Generational Poverty

There is a cycle of poverty known as “Generational Poverty” and it is nearly impossible to correct.  Generational Poverty is when three or four generations of the same family have grown up in poverty.  They have no memory of anyone in the family not living in poverty. They begin to accept that survival is enough and do not make an attempt to get out of poverty.

 

Many much smarter than me say they begin to accept survival over trying to advance because they lack resources, education and connections. They claim that if they had outside help they could break the cycle of poverty.  Without outside help they are destined to be poor generation after generation.

This is true to a certain extent, but I do not believe it is the only cause of generational poverty.  Generational poverty becomes a mindset and is nearly impossible to break regardless of the outside help they have. I say this because I have tried to help and have first hand experience in the Philippines.  I will explain later. 

I admit poverty can be and generally is the results of low productivity, low salaries, poor governance, ignorance, lack of skills and technology, lack of education, disease, disasters, unemployment, marital status, lack of confidence, victim mentality and mass imprisonment of men.     

A 1960 study said trying to advance the skills of children in poverty has proven difficult and expensive, therefore they suggest supplementing the income of all poor 
families to bring them up to the level of the other students in their schools.  I am sorry this does not make sense to me.  Do they intend for us to supplement the salaries of every generation that follows and there will never be and end to the burden it puts on tax payers and it will never advance an individual who is living in poverty.  There is an old clique give a man a fish and he will eat once, but teach him to fish and he will eat the rest of his life.   

There was a study in France in 2004 that liked the idea that Obama proposed “Income Transfer”, take from the rich and give to the poor.  But, the study did  
 conclude this should only be a quick fix and could not be continued because the real solution is the government must assure a quality education for all. This plan was 
different than the GREAT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S for his plan would have 
continued for ever because it was to be part of the I.R.S.  

Do you remember the other great plan of the Democrats in the 1960's favor minorities in job and entrance to college. They did not apply for jobs and they did not go to college.  When it came time to stop the plan they revolted.  The ones that benefit from the Civil Rights Plan would have probably succeeded without it for they were already achievers.  Contrary to what we are told I believe most rich people do not inherit their wealth they obtain their wealth by working hard.  Most of the rich did not attend private schools they attended public schools.  I think it has more to do 
with  the motivation of the individual to want to do better than handouts.

After my Father died, when I was in my early teens, we became poor very fast.  I was 
determined I did not want to be poor all my life and I worked my way through 
college and graduate school and manage to obtain a lifestyle where I never experienced poverty again.

Since living in the Philippines I have paid all expenses for five students to go to college  and given them a weekly stipends.  One graduated from College.  The others did not have enough desire to advance in life.  One young lady was an honor student, but her parents thought it best she drop out and go to work so she could help support 
the family. She believed she should follow Philippine tradition.  One family was afraid the child would have more of an attachment for me than them and would not 
help them when he finished college. I now pay a family to send their daughter to school who is in the seventh grade and an honor student and pray she continues.  Her 
family seems to understand the importance of an education.

My point is these five students had outside help and only one took advantage of it.  Now I will give you more examples. They concern helping families start a business. 

A young couple in their late twenties, a nice couple, was living in poverty and I was 
the Godfather to their child.  They went back to the city where they came from and I financed a small café for them.  I personally went and purchased all the equipment, had the space remodeled and paid one year utilities and rent in advance.  They opened and did better than I had ever anticipated.  The first warning to me was when the wife said we are the owners and I should not be waiting tables I should be the cashier.  She had her Father build her a nice little cashier booth where she sat on her 
butt all day.  They had to replace her with a paid employee.  The third month they had made enough money to take a vacation in Cebu to show off their new found wealth to his family.  They closed for three weeks.  When they returned they found that the customers they had daily had gone elsewhere and they  could not 
understand why.  To make a long story short they pawned all the equipment, left the 
building empty with about ten months rent and utilities paid.  To top it all they did not even feel and obligation to tell the customer on a sign that they were closed for three weeks and would reopen. They had outside help, but could not or would handle the responsibility.

I help a mother and son open a grocery store.  The mother was disabled and the son was about 23 and a prostitute making money at the mall off of foreign men.  I visited the mother and knew the circumstances and decided to help.  She did have a home on a busy street and a front yard big enough for a small store.  I had it build, equipped and stocked.  Another success story for about six months.  I visited the mother to find 
the store closed and found the boy like being a prostitute better than having to stay in the store more free time he said prostituing  Today he has A.I.D.S. and the mother is deceased.  It was not the lack of outside help it was the lack of desire and being responsible.

I helped a brother and sister open another café and I will not go into to that. I had owned a restaurant in Houston, Texas and try to advise them, but no they would not listen. They preferred to blame lack of business on the lack of traffic and the people in cars drove by to fast and everything else they could imagine.  I told them they should try a buffet style restaurant before they closed – no interest.  I told them they should have a limited menu and an offer a different meal everyday and then simply repeat it for the next week for the workers near by – no interest.  Restaurant closed!

