our personal experiences with other cultures throughout our lifetime. I learned that even though we grew up in different neighborhoods and socialized in different cultures, we all had the desire to be part of the greater good and take part in offering our assistance to those in need in our community.

We were then given an assignment to come up with numerous reasons we feel homeless individuals are privileged and how they are underprivileged. We then listened to a presentation from a longtime volunteer and a representative named Gail Bernoff re-explaining the types of assistance The Night Ministry offers with the purpose of deciding which program we may choose to provide our fulltime assistance.

Lastly, they divided us into groups by our program choice and spoke to professionals, delivering a deeper understanding of the area we chose. They handed out information packets with pamphlets and fliers welcoming us to the agency and provided us with further details of what we must do in order to complete our background check to become a fulltime volunteer.

B.     Kirstin Hill and Wiktoria Bosco attended this site as well, however, I only was able to work a few hours with Wiktoria on October 26, 2011 from about 3:30 to 5:30 pm. I cleaned up and organized the contribution files while she shredded and disposed of outdated donations that piled up throughout the day. Lastly, we both conversed with staff members and observed conversations with calls and walk-in donators.

Critique of Mehjabeen P.'s blog "Only if poverty was an issue of the past…" November 25, 2011

Mehjabeen’s blog is well laid out with a great introduction to the beginning of her blog. She introduces herself and presents a few personal facts about her place of employment along with her choice of major and why, then proceeds to briefly describe the overall subject of her blog. The ideas and facts she offers the audience on the subject of poverty is well written, however, lacks a form of complexity and passion. Her expressions of opinion is somewhat delicate, however, she delivers personal and genuine views of the issue of poverty through her own words, presenting a logic of honesty and truth. Her blog presents a great sense of knowledge in the subject of poverty and maintains the reader’s attention through her sincere awareness of the fact that poverty is indeed a serious and unrelenting presence throughout society. She did a very good job!