The Edge

Adrienne Heroneme

Staff Writer

Approximately 85 individuals sleep on the streets of Ellis County each night. This statistic is surprising, as Ellis County is not commonly thought of as a place where homelessness exists. I learned this and other disheartening facts at the First Call for Help of Ellis County Poverty and Homelessness in Rural Kansas seminar held April 11.

First Call for Help of Ellis County is an organization housed in Hays which offers a variety of services for individuals and families, including crisis intervention, food and temporary housing, transit aid as well as education and prevention programs. The majority of First Call for Help’s clients are employed; however, their inability to make ends meet may in part be due to Kansas ’ depressed economic situation. Kansas is what is known as a low-wage state. Minimum wage in Kansas is $2.65 per hour. The current federal minimum wage is set at $5.85 according to the Labor Law Center . While “most employees are entitled to $5.85 per hour”, this does not always happen, as employers are not required to match the federal government’s minimum wage standard in professions such as those affiliated with restaurants.

Perhaps a seemingly obvious solution to this problem would be the attainment of a college education, so as to allow for better job opportunities. However, as reported in the presentation, many college scholarships awarded to those of low economic status go unused. To some extent, this is due to the culture of thinking employed by the poor. This specific culture of thinking, known as “The Culture of Poverty”, founded by Oscar Lewis, is just one of many sociological theories which have been proposed to explain causes of poverty. This view explains that individuals who have grown up in generational poverty, the type which is present in two or more generations of a family, are part of an institutionalized subculture complete with a separate set of attitudes, beliefs and values. While the middle class sets focus on working toward the future, those in poverty often feel they have little other choice than to place their concern into immediate outcomes. Furthermore, it may be difficult for those living in poverty to receive educational scholarships in the first place. According to statistics from the 2005 McGraw Hill Multicultural Education and the Internet Quiz by Paul C. Gorski, family income is the variable which most closely predicts how high an individual will score on the SAT test. From information such as this, it is easy to see how socioeconomic status sets a precedent for one’s future in areas of educational achievement and attainment, employment and career.

Contradictory to this theory is that which is consistent with the idea of Social Darwinism. This view includes perceptions that the poor population is made up of individuals who are any combination of crazy, lazy, stupid, or drug-addicted. The general claim is that the poor are mostly responsible for their economic status; poverty is a result of individual’s actions or lack thereof. In a 1970 study by Joe R. Feagin, over 50 percent of Americans believed that “lack of thrift” “lack of effort” and “lack of ability” by the poor were fundamental causes of poverty. Forty-eight percent believed “loose morals and drunkenness” also contributed to poverty. This study was conducted over 35 years ago, yet similar attitudes still exist in today’s society.

Facilitators of the seminar shared that both physical and mental illnesses as well as learning disabilities are common among those living in poverty. Another theme explored during the seminar was questioning if organizations such as First Call for Help only aid in the continuation of poverty by giving “hand-outs” to those who are unwilling to help themselves. While it at times may seem that individuals do not want to help themselves, some people simply do not know how and need extensive guidance to learn these skills, especially when their lives are complicated by health issues. Additionally, aiding those in need keeps criminal activity committed by poverty-stricken individuals to a minimum. Moreover, employees of First Call for Help explained that the clients of the organization are by and large utilizing the services in an attempt to earnestly improve their lives.

Is poverty a result of behaviors or is it a cause for behaviors? I believe it is a combination of both. Perhaps the only concrete assessment is that poverty exists. Perhaps the only appropriate question at this point is how poverty may be overcome. Poverty is a complex issue; there is no simple answer to its solution. More funding for programs such as First Call for Help would seem to be one answer, yet this organization reports that it is unable to provide satisfactory support for their clients in some cases.

We live in a land of plenty in the United States . Who’s getting that plenty? The other night as I was polluting my mind with entertainment television, I learned the models on the popular game show “Deal or No Deal” make over six figures working only five months out of the year, and far less than forty hours a week. I realize this is an extreme comparison and I’m also no expert on how the distribution of money works. But it is also pretty extreme that poverty is such a widespread problem in this country. Who’s going to do the math? Or rather, who should be doing the math?

Retraction:

The infamous Edgar Winter line—“People keep asking me, ‘Where’s your brother?’.”—did not occur at the Apollo Theatre in New York as I reported in my March article, “Still Alive and Well: A Look at the Legendary Johnny Winter”.

My mistake was brought to my attention by a gentleman from New York who had read the article. He maintains the “Edgar Winter White Trash show of which” I spoke “was in fact at NY’s Academy of Music .”

I referred back to the original physical album; on the front cover it states: "Recorded at the Apollo Theatre, the NY Academy of Music and the Whiskey A Go Go of L.A." These Edgar Winter White Trash show(s) were in fact, recorded in three different locations.

However, upon further investigation, I was informed Johnny Winter has never performed at the Apollo Theatre. Therefore, this particular Johnny Winter performance of “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” was recorded at either the Whiskey A Go Go of Los Angeles or the Academy of Music in New York . I have not received or discovered further information to confirm which of these locations housed this infamous performance, although I would assume the New York gentleman’s assertion to be accurate.

I sincerely apologize for my mistake, both as a journalist and as a fan of Johnny Winter. Nonetheless, as a good friend recently assured me, “Everyone makes mistakes, that's why retractions are printed”, and furthermore, “All ink is good ink!”

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