Still being the fool I am I helped a woman open a vendors stall at the Davao Street Market.  She is doing well, but could do much better.  The problem is she does not like change.  Whatever you suggest you can see it in her face she is not listening and is not going to try it. She was told if she would arrange the used clothing in colors and sizes and put them on the rack neatly more people would come into her stall.  I was told Filipino’s do not like that they like digging through stuff piled on a table and finding what they want.  So in other words ALL Filipino people have no desire to 

shop in ease and in a well organized place they are too low class for that.  That what I hear her saying.  There is a saying in retail that women do not like to “Butt Swipe” when shopping which means they like enough space so other are not brushing up against them.  I was told Filipino’s do not care anything about that they live five and six in one room they are use to being crowed.  Last night I advised them no more help and no more money.  I think they will make enough to have a dried fish and rice everyday for breakfast.  Outside help may have failed again.

I was helping an orphanage in a nearby town.  One day I happen upon one of the directors Facebook Page.  All of these pictures of people that were supposedly 
volunteering at the Home were going on all day sightseeing trips on boats, staying the weekend at resorts on Samal Island. But, I was told weekly, “Father, if we do not get money in we will have to close in two weeks.”  Most of the volunteers were friends 
and family. Naturally they get nothing from me any longer.  They got outside help, but did not change anything.  These people were college graduates who  when looking at their material possessions it looks like they have nothing, house not decent, no car, cheap furniture, etc.

Then my Filipino friend told me, “Father, those people are not going to change no matter what you give them.  You give it and they spend it on a party.  They are happy the way they are and do not want more out of life.  You want to give them a chance to live a better life, because you feel sorry for them, but what you do not understand is 
they really do not care about having a better life because that would mean more work, less play and more responsibility.” This friend is the only one I helped that finished College and got a degree in Accounting.

This week I happened upon a You Tube site where a young Filipino man was talking about poverty in the Philippines.  This young man has made it big in the entertainment business in the States.  He said that all his family expect him to support them while they lay around the house in the Philippines.  He claims he did that for several years.  He then realized he was not helping them get out of poverty and now he gives them nothing.  He said of course they think he is terrible and has no heart and tell him that was not the way he was raised.  His reply is it is not the way I was raised and if I followed the culture and traditions of the way I was raised I would be 
poor to. His niece is at the moment hates  him for not sending her to college. He told her no one sent me I worked at a Call Center at night and went to college in the day you can do the same.  What he said may seem cold, but he is right.  He is only contributing to Generational Poverty as long as he keeps supporting them all.  One has to desire to get out of poverty in order to get out of poverty.

I gave the lady in the Davao Street Market 144 Tee Shirts, name brand, overruns.  She immediately replied I cannot sell those things.  They are too expensive and no one would pay what they are worth.  They are too thin, Filipinos like thick cotton shirts.  They are all tagged with prices from stores.  The price on the tags and what I ask her to try and sell them for is ¼.  The largest Department Store in the Philippines sells the same brands and same shirts. She honestly believes Filipinos prefer used clothes because that is what they are used to. Not open to trying and certainly not open to change.  It is festival week in Davao alot of people from out of town.  If they had money to fly here for the festival they may have money to pay a little more for new clothes. 

So I do not buy the idea that all people living in poverty need is OUTSIDE help!  They also need the desire to get out of poverty.

 

Doctor - With a heart for charitable work

Dr. Jeff Ho,

I want to take a moment to let others know how much I appreciate what Dr. Jess Jo is doing for the senior citizens and poverty stricken people of Davao, Philippines and surrounding areas.  I do not doubt  most doctors are concerned with the care they give their patience’s and want to do the best they can to heal them.  Doctor Ho goes far beyond what I have ever seen a doctor do in my nearly eighty years of life.  He puts medical care before a lavish life-style. He truly has a heart of charity and community concern.

I admit and apologize for wanting to leave when I first entered his office.  I was concerned.  It was not what I was used to.  It was very simple and honestly needs repairs.  I thought of leaving and I thank God I did not.  It is not the furnishing or structure that should be of concern when you seek medical care.  The only thing that should matter is the doctors ability and Dr. Ho certainly far exceeds the ability of many doctors.

To be quite honest I have not known Dr. Ho long, but in one week I saw remarkable change in my health issues.  I have heart, lung and kidney failure and Diabetes.  I was on 17 different medications and taking some twice a day.  My medicine bill was running about $1100 USA dollars per month.  I simply could not afford it any longer.  I also felt I was being poison by medicines.  I had discussed with my previous  doctors about my issues with medication to no avail.  It was like they were the doctor and I was the patient and if I knew so much why did I need a doctor.  I felt like it is my body and I should have a voice in my care.  Dr. Ho has listened to me and is trying to address my issues.

I was taking medication for my lung problems as needed and was hesitant to take it unless I was so bad I thought I would pass out.  He said use it morning and night and through out the day.  This has made a remarkable difference.  Others had told me to limit my fluid intake (water and broth from soups) to 1500 ml.  I simply felt this was not sufficient, but did as they said.  I am taking fluid medication to keep fluid expelled from my body.  Dr. Ho has allowed me to increase my water intake and I believe it has made a difference. I no longer feel dehydrated.   I have had a problem with my right lower leg for over two years.  I was told it was from Diabetes.  Dr. Ho advised me I cannot wear socks up over my ankles and prescribed exercises and increased my fluid medication.  I already see results. 

