My Rant Against Poverty: Rant 1.

Think of your ten favorite foods, ten favorite possessions, and your relationship with your favorite family members. Now imagine the government making all of those specific things illegal, but only for you. That is what it is like to live in poverty. Take away all opportunities, all your favorite books, your favorite channels, and everything you like about your job, Never again will you attend a sporting event unless you get tickets from a charity. You don't get turkey on Thanksgiving, unless it's a charity turkey. You don't get to dream about the big house, the nice car, or working your way out of poverty.

America is called the land of opportunity, and we believe that every person in this land has a chance to make it big. What if you knew that you only hope was to take from someone else? What if you had to watch someone in your family die because you couldn't afford medicine. What would you do to find happiness? What would be your definition of happiness if all material possessions and comforts were stripped away? Would be sex, drugs, doping yourself until you were happy?

Would you do drugs and have sex if you never really thought you had a chance at life? What if your brother was in jail for selling drugs to try to get the life he believed the rest of America had, and your father? What if your older brother and father were murdered, leaving you and your junkie mother alone in the world and you were just twelve years old?

What if you suffered from seizures and didn't remember things like other people did and you were being raised by your single grandmother, who had nothing? What if your mother committed suicide in the projects and you lived with your promiscuous grandmother who locked you out of the house to have sex with her new boyfriend at night?

Now, you are back to being you again, off the streets and living in your comfortable house, able to lock out the world of the desperate. What would you do to change things for the children who live in this reality. Lock your doors tight if you are in a big city, because these desperate kids are growing bigger and stronger every day and they will soon be able to take what you would not give them. I know all these kids, and they need more than you can possibly give them. I ate lunch every weekday with all of them and earned their trust and respect, but I couldn't make a dent in their lives for the better.

They can read and write and think, but what is the point when everyday you live in a prison. What punishment is left to help correct them. You can't control a person without choices, they already know the end result. Sometimes, the last choice is to take what they know they won't be given the opportunity to earn, and god help you if you have what they need.

Don't feel guilty, because you haven't really wronged anyone. America is a country where we believe anyone can get anything they work hard enough for, and rightfully so. The only thing that will make you safe is if you insure each of these kids has an opportunity at the age of maturity, which means we need to work with each and everyone of these kids from birth to maturity to let them know they do have the opportunity to succeed and making the wrong choice is throw away that opportunity.

Now, I'd love to be able to tell you that I got the ideas of opportunity to all of my students, but the fact is, we worked most days without enough paper or pencils. When we worked with current events, I could only afford four newspapers a day, and they had to be shared by 28 students in each class. The only way we had a sports banquet at our school was the coach had to pay for all of the food out of pocket, as well as the trophies. Thankfully, his family donated money.

But that's life in the big city, so make sure you lock your doors and keep out these kid's reality. As the kids unknowingly wait for the next charity to give them an opportunity that you take for granted, don't look too close. You just might find yourself caring and doing something about it.