Book Review: "The Injustice Of Place" By Katherine J Edin

 

I can attest to much of what the authors note in this newest work as the injustices are deep and poverty is deeper.

As a survivor of this state of despair what we have is the bottom feeders struggling against the powerful elites. The lack of advancement, the low pay, the inability to help every citizen excel without some connections is ad nauseum.

In small towns like my own it's God awful to move forward without having wealth, power, and prestige. As noted, It's not what you know but who you know and I'd add who you donate too.
The more you donate the better your chances. The more you show up and give the more they show up and help.

What we must not become is complacent in allowing this to become the new norm. By allowing robots to take away workers jobs, by allowing big corporations to pay peanuts and expect work to death mentality, by allowing those like myself with Masters education to be placed at the bottom gives no incentive to work hard and earn your keep.

After raising kids and a family upon divorcing in 2013 I found myself in dire straits. No income, alimony, child support, and 15k in arrearages for the support owed from my ex spouse in which he refused to pay. Our master judge awarded me 740 dollars to raise a family of four in an area in which a two bedroom goes for 1,200. I had a disabled (medically) son from birth with vater syndrome. My first payment after a year w/o income living on credit was $100. We eventually fought with 4 attorneys to achieve an increase of $1200 monthly but spent twice as much to obtain. I sought work with a dual Masters and over 20 yrs volunteer experience since 2010. It wasn't until Feb. 2023 that I finally acquired a $14 hr job (remote) with benefits from day one.

I'm blessed to have this job but I must note it's working as a resource navigator with 211 similar to 911 and helpline. I help others acquire what I myself couldn't find on my own. My job is to find the resources within the human service field. I love my job but the pay is quite low for masters and while the benefits are great and make up for the low wages along with the annual time earned to use free willy it's sad to see how the system is so broken.

We have individuals whom if they call after hours 9-4pm they can't be helped. We have no after hour homeless shelters especially on holidays.

While I tried to illicit change I was met with a write-up for wanting to help others. It's best to stay quiet and not lose the job you fought so hard to acquire.

What I've long learned is that the world and society today has drastically changed. There's people who will sit on cell phones recording before lending a hand to their fellow citizens.

There's something to say about a system that continues to penalize the impoverished. It costs more to be poor. Try to get credit and you'll find out. Living in extreme poverty is met with challenges.
Speaking upon experience to get a gift card because of having zero credit is maddening. To pay an activation fee $5 or more is nuts. To then not be able to use cash at facilities and continue to have to purchase cards is insanity. Since when is the American Dollar not acceptable?

To have to spend thousands in student loans to be able to receive a less paying salaried position is not only not fair it diminshes the point of higher education.

Why can't we help those with student loan debt forgiveness?

Why must we tell the disabled and poor that they can't get disability not because they're not disabled but because they own two vehicles (assets) that penalize the poor even if those assets are for their own kids to attend college to leave poverty behind.

This world is so ass backwards that the very definition of common sense is I'm afraid all but lost on upon us.
I had the golden opportunity once to meet President Joe Biden. I mentioned to him this above comment, Bring back common sense!

Everything I'm seeing put into place by politicians is nothing more than an election grabber for the next cycle. They'll sell the community on the idea they'll bring in new jobs on the back of tax free land. They'll lay off more than they'll eventually hire. In the end, the factories go belly up while those dependent upon those jobs are left scrambling for new opportunity.

As a 50 yo woman I grew up with the American Dream in which you work hard to obtain what you need. I did just that! I worked for Lord and Taylor Distribution warehouse in Wilkes Barre. I was top producer in two departments and made a whopping $7.25 hr with a ten cent raise. I was then struck down literally when a 50 lb trolley hit me on the head knocking me to the ground. OSHA did nothing. We couldn't sue as they had top of the line attorneys. So, the little guy aka myself went home with an indented skull and left the company.

After the past 13 yrs seeking work and the past 29 raising my family I learned that it's nearly impossible to get employed with a gap even if you fill the gap with volunteering experience as a Points of Light recipient from our 41st President George H.W. Bush.

While my community celebrated the white men who assisted over the years and provided them the key to the city and other recognition those of us on the front line received lil more than a "Thank you" for putting in more than 20 yrs for their tw0-six years. In fact the mayors of two of my local towns acted as if they didn't know I volunteered in serving yet, I was front and center at each community event.
What I can tell you is I never have served my community for applause but for a cause. It doesn't matter if they chase me out or help assist me because either way I'm here to stay.

As noted by others there's a treasure trove we could all write about in injustices in society today.
This is just the tip of this iceberg. As a white woman from a mid class background I was told to suck it up buttercup, to get a job, to stop sponging off the family. I was told I didn't want to work, I wanted hand outs, and that these welfare moms are lazy and or entitled.

I'd have given my right arm and then some for employment but we have to look into providing a living wage not a work to death wage.

I have medical issues that I needed to take two weeks off from work just to attend too. It's not right. It's sad. It's disgusting that we as Americans are treated so inhumanely.

When I was abused by my spouse who was arrested for violating his PFA I was told I deserved the abuse.
When I couldn't get employed I was told I wasn't sending out enough applications, I wasn't trying hard enough, I didn't do enough.

As a single mom left bankrupt, homeless, LT unemployed, without income/assets/savings/credit I can tell you this: I'll never give up and neither should our society at large.

God bless