Of course time will tell, but in this short time I am grateful to Dr. Ho.  This may sound silly to some, but I was in such pain and unable to walk. I use a wheelchair. One morning I prayed to God to lead me to another doctor for another opinion.  I am a retired priest from the USA and I came to Davao after I was forced to retire because of health issues.  I did not really know how to find another doctor.  I went to the computer and searched for help.  Dr. Ho’s site came up immediately and I felt I should give him a try.  Thank God I did!

Dr. Ho provides free care for senior citizens and operates a free clinic on Saturdays for the poor.  He will see the poor and senior citizens anytime in case of an emergency.  The charges to regular customer or unbelievably small. Medical care is available to all because of this one giant of a man.  It is a shame that the Philippine Government or some Charitable Organization does not provide him support.  But, of course if they did they would want to take over his clinice and make all the decisions and destroy what the man has accomplished.

Please pray for Dr. Ho I know of no other doctor anywhere in the world and I have lived in many, many places that is as concerned about people as he is.  He truly lives what he professes.  I was floored when I had my caregiver call him about lab results he had requested and was told he and his wife had gone to wash clothes.  I know of no doctor that washes his own clothes.  I pray God blesses him and his family abundantly with joy, peace, love and protection.

Fr. Tom Martin - Retired

Racism, bias, charity makes some rich and famous and they do not want it to end.

Evil will always be present until the end of time because of mankind’s thirst for power, wealth and fame.  Jesus Christ said the poor will always be among you and they will because it is advantage for many in society, especially the wealthiest of the wealthy.  There will always be some in the middle class that will take satisfaction in knowing there are some in society worse off than them. Do not kid yourself there are those at the upper rung of poverty that delight in others being poorer than them.  It all revolves back to their position in society.  If someone is worse off than you then you automatically have a higher position in society. 

It matters not how much money is spent by governments under the pretense of eliminating poverty or other social issues they will never be solved.  The reason being CORRUPTION within government and NGO’S.  Those at the top of these organizations have more interest in their getting more than they are in the ‘HAVE NOTS’ getting more.

God’s Kingdom will never be on earth before Christ returns again due to mankind’s inability to LOVE as God has instructed us to do.  If only we could LOVE as God called us to there would be peace, there would not be starvation, there would be equality, discrimination would not exist, crime would end and paradise would return.  LOVE a simple word and that could be accomplished, but difficult for mankind to do because of our desire for greed, fame and wealth.

It is true  racism is very much alive in America in all sectors of society and it runs rampant among influential black Americans.  It was very much on display in 2013 at the Lincoln Memorial where prominent black activists gathered a few days ahead of the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's historic "I have a dream" speech in order to advance their careers by pretending to care about the state of race relations in the nation today. 

Instead of simply using the opportunity to honor the work of his father in a dignified way, King's son, Martin Luther King III, cheapened it by attempting to stir up racial hatred. He said, “The vision preached by my father a half-century ago was that his four little children would no longer live in a nation where they would judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  However, sadly, the tears of Trayvon Martin’s mother and father remind us that, the color of one’s skin remains a license to profile, to arrest and to even murder with no regard for the content of one’s character,” He used the occasion to pitch for repeal “stand your ground” self-defense laws, which had no bearing on the Martin case.  I believe both of the young thugs were guilty of crimes and brought the disaster upon themselves.  I believe Trayvon Martin was a trouble maker and I believe George Zimmerman was a trouble maker and both deserved long prison terms.

It is my opinion that it is important to note that Martin Luther King Junior’s four little children did grow up to live a life of advantage.  The only real problems they had in life were the ones they created for themselves by fighting over their father estate – GREED!

These black civil rights leaders have become rich and famous by vilifying white people and the American system, claiming blacks are persecuted and discriminated against, and asserting that there is an invisible conspiracy of white supremacists preventing black people from becoming successful. Not everything they do or say is actually racist in any meaningful sense, but they routinely say things that conservatives would be pilloried for had they said them about people of a different race.  The one thing they always neglect to say is that you have a difficult time making it not only in America, but anywhere in the world if you do not know who your father is or where he is.  They do not talk much about the importance of staying in school and the importance of education.  They become irate when you speak of drug dealing and the high number of black men in prison for crime largely due to illegal drugs. 

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are largely race industry profiteers and poverty pimps and are not sincere. They rally against evils that no longer exist and they ignore the evils that do exist.

These leaders for justice and equality quickly forget and never speak of the black-on-white violence that has become increasingly commonplace in recent years, despite the best efforts of the media, politicians, and left-wing activists to ignore it or deny its existence. America's major urban centers, cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, have been plagued by black race riots in recent years. Few people know about these often deadly melees because they rarely get reported.  The black leaders justify blacks killing policemen because of black thugs having pent up frustration over things in history that happen over 100 years ago.

Where is the outrage from the black leaders for 88-year-old World War II veteran Delbert Belton who was  beaten to death by blacks in Spokane or 23-year-old Australian college student Chris Lane who was shot to death in Oklahoma allegedly by young black males out of boredom or the blacks that killed nurse David Santucci in Memphis or the blacks in Minnesota who beat Ray Widstrand so brutally that he suffered permanent brain damage or the blacks in Missouri that hit a hot dog vendor in the head with a hammer or the two young black men in Georgia who killed 13-month-old Antonio West in front of his mother during an attempted robbery .  Two thugs Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman make the news for years following their incident and still yearly celebrations are held for Trayvon Martin, because the Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson’s of the world keep it in the news in order to keep themselves prominent and wealthy.

