Being poor is hard. Today my friend’s adult daughter had to go to emergency room for a severe case of congestion and coughing. After a five and half wait in the waiting room she was finally looked at, given an IV and some medication and sent home. She had no way to get home so we drove her. Because of her illness she had not eaten all day so we stopped so she could get some food.

Another low income friend was going from the Far East side, late at night, to his home on West side. When he got to a transfer point the bus was late. More people came, waiting for the bus that never came. An adult drunk on a bike came by and gave my friend a very hard time. When he went over to a McDonald’s on the corner to make a call home for his wife to pick him up the McDonald’s worker said the official policy is not to let people used their phone. Finally he did call home and got a ride and all went well.

Hunger is now a big problem for poor people. The cut in food stamps in Wisconsin has hit hard on poor, elede3rly and disabled. Food pantries are being drained and people have to hustle to get food for family or themselves. A local pastor, in the poorest part of town told me the church food pantry cannot keep up with the demand for food.

A minister told us tonight at a gathering how poor people are so ignored and marginalized that many give up hope that they can change the environment.
Today I talked with my 87 year old friend who with her children, grandchildren and great children has known some tough times. She grew up on the South where r parents worked hard to support the family. Now she sees in er grandchildren up north struggling to survive as she has done in parts of her life. She claims that times are tougher now for poor than any other time in her life.

Being segregated to a certain part of the city, facing high unemployment, poor transportation, profiling and incarceration of black males creates an environment where it is harder to be good and tougher to be poor. It is darn right inconvenient to be poor.

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