Children's quality of life declining, says report

Children's quality of life declining, says report

www.cnn.com

About 21 percent of children in the United States will be living below the poverty line in 2010, the highest rate in 20 years, according to a new analysis of children's well-being released Tuesday.

The study, funded by the private philanthropy Foundation for Child Development, found that families' economic well-being has plummeted to near 1975 levels, said Kenneth Land, project coordinator and professor of sociology and demography at Duke University.

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This is truly sad. Why aren't Americans up in arms about our quality of life going down? While the generations of our past have always made life better for the generations who came after, or at least by intention, we seem to not care about those who come after us. Arguably, our children are paying the price for the generations before ours but we can see this, yet we are failing to act.

Have we really become this ignorant? To where we can look at our predicament and not use our own brains to change it? I realize that the majority of Americans lack any kind of critical self thinking skills but how low do we have to get before we realize what's happening?

It is more clear than ever that the elites are benefitting at the expense of our children and our children's children but most Americans are still failing to see this. It is extremely frustrating. My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to pay the price for what basically amounts to the collective ignorance of my fellow countrymen.

--airspoon


www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Sad news.

This has been quoted often before in many contexts, but I'm going to toss it out there because I think its applicable yet again:

America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters...

...Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue. Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say, Napoleonic times.

Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent, is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves."

-Kurt Vonnegut

reply to post by silent thunder


Thank you for that contribution, that was an extremely ensightful quote and completely true.

--airspoon

It is sad, and what’s sadder is that things are only going to get worse. That is unless people decide that they deserve better. In the last couple of decades the pay for the top management of companies has far outpaced the pay of the average worker, for example, Wal-Mart, the CEO made 23.3 million dollars in 2007, while the average employee made just $18,000. I highly doubt that he did work equal to 1295 of his “associates”.

The thing is, until we start demanding the same things that our parents and grandparents got (pensions, a living wage) things are only going to get worse.

I'd say the biggest contribution to declining quality of life for kids are adults Bad parents and bad teachers.

Originally posted by airspoon
Why aren't Americans up in arms about our quality of life going down? While the generations of our past have always made life better for the generations who came after, or at least by intention, we seem to not care about those who come after us. Arguably, our children are paying the price for the generations before ours but we can see this, yet we are failing to act.

Well, call it a defeatist view, but following the passage of the health care bill many Americans realized that our voices are unheeded by those making the decisions in Washington. The blame for this degradation of the quality of life lies 50% with the average American for living well beyond their means and 50% with the government for doing the same while also passing legislation which sjyrocketed the debt and opened the door for our once incredible society of producers to take those jobs overseas. The majority of Americans were opposed to increasing the debt for crap like health care, warfare, and corporate wellfare. Guess what? Our opinion meant jack squat to the government and they did everything against our wishes anyway.

That leaves one option to make quick changes... violent uprising and rebellion. Think our kids' quality of life is crap now? Just look at the kids in Sarajevo, Baghdad, Juarez, Kobul... the list could go on forever, and ask if the poorest American child still has it better than those kids do.

I also believe that articles like this only serve to hammer down this percieved reliance on money being the end all, do all of human existance. That may be the saddest legacy we pass on to our children. Teach the kids about living a great life on a working man's dime. Yeah, it's hard as hell sometimes, but then again it has it's bright spots, too. Success and, especially happiness, shouldn't be measured by the size of daddy's paycheck or the number of new pieces of shiny crap under the Christmas tree.

Its what happens when the old rugged individualism that made the country was thrown out in favor of big brother and corporate greed. .

reply to post by burdman30ott6


I pretty much agree with just about everything you said, though I would think people's children would be a sacred straw. I know mine are. Thankfully my children's quality of life has not gone down, though I'm still angry.

I understand that many people feel as if their interests aren't being adhered to, but only because we aren't holding our rulers accountable. It is us that they need to enforce their policies. If it has to come to armed rebellion, then I'm ready. Why aren't my neighbors ready for it? Are they waiting until it's too late?

Sometimes, your destiny is chosen by the era in which you are born, just as our founding fathers had to live in war so that the generations after theirs could embrace liberty.

I once heard a quote of, I believe, Samuel Adams that whent something like, "We must be educated on war, so that our children can be educated on math and engineering, so that their children may be educated in the arts".

"The liberties of our Country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have receiv'd them as a fair Inheritance from our worthy Ancestors: They purchas'd them for us with toil and danger and expence of treasure and blood; and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle; or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. Of the latter we are in most danger at present: Let us therefore be aware of it. Let us contemplate our forefathers and posterity; and resolve to maintain the rights bequeath'd to us from the former, for the sake of the latter. - Instead of sitting down satisfied with the efforts we have already made, which is the wish of our enemies, the necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude, and perseverance. Let us remember that "if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom." It is a very serious consideration, which should deeply impress our minds, that millions yet unborn may be the miserable sharers of the event." --Samuel Adams

--airspoon

I try to teach children new ways to see the world around them. They rarely are given the opportunities to solve problems on their own. Schools teach them how to get by enough to be told what to do at a job. Those jobs will not exist in the future most likely and we need a new paradigm if we are to grow. Self sustainability skills are very important. Teaching others to work with what is around them rather than what sits on the isles of a store is a good start. I've been lazy though in the past and relied too much on being able to buy what I want for them. That way teaches them only to be consumers. It's sad that we place more emphasis on having a facebook page or texting than something as simple as growing your own food.