Members of  today's civil rights establishment aren't interested in solving or even acknowledging the problems of the black community because they profit so handsomely from them. They see turmoil in black neighborhoods as opportunities to promote change and raise funds. Theses same members of civil rights groups seem blissfully ignorant of the fact that America has come a long way since 1963 when Democratic President John F. Kennedy and congressional Democrats worked together to block civil rights legislation. 

It is as if the civil rights revolution never happened and Jim Crow is still making the lives of black Americans miserable. The unspoken premise of all these self-serving rants is that America somehow owes blacks for past injustices even though most black Americans today weren't even alive in 1963. 

These are the top race baiters in order to advance their personal careers in my opinion and could really care less about the black community:  Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Eric Holder, Oprah Winfrey, James Cone, Martin Luther King III, Cornel West, Louis Farrakhan, Alice Walker, Hillary Clinton and Jesse Jackson.  These public figures for the most part do not suffer any consequences for their racism or their cynical use of race for political purposes. If Martin Luther King were alive today, would he defend these people and everything they do?

Do not get me wrong BIAS is a human condition, and American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or other differences. The 20th century saw major progress in outlawing discrimination, and most Americans today support integrated schools and neighborhoods. But stereotypes and unequal treatment persist and are often exploited by hate groups –Black, Latino and White hate groups.  In recent years, the FBI has reported between 7,000 and 8,000 hate crime incidents per year in the United States and many more go unreported. 

All over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion.  There are still good people in the United States and the world.  One person, acting from conscience and love, is able to neutralize bigotry. Imagine, what an entire community, working together, could do. Decent people must take action; if we don’t, hate persists.  Sitting home with your virtue does no good.  Apathy will be interpreted as acceptance. 

Hate tears society along racial, ethnic, gender and religious lines. The U.S. Department of Justice warns that hate crimes, more than any other crime, can trigger larger community conflict, civil disturbances and even riots. For all their “patriotic” rhetoric, hate groups are really trying to divide us; their views are fundamentally anti-democratic. True patriots fight hate.  Hate escalates when not addressed and do not kid yourself the Obama, Sharpton’s, Jackson's, Winfrey's, etc., profit from hate and division of the races.  

When hate happens, we are faced with two choices: Do nothing, and let hate go unchallenged. Or do something — rise up, speak up and stand up against hate.  When it happens in your community  call the circle around you, including family, neighbors, co-workers, people in your church, synagogue or civic club. Meet informally and discuss the problem – make it known that you want the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharpton to stay away.  It is a community problem and can be solved better in the community without outside interference. 

call on local law enforcement officials. Work to create a healthy relationship with local police.  Law enforcement officials can track early warning signs of hate brewing in a community, allowing for a rapid and unified response.  The police are not our enemy as race baiters want us to believe.

Support hate-crime victim in your community, show support.  Let victims know you care.  Surround them with comfort and protection.   Victims of hate crimes feel terribly alone and afraid.  They have been attacked simply for being who they are — their skin color, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation.  Silence amplifies their isolation; it also tacitly condones the act of hate.  Victims need a strong, quick message that they are valued.  Small acts of kindness — a phone call, a letter – can help.

Every act of hatred should be met with an act of love and unity.  Hate must be exposed and denounced.  Denounce hate groups and hate crimes and spread the truth about hate’s threat to a pluralistic society. An informed and unified community is the best defense against hate. Hate purveyors are cowards.  Take hate crimes seriously.

We all grow up with prejudices. Acknowledging them – and working through them  can be a scary and difficult process. It’s also one of the most important steps toward breaking down the walls of silence that allow intolerance to grow. Luckily, we all possess the power to overcome our ignorance and fear, and to influence our children, peers and communities.

Western Foreigners and Sex Trade

This is my reply on a social media site to a Western 'gentleman' that comes to the Far East to participate in 'Sex Trade' and returns home to bad mouth the women, people and the country as a whole.

I know that I am going to say too much and I should keep my thoughts to myself on this subject, but like Donald Trump I cannot keep my thoughts to myself when it comes to some subject, especially the subject of foreign westerners and sex trade.

I will start by saying there are a few good men that come to the Philippines, Thailand and other Third World Countries that marry the local women. They stay in the foreign country and raise families and provide for them. Some take their wife back to their own country. Some take their wife back to their country and return to the wife's country when they retire. BUT, for everyone of these good men there are thousands of sorry S---O---B---'S.

The sorry ones actually believe they are doing these women a BIG favor by coming to their country and spending their money and TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEM and DESTROYING THEIR LIFE'S. They think they are doing the Philippines a favor by helping the economy.

