by The Howitzer

In tough economic times, difficult decisions about finances .are being made at every level. At the individual level, decisions are being made about what kind of housing adjustments need to be made, what kind of food is to be eaten, what kind of extra-curricular activities need to be participated in and even if clothes can be worn for one more season. For the working poor it can be even more difficult as decisions are being made about which bills to pay and which not to pay. Which is accentuated when cutbacks and layoff and loss of opportunities begin to show up in their work environment.

At the corporate level, decisions are being made about who gets paid and who doesn’t. The reality for most businesses is that one of the key determinants for viability is to control labor cost. If a businessman cannot keep a tight rein on these ever escalating costs, their company will suffer greatly and the workers in their charge are susceptible to loss of jobs if the business doesn’t make it. Thus creating quite a dilemma for the conscientious owner. How can I sustain my business and the jobs of the many while maintaining integrity in the handling of the employment of the few? Said another way, if your company can only sustain a $1000 dollars a day in labor cost and your payroll is $1500 a day what is the right thing to do?

This is nothing new. For centuries, business owners have had workers in their employ. Most employers are honorable and treat their employees with a fair amount of respect. Some employers not so much. Listen to James’ exhortation to the corporations of his day in James Chapter 5.

^4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

This passage does not speak to whether you cut your workforce or not but rather making sure that you are compensating those in your charge. The day laborers life in James’ time was literally a day-by-day experience. Work secured today paid for today’s food. If the landowner didn’t pay what was owed families didn’t eat. Honestly, things have not changed that much for some of today’s working poor as they live paycheck to paycheck. Growing up in a single-mom household I experienced first hand what it means to make it by the skin of your teeth. Sometimes I am not sure how we made it.

Mistreatment of the working poor was not looked at lightly in these verses. The employer had a practical and moral responsibility to his laborers that was held accountable all the way up to the judgment seat of God. That’s pretty heavy stuff and fodder for self-examination for those of you who are making payroll decisions. One of the noble charges to the bosses out there is to TAKE CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE.

The median income in the US is $50,000 and the poverty level for a family of four is $22, 050

Recent poverty rate and guidelines (Wikipedia)

The 2008-2009 poverty threshold was measured according to the HHS Poverty Guidelines^[12] which are illustrated in the table below.

SOURCE:  Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 14, January 23, 2009, pp. 4199–4201^[13]

In addition to family status, race/ethnicity and age also correlate with poverty in the United States. Although data regarding race and poverty are more extensively published and cross tabulated the family status correlation is by far the strongest.

[edit]Poverty and family status

According to the US Census, in 2007 5.8% of all people in married families lived in poverty,^[17] as did 26.6% of all persons in single parent households ^[17] and 19.1% of all persons living alone. ^[17]

[edit]By race/ethnicity and family status.

Among married families: 5.8% of all people^[17] including
5.4% of white persons, ^[18]
8.3% of black persons, ^[19] and
14.9% of Hispanic persons (of any race) ^[20] were in poverty.

Among single parent families: 26.6% of all persons,^[17] including
30% of white persons, ^[18]
44% of black persons, ^[21] and
33% of Hispanic persons (of any race) ^[22] were in poverty.

Among unrelated individuals and people living alone: 19.1% of all persons,^[17] including
18% of white persons ^[23]
27.9% of black persons ^[24] and
27% of Hispanic persons of any race ^[25] lived in poverty

[edit]Poverty and race

The US Census declared that in 2007 12.5% of all people, ^[17] including
- 10.5% white people ^[26]
- 25.5% black people ^[27]
- 21.5% all Hispanic people of any race, ^[28] lived in poverty.

[edit]Poverty and age

The US Census declared that in 2007 12.5% of all people including
- 18% of all people under age 18
- 10.9% of all people 19-64, and
- 9.7% of all people ages 65 and older, lived in poverty ^[17]

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) uses a different measure for poverty and declared in 2008 that child poverty in the US is 20% and poverty among the elderly is 23%.^[29]The non-profit advocacy group Feeding America has released a study (May 2009) based on 2005-2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Agriculture Department, which claims that 3.5 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of hunger in the United States. The study claims that in 11 states, Louisiana, which has the highest rate, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas,South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas, more than 20 percent of children under 5 are allegedly at risk of going hungry.The study was paid by ConAgra Foods, a large food company.^[30]