We Are Fine If You Are Fine

Their life circumstances, by many measures, couldn’t be more different — he’s a middle-aged black man from a hardscrabble Mon Valley steel town; she’s a young white woman originally from an affluent suburb of Austin, Texas.

But what they have in common — heroin addiction early in life — trumps what they don’t. That’s because heroin is as nondiscriminatory as it is destructive.

Theirs are cautionary tales of the all-mighty power of the drug. And with heroin’s low prices, high potency and widespread availability hereabouts — from the inner city to tony suburbs — the threat has never been more manifest.

via Heroin’s siren song: A force that’s stronger than will or reason.

Link: Six Conversations That Matter: A Quick Review (07-05-2011) – Abundant Community

Scott L. McMannis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:19:42 +0000

From Abundant Community:

To open the community to an alternative future, start with the invitation conversation. Since all the other conversations lead to one another, sequence is not all that critical. It’s important to understand that some are more difficult than others, especially in communities where citizens are just beginning to engage with one another. Certain conversations are high-risk and require a greater level of trust among people than others to have meaning. A good meeting design begins with less-demanding ones and ends with the more-difficult ones.

via Posts: Six Conversations That Matter: A Quick Review (07-05-2011) – Abundant Community.

Link: Reject Apathy – Who Are “the Bottom Billion”?

Scott L. McMannis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:34:04 +0000

Great article. I have seen the poor in Nepal and can agree with the author:

3. Compared to the poor, I’m lazy, arrogant and have no creativity.

So much of my preconceived notions about the poor was that they weren’t smart and didn’t work hard. But when I dug deeper, I saw them as the exact opposite. They have a lot to offer—except they live under a system that systematically, unfairly and brutally keeps them down.

via Reject Apathy – Who Are “the Bottom Billion”?.

Link:The Agricultural 99 Percent – Institute Notes: A Dialogue on Overcoming Hunger and Poverty

Scott L. McMannis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:29:41 +0000

Quote from article:

2011 was a record year for U.S. farmers, with farm income topping $100 billion. This includes sales of $22 billion in fruits and nuts and $21 billion in vegetables and melons – crops that rely on immigrant farm labor.

But even as U.S. farmers prospered in 2011, those working on farms had less to celebrate.

The nation’s agricultural mecca – Fresno Country, California – had the state’s highest agricultural sales ($5.9 billion) and its highest poverty rate – 27 percent. More than 36 percent of the county’s children were poor, also the highest rate in the state. As one agricultural expert puts it, “High farm sales and high poverty rates often go together.”

via The Agricultural 99 Percent – Institute Notes: A Dialogue on Overcoming Hunger and Poverty.

Link : ACTION ALERT: Stand Up for Poor Pennsylvanians – Tell Gov. Corbett to Drop the Food Stamp Asset Test!

Scott L. McMannis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:24:37 +0000

Click the link below and find out how to help over-turn this heartless proposal.

Saving money is critical in helping people transition from poverty to self-sufficiency. Forcing a family to drain their savings before receiving help is counterproductive, making it harder for people to move off of government assistance. A family with less than $2,000 in savings would be ill-prepared to pay for emergency medical expenses, let alone afford the first and last month’s rent usually required to rent an apartment on their own.

via ACTION ALERT: Stand Up for Poor Pennsylvanians – Tell Gov. Corbett to Drop the Food Stamp Asset Test!.