I have lived in the Philippines for nearly two decades. I am now retired. I was in active ministry when I came. I am now home bound and have a caregiver. I did not come to the Philippines for the sex trade and I have never participated in it. It disgust me when I see the elderly men (younger than me), but old with 17 and 18 year old girls. It is embarrassing because most decent Philippine people assume any white man that comes here comes for these reasons, "cheap food,cheap lodging, cheap beer and cheap p---y" (his words - the only reason he would come to this disgusting, dirty country). Likewise it disgust me when I see the young Western men doing the same, but they are not as noticeable as the old geezers.

The sex trade bars in Los Angeles Philippines are mostly owned by foreign men that married a Filipino woman so they could open a business. They to disgust me. If they wanted to operate a house of prostitution why didn't they stay in their own country and do so. They came to the Philippines because they can take advantage of the POVERTY!

I have worked with the children these nasty men have left behind. Many are scared for life. There was a documentary made some years ago, I think called "Lost Angles", if you can watch that and not feel deep compassion for these children and their mothers then you cannot feel compassion for anyone or anything.

President Duterte should actively address the sex trade in his country as actively as he is pursuing the drug problem. I have more compassion for the drug addicts than the foreign men that come to his country and degrade their women. I honestly believe some addicts in this country got started on drugs because they had a sense of hopelessness. I know the young women selling their bodies to this foreign trash are doing so hoping for a better life. FALSE HOPE - it is like a poor black boy hoping he becomes a professional sports start - few do!

People may criticize the women in these countries calling them all kinds of bad names, but what about the filthy men from THEIR OWN country that come here and other places and destroy life's and leave fatherless children behind?

I think that it would be worthwhile for the media to cover these stories - publish the pictures of these foreign men walking around the streets of Los Angeles, Philippines with young girls hanging on them like strutting cocks getting ready for a cock fight. They should print their names, addresses, country of origin also.

I am against vigilante justice, but if the government cannot solve the problem maybe they could. The goal of the vigilante justice is to make people afraid to use or sell drugs I think that might slow the Philippine sex trade if some of these men did not return to their home country walking and upright.

Yes, I am bitter, yes I am angry, yes I am disgusted with these men taking advantage of the poverty in the Philippines. I know I will get nasty replies, but if just one of these men considering coming to the Philippines or anywhere else to destroy the life of a young girl and possibly a child will rethink his decision then send the hate mail.

Gambling/lottery is not a sin - your attitude towards them can make them a sin.

NFL conference championship games are Sunday (Jan. 24) and millions of Americans are poised to bet money, a new survey finds most have no moral issue with sports gambling.

An evangelical polling group found 64 percent of U.S adults said sports gambling are not morally wrong, 31 percent disagreed and 5 percent were unsure. Only 40 percent agreed “sports betting should be legalized throughout the country.

Gambling should be a State issue not a Federal issue and should be decided by a vote of the people. I am not for Internet betting because it allows those living in a state where the majority of the people oppose legalized gambling to gamble. If you do not agree with the majority of voters in your state and gambling is that important to you then you should move.

The Bible does not specifically condemn gambling. The Bible does warn us to stay away from the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5). Scripture also encourages us to stay away from attempts to “get rich quick” (Proverbs 13:11; 23:5; Ecclesiastes 5:10).  

Gambling is a difficult issue to discuss because if it is done in moderation and only on occasion it is not necessarily evil. Gambling is nothing more than entertainment for many people. We spend money on all types of entertainment sports events, movies, expensive meals, vacations, holidays, purchasing items we do not need, etc. What some see as a waste of money others do not. Anytime you spend money that you do not have to spare on anything you do not need is a waste of money and I personally see it as a sin.

There are people who are addicted to gambling as there are people addicted to drugs and alcohol. Is it our responsibility to try and make it difficult for them to satisfy their addiction – I think not. If a person is addicted to something they will find a way to satisfy their addiction regardless of what we do. A cure for any addiction only comes when the person who is addicted wants to stop and seeks help.

I had a friend that was addicted to alcohol. I would have dinner parties and holiday parties and if he was in attendance I would not serve any alcoholic beverage. I was confronted by other friends and ask why they all should do without wine or cocktail simply because he had a problem. I thought and prayed about it and then approached my friend with the problem and explained the situation and told him I would be serving wine and cocktails in the future and if he felt it was best he not attend I would understand. He laughed and told me he had no problem with my decision and confessed he kept a bottle in his car and would take a drink before and after leaving one of my dinners. My not serving alcohol did not help him in the least.

The Bible does not explicitly mention gambling, but it does mention events of “luck” or “chance.” As an example, casting lots is used in Leviticus to choose between the sacrificial goat and the scapegoat. Joshua cast lots to determine the allotment of land to the various tribes. Nehemiah cast lots to determine who would live inside the walls of Jerusalem. The apostles cast lots to determine the replacement for Judas. Casting lots is a form of gambling.

I do not deny that lottery participants are usually those who can least afford to be spending money on lottery tickets. The allure of “getting rich quick” is a temptation for those who are desperate. Those that are desperate are usually desperate because they do not know how to manage their finances regardless if they gamble or purchase lottery tickets or not. Society had a lot of desperate citizens before the lottery and gambling became legal in some states.

Laws have never stopped prostitution or addictions. They only have made the vices go undercover. When they go undercover the government has absolutely no control of them. Illegal lottery brought down President Estrada in the Philippines. Lottery is now legal in the Philippines, illegal lottery continues, but does not present the same problems it once did.

