~How Is It Possible~

Fact or fiction: In the United States in 2007 it is possible for a boy to die of a toothache. Sadly, it's a fact. Read this article

Deamonte Driver paid for the bureaucratic loopholes in our system in the worst possible way - with his life. The saddest part is that he didn't have to die. All he needed was to have a tooth pulled and he would be alive and well today. But unfortunately, he and his family fell victim to the bureaucratic b.s. that so many people find themselves wading through. So instead of Medicaid paying for an $80.00 tooth extraction, they will pay for medical bills that will most likely be over $250,000. I am so horrified by this story that I am struggling to comment on it rationally. I want to throw things and scream "What the hell is wrong with us that this is happening in the United States?!?!?"

Part of my frustration is that I don't have the financial means to do anything about it. I also don't have the political clout to affect the changes that need to be made so that our poor children get the support they need. I can't stop poverty or wipe out the drugs that cause so much pain. I can't do anything to help except to write my feelings down and hope that someone will listen. I implore each and every one of you to write, call, or email your state officials. For that matter, write, call, or email every rich person you can think of and ask them to help our children before they save the world. Maybe if enough of us communicate, someone will do something... Or am I being idealistic again?

Part of my anger is that the rich and famous are donating billions to charity - in OTHER countries.

Brad Pit and Angelina Jolie just donated $2 million dollars to Global Action For Children and Doctors Without Borders. Both organizations work tirelessly to help children in "places that much of the world has abandoned". Good for them. But what about the children in our own backyard?

Oprah Winfrey is very generous to charities in our country. But she just spent $50 million dollars to build a school in Africa (which is a great deal more than she spent on our kids last year).

Warren Buffet donated $36.1 billion (yes, that's a "b" not an "m") to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for (ready for this?) global health.

David Rockefeller donated $252 million for global development.

It goes on and on. In fact, so much is given for global health and starvation that I'm curious how it's possible that global health and starvation are still an issue. It seems to me that the billions and billions of dollars that are earmarked for global health and starvation would have made a dent by now. Wouldn't it? Where's all the money?

If you're curious about who gave what, a list of the biggest donors in 2006 and where they gave is here Sadly, I was unable to find anyone on that chart who made a significant donation the poor children in the United States of America.

In the United States the poverty level is $20,000 for a family of four. $20,000!!! Can you imagine raising two (or three if you're a single parent) children on $384.61 a week? That is $9.61 per hour - I know teenagers who make more than that. By the way, that is before taxes - after Uncle Sam takes his cut, the actual amount is obviously less. Research data suggests that on average, families need to earn twice the federal poverty level to meet just their basic needs.

I don't know what the answer is. I can't even imagine where to start working on this problem. All I know is that we need to take care of our own first. From now on, every donation I give will be to help the poor in MY country - not someone else's.

Jody