From Shannon --

We were driving by a cemetery. She asked, "Is that where dead people are buried?"
"Yes."
"I guess the big one is for a really fat person."

God has blessed America. Vote Republican in 2008

A MINORITY VIEW

BY WALTER E. WILLIAMS

RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007, AND THEREAFTER

Are the Poor Getting Poorer?

People who want more government income redistribution programs often sell their agenda with the lament, "The poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer," but how about some evidence and you decide? I think the rich are getting richer, and so are the poor.

According to the most recent census, about 35 million Americans live in poverty. Heritage Foundation scholar Robert Rector, using several government reports, gives us some insights about these people in his paper: "Understanding Poverty and Economic Inequality in the United States" [http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg1796.cfm].

In 1971, only about 32 percent of all Americans enjoyed air conditioning in their homes. By 2001, 76 percent of poor people had air conditioning. In 1971, only 43 percent of Americans owned a color television; in 2001, 97 percent of poor people owned at least one. In 1971, 1 percent of American homes had a microwave oven; in 2001, 73 percent of poor people had one. Forty-six percent of poor households own their homes. Only about 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities.

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars. Seventy-eight percent of the poor have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; and one-third have an automatic dishwasher.

For the most part, long-term poverty today is self-inflicted. To see this, let's examine some numbers from the Census Bureau's 2004 Current Population Survey. There's one segment of the black population that suffers only a 9.9 percent poverty rate, and only 13.7 percent of their under-5-year-olds are poor. There's another segment of the black population that suffers a 39.5 percent poverty rate, and 58.1 percent of its under-5-year-olds are poor.

Among whites, one population segment suffers a 6 percent poverty rate, and only 9.9 percent of its under-5-year-olds are poor. Another segment of the white population suffers a 26.4 percent poverty rate, and 52 percent of its under-5-year-olds are poor.

What do you think distinguishes the high and low poverty populations? The only statistical distinction between both the black and white populations is marriage. There is far less poverty in married-couple families, where presumably at least one of the spouses is employed. Fully 85 percent of black children living in poverty reside in a female-headed household.

Poverty is not static for people willing to work. A University of Michigan study shows that only 5 percent of those in the bottom fifth of the income distribution in 1975 remained there in 1991. What happened to them? They moved up to the top three-fifths of the income distribution -- middle class or higher. Moreover, three out of 10 of the lowest income earners in 1975 moved all the way into the top fifth of income earners by 1991. Those who were poor in 1975 had an inflation-adjusted average income gain of $27,745 by 1991. Those workers who were in the top fifth of income earners in 1975 were better off in 1991 by an average of only $4,354. The bottom line is, the richer are getting richer and the poor are getting richer.

Poverty in the United States, in an absolute sense, has virtually disappeared. Today, there's nothing remotely resembling poverty of yesteryear. However, if poverty is defined in the relative sense, the lowest fifth of income-earners, "poverty" will always be with us. No matter how poverty is defined, if I were an unborn spirit, condemned to a life of poverty, but God allowed me to choose which nation I wanted to be poor in, I'd choose the United States. Our poor must be the envy of the world's poor.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

Here is Chris on his bike. He is our first child to have more than a passing relationship with the bicycle. Aaron and Shannon would rather run or be pulled around in a wagon like a prom queen, respectively.
Here he is trying to get it started.

And away he goes!

Aaron's First Grade Pictures

 I am so thankful that the Lord is a part of Shannon's life....here is the latest.

 

The other day, Shannon asked Chris to change places with her on the couch so she could sit next to Aaron's friend.  I watched as she scooted closer and closer to him, gazing at him every once in a while.  Of course, he was (thankfully) oblivious.

 

Today she hit me with three consecutive statements, not giving me any time to get my bearings with each one. I am not joking about this!

1) "I want to have a boyfriend."

2) "When I babysit children, I am going to bring my boyfriend over."

3) "Mom, the next time we go on an airplane, can you buy me an iPod?"

 

Lord, help us all.

 

 

Just Having Fun at the Rodgers

Fun at Kemah Boardwalk

Petting the Rays

The kids got soaked in the "Cool Zone" sprinklers

Enjoying an economical lunch

Lots of rides

Chris's Favorite Ride

Some Pics of our Favorite People in Texas

Doug, Christal, Aaron and Doug's Dad at Cody's baseball game.

The Armstrongs

The Briggs, Glovers and Morrisseys(sans Leslie)

Christal showing how she deals with being height-challenged

Pics from the night we took Doug's Mom out for seafood and fed the seagulls

Texas Trip in Random Order: Day at the Beach

Leslie here.  Shannon is just full of interesting comments.  Here are some more:

 

I told Shannon that as soon as she practiced her play, I would watch it.  She said, "Mom, but Aaron and me already know what we're going to do.  We're that kind of people."

 

Once I told Shannon that we could get a small mammal for her (like a hamster) once she is older and more responsible.  Well, she remembered that.  Today, she made it a point to show me everything she was putting away.  She said, "Just ignore me, Mom.  I am going to dump out the water here, and hang the towels up here.  Then I'm putting my stuff away."  When I praised her for her initiative and how she was getting more and more responsible, she said, "Yeah, and I can get a pet."

 

I asked her what she played on the playground yesterday at school.  She said, "Boys chase the girls." 

"I played that when I was little," I said. 

She added, "The girls hid from the boys in the virtual room."

Shannon:

 

"Mom, you are the best mom in the whole world -- no.......maybe the whole town."

Shannonisms of late:

 

"Mom, I am exclusively exhausted."

 

I said, "And where is your thank-you?"  She replied without hesitation, "In Philadelphia.  It is visiting his mommy and daddy."

 

 

My Dad said I should keep posting Aaron's goals. So, here he is scoring the first goal for his team again. This is the third game.

You may have noticed there were only 3 players on defense. The teams are supposed to have 12 players each. They split each team up into two squads of 6 and play games of 4-on-4 with 2 subs. They play one of the other team's squads for 24 minutes. Then they switch.

Sunday, Aaron's team only had 7. Aaron got put on the 3-person squad. So, he played 48 minutes without subs against a team that subbed all 3 players every 4 minutes. I am including this video to show what a go-getter he is, still playing hard near the end of the last quarter.