I have heard that the money the government collects from lottery does not go to fund the causes it is supposed to. I am sure that is happening, but that has nothing to do with the lottery and everything to do with the politicians we elect.

I have heard the argument over and over to justify not having the lottery that lottery winners have less in a few years after winning the lottery than they had before winning. Whose fault is that? How can you blame the fact that they are irresponsible on the lottery?

I have heard fellow minister use scriptures to judge those who play the lottery or gamble. One scripture they use is Proverbs 13:11, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” How can gambling or playing the lottery be classified as dishonest money if it is done legally and won fair and square? I have even heard it said God does not want money donated to the church that is drug money or money stolen in a bank robbery and God does not want money that was “stolen” from the poor in the temptation for riches. That honestly sounds stupid to me – lottery money is not money STOLEN from the poor. I think the poor have a choice if they want to play the lottery or gamble. If we passed a law that you must show prove of income to gamble or play the lottery then the liberals would be screaming discrimination.

These are other arguments that I have heard protestant ministers use to oppose gambling or the lottery - First Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Hebrew 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Do we assume that if someone eats an expensive meal in the finest restaurant they are putting money before God? If we do there certainly are a lot of ministers putting money before God. Using scripture improperly to support your personal agenda is what has made Christianity look foolish to some.

One minister calls the lottery and gambling a sin because he says it causes materialism, greed, discontent, reliance on chance vs. reliance on God's providence, exploitation, laziness vs. working, thwarting of charity, seeking to gain from the loss of others – REALLY! If that is true and it is probably true in some cases then I think his time would be better spent on teaching his followers the sin of materialism, greed, discontent, reliance on chance, exploitation, laziness, charity and taking advantage of other rather than focusing on trying to make gambling and lottery illegal.

He also says the lottery and gambling produces addiction, poverty, crime, dishonesty, family strife and divorce, escape into alcoholism and exploitation of the poor. It could contribute to all of those problems. I question if poverty, crime, dishonesty, family strife, divorce, alcoholism and exploitation of the poor would end if gambling and lottery was made illegal. What happen when the Federal government ban alcohol? What happen when prostitution was made illegal? Cocaine and heroin are illegal has it solved the problem or slowed the problem?

Moral issues are corrected in the home, in the schools, in the churches, by friends and not by government – never has and never will.

Political Party Platforms are a joke!

The political parties’ official platforms, written at the national conventions, mean very little or even nothing. These are not things that individual candidates must follow and they are given essentially no attention in the campaigns and certainly not after the votes are cast.

It is very difficult for political parties to maintain discipline over their members.  The people who run for Congress are not picked by the party leadership. They are picked by the voters in primary elections. If the candidates do not want to follow the party platform, there is very little that the party can do about it. We have seen in recent years many examples of “tea party” insurgents defeating Republican incumbents in the primaries even though the party supported the incumbents.

The party cannot force elected officials to follow the party platform and candidates tend to ignore them.  Candidate’s campaign on whatever issues they think will be most effective in getting them elected. Party platforms are no longer important.

Read the 2008 platforms of both parties carefully and you will see they are well-crafted documents that really mean nothing. I am going to use the Democrat Party Platform as an example to prove my point.  

In 2008 the Democratic Party called tax increases ‘investments in America’. They obviously did a good job of making it appear that increasing taxes would increase jobs. Normally voter run from parties that espouse tax increases, but Obama won.   

The Democratic Party stated in the 2008 platform they would provide an immediate energy rebate to American families struggling with the record price of gasoline. Were the rebates for the purpose of helping American families or friends and contributors of Democrat candidates?

The 789 billion dollar ‘Stimulus Package’ they were proud of in 2008 was no longer called the ‘Stimulus Package’ after it failed to stimulate anything, but the bank accounts of Obama’s friends and supporters. The ‘Stimulus Package’ of the 2008 platform became the’ Recover Act’. Stimulus became a dirty word in Washington. Obama joked about ‘shovel ready jobs’ the stimulus money was invested in that turned out not to be not so ‘shovel ready’ after all. I guess it is easy to make jokes about losing money when it is not your money you are losing.

The Democrats in 2008 promised affordable health care, but did we get it. No we did not. Insurance premiums sky rocketed and continues to increase. We cannot keep our doctor as promised or the health insurance policy we had if we were happy with it as promised. In order to have health insurance coverage policy holders had to be satisfied with high deductibles. If you do not have insurance coverage you have to pay a penalty each year. I live in the Philippine and last year I had to pay over $800 in penalties for not having a health insurance policy. I could not afford a U.S. health insurance policy that would pay hospital expenses abroad and Medicare and government insurance policies do not cover anyone outside the continental United States.

Be careful of the word ‘We’ in platforms. You will find the ‘We’ is ‘You’. They write the platform and the legislation and pass the cost on to ‘You’.

Democrat platforms are always committed to an economic policy that produces good jobs with good pay and benefits. That is why they claim they support unions. In reality they support unions in order to get the union bosses to put pressure on union members to vote for them. In 2008 they claimed when unions are allowed to do their job of making sure that workers get their fair share, they pull people out of poverty and create a stronger middle class. Did that happen – wages are stagnated, the middle class is weaker than it has been since the Great Depression. Higher wages are good and needed, but keep in mind higher wages mean higher cost of living. An x-ray in the Philippines cost $7 how much do they cost in the United States? I by no means endorse the low wages paid in the Philippines.

In 2008 the Democrats promised to cut poverty in half within ten year- is that happening? They promised to provide all our children a world-class education, from early childhood through college – college is more expensive now than ever. We will develop innovative transitional job programs that place unemployed people into temporary jobs and train them for permanent ones – are welfare recipients required to participate in work programs or go to school - NO. To help workers share in our country’s productivity, we’ll expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation – they made sure illegal aliens got Earned Income Tax Credit.  The majority of adults in poverty are women, and to combat poverty we must work for fair pay, support for mothers, and policies that promote responsible fatherhood – more homes are without fathers today than ever before.

The Democrats said higher taxes would lower gas prices and they would solve the problem of four-dollar a gallon gas with a comprehensive plan and investment in clean energy. How many of Obama’s investment in cleaner energy went bankrupt costing tax payer? Do you really believe higher taxes and bankrupt clean energy companies brought gas prices down to where they are today?

The Democrats promised to make quality, affordable early childhood care and education available to every American child from the day he or she is born. Their Our Children’s First Agenda, including increases in Head Start and Early Head Start, and investments in high-quality Pre-K, were supposed to improve quality of education and provide learning and support to families with children ages zero to five. Their Our Presidential Early Learning Council was supposed to coordinate these efforts. Regardless of the money the government throws at education we are ranked 27 in education worldwide. The Constitution does not provide for such programs. It is my opinion public school education suffers because of teachers unions the very thing the Democrats support. What incentive does a person have to do a good job if they cannot be fired?

The Democrat platform stated “We will invest in American jobs and finally end the tax breaks that ship jobs overseas. We will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to provide for our next generation of innovators and job creators; we will expand the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and create new job training programs for clean technologies. We will bring together government, private industry, workers, and academia to turn around the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy and provide assistance to automakers and parts companies to encourage retooling of facilities in this country to produce advanced technology vehicles and their key components.” General Motors is moving plants to Mexico as I write this. How many manufacturing jobs have return to America, especially from China? How many trillions of dollars remain in banks abroad because manufacturers will not bring the funds back to America because of high Corporate Taxes? This money being kept abroad could boost United States investment in manufacturing jobs.

The Democrats promised to seek a world with no nuclear weapons and take concrete actions to move in this direction. Do you really believe the Iran deal will do that? Their goal was to eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide. They did a good job of trying to weaken our ability to respond militarily to a crisis, but fail to tell Iran, North Korea and Russia they were supposed to do the same.

A promise they kept was to not develop new nuclear weapons.  But, they failed to get Russia and Putin on board with their plan. Hillary’s ‘restart button’ plan failed.

The Democrats promised to rebuild our military and to prepare it for the missions of the future – NO COMMENT!

In 2008 the Democrats promised to support our friends and participate in their stability. I wonder how Israel feels about that platform promise.

They also kept their promise to eliminate “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Program and replace it with a system allowing Individual Soldiers to express their sexual preferences openly. I will give them credit for doing that.

The list goes on and on of failed promises in the Democrat 2008 platform. If you took the Republican platform you would find as many failed promises.  Do you still believe a wise voter votes based on what is in either parties platform. They promise during campaigns and do what they want when elected. 

Why do most of the poor remain poor?

 I think one reason the war on poverty cannot be won is a lot of people who are trying to address the problem see it as a ‘one solution fits all’ problem or that ‘one thing’ cause’s poverty. The one solution and one cause are generally thought to be the lack of money.

My caregiver who is Filipino was being critical of poor Filipinos. He made the statement, “If the poorest of the poor Filipino gets his hands on any extra money he will spend it on a party.”  I told him that problem is not unique to the Philippines. I worked with the poor in the United States for over forty years and witness the same thing over and over again. I would even say that the majority of the poor I worked with would do that. I have had many volunteers working with me on projects become so frustrated they would drop out because of it.

I admit it is foolish for the poor to waste money, but I really do not know if I had lived in extreme poverty month after month, year after year, if I would not want to take advantage of any extra money that came my way to celebrate. 

We know a family that has not had enough money to provide for the basic needs of their family for twenty plus years and recently one of their children got a job at a Call Center. The first thing they want to do is buy a new car. They have never owned a car in their life. To me that is foolish! To them it is about pride and ego it tells family and friends they are overcoming poverty.  They had a party to celebrate the father’s sixtieth birthday at a local café, they paid for the meals and drinks of friends and family, again foolish to me, but not to them. I do not understand their thinking, but they do not understand mine. I was taught to save for a rainy day and when I mentioned that to them they told me, “…every day is a rainy day for them.” Money alone is not a solution to their poverty. The more they have the more they will spend.

Dr. Ben Carson who is running for President in the United States believes that it’s okay to be born poor, but that anyone who stays poor is remaining poor because he or she is lazy. He also says that those poor people are trying to find excuses for their own laziness when they blame their adversities on other causes than themselves, such as the prejudices of others or wrong governmental policies or bad luck. Quite honestly, I have known share-croppers working on the farms of my family members around Alabama that regardless of how hard they work they will remain poor. I see Philippine men, women and children going around my neighborhood looking in trash bins for plastic and metal that they can sell and regardless of how hard they work they will remain poor.  There poverty has nothing to do with being lazy.

Dr. Ben Carson is another example of one solution fits all. He is for a ‘flat tax’ for raising revenue for the government. He believes rich and poor should be taxed alike ten percent (or a random number) on all income. He bases this on the Biblical tithe.  Dr. Carson is not the only U.S. politician for a ‘flat tax’. The ‘flat tax’ idea completely ignores the fact that the poor have more needs than desires and that the rich have more desires than needs. One dollar to the poor has far more meaning than one dollar to the rich. One dollar to the poor could mean a meal. I don’t think assuming or believing God wills wealth and poverty is a viable solution or that religion alone is a solution.

A new report states in 2013 77% of students from wealthy families earned bachelor's degrees by age 24, compared to only 9% of those from poor families. New research shows nearly half of the nation’s recent college graduates work jobs that don’t require a degree.

Is college a solution to end poverty? I think education is only a partial cure for poverty. I definitely do not think a college education by itself is sufficient to end poverty, but I do think programs that combine general education with specific training areas that meet the individual’s needs and the local labor markets needs work toward overcoming poverty. When I was in High School these classes were offered for those not planning to attend college, but the government has eliminated them from the curriculum.    

Of the 30 occupations adding the most jobs to our economy, those requiring the least training make up half of the total.  The low-wage sector of our economy will be the source of most of the job growth over the next decade and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Obama believes college and higher minimum wages are the solution to poverty and is willing to pour more tax dollars into college programs and use any action he can to increase minimum wages, but they are not a viable solution to end poverty. We will not educate our nation out of poverty.

Will government welfare programs eliminate poverty? They will not eliminate anything as they are presently administered. The government has spent $20 trillion on the “War on Poverty” but poverty rates are as high as they were 50 years ago. The present welfare systems are no longer safety nets they are snares that trap people in poverty and dependency.

The welfare system was never created as a single system like Medicare or Social Security. The welfare system is made up of 13 large programs, for instance housing assistance can take the form of public housing, rent vouchers, or tenant support and each administered by different government agencies. The 13 programs generally run independently from one another and are managed by 8 large agencies in Washington that generally don’t interact with one another.

Most of the 13 programs have their own qualification standards. They have separate forms, rules, compliance, audits, etc. Some work in conjunction with state or local programs and some are run completely independently.   

The poorest Americans are often the least able to navigate the complex welfare system. This is why there are so many homeless on the street existing outside the safety net that was built to protect them.  Benefits are not reaching those in extreme poverty and those in the middle class are often getting too much. It all comes down to knowing how to work the system.  Our welfare system is broken; it teaches the wrong values, rewards the wrong choices and hurts those it was meant to help.

The system has many flaws and no one in authority seems interested in correcting them. The welfare system discourages marriage because a loss in benefits can occur when two people marry.  For example a single mom with a minimum wage job could lose all of her benefits if is she marries a man earning $20,000 a year. Often the decision is made by the mom to just live with the man and keep the benefits. She lies on her welfare forms to cover up the fact a man is in the house and when caught, if caught, no legal action is taken.  Today’s welfare system discourages work because at certain income levels benefit loss is greater than additional income earned. Many of the programs penalize welfare recipients fifty cents for every dollar earned. Why would you work if in the end you are going to end up with the same amount you are getting from welfare without working?

There are very few Conditions attached to the welfare system. Conditions should include, work requirements, job training, school attendance and/or grades obtained, drug and alcohol testing or time restrictions on how long you can receive welfare. Without conditions the Welfare System does not encourage recipients to change their lives. Obama argues it is unfair to put conditions on welfare recipients that are not put on the general public – makes no sense to me.

I think Obama’s simplistic solution is just that too simplistic. Obama thinks there are just too many rich people, and they are causing all the poverty problem. So, he proposes, let’s take more money from the successful people and redistribute it to the poor. It is divisive because it fans the flames of envy and resentment. Punishing success will only deter further success and that is not what you want if you want the economy to grow.

The federal government can inefficiently redistribute money; it cannot redistribute success, character, personal satisfaction, dignity, purpose, perseverance or any of the qualities and outcomes that make life worth living. How much the top 1 percent of the population earns has no bearing on whether the bottom 20 percent can move up.

What we need is to reform our welfare system to promote work and individual success, not dependency on government. We need to put conditions on welfare assistance. All welfare assistance needs to be under one government department. We must eliminate marriage penalties in federal programs.  We need to encourage vocational training. We need to help low-income children and parents break free of bad public schools. We need to provide incentives for employers to hire welfare recipients as we do in some States for ex-cons. We need more case workers to eliminate the improper welfare payments, including fraud, that is estimated to be about 9.0% of all federal welfare payments made and totaled $59.6 billion in fiscal year 2014 (Office of Management and Budget General Accounting Office). We need mandatory sentencing for welfare fraud.We need tax reform that is not punitive, especially Corporate Tax reform. We need to stop playing politics and using welfare to buy votes and actually help the poor.