From: charlie
Date: 10/19/03
Time: 8:37:23 AM
Remote Name: 209.240.198.61
Jasper, I do not dispute what you say at all here but in the cases that I had when the kids came from the projects and were 3rd, 4th, 5th or more generation welfare kids and they did not know anybody who worked or had a career of ANY kind (except the people they saw at school) we were starting at a different point than how far up you can go into the GM company--as important as that is.
We are at a different point there. We are talking baby steps here for most of them. Getting a job, earning a living, providing for their families. All they knew was that the "money" came in the mail. It was just "there".
That "job" may just be a clerk or a cashier or work at McDonald's or as a waitress or waiter or a zillion other jobs that whites, Asian and Hispanics do all the time--and provide for their families on.
I know of what I am speaking. I was the first to go to college in my direct family. I was the first to get a Master's Degree. I was the first to have a "career". My Father--without college and a GED and a few night classes after WW 2 ended up being a District Sales Mgr for RC Cola (where he met OJ) and then later the manager of a bottling plant.
I have a cousin with a high school diploma from a Vocational school ended up being an auditor for Merryl Lynch (sp).
There are several "cousins" behind me that got a degree--but most didn't.
They are working and supporting their families with factory jobs, office jobs, clerks jobs, etc.
The goal is to get a much larger lower middle and middle class for the blacks and then build from there. I am not talking individual cases here where they can go on higher but for the group in general.
To goal is to clear out the ghettos and projects and have a better life for the majority. There will always be poor people but we can lower than number. In Ky. by far the largest group of POOR people are those in Eastern Ky. on Welfare.
These days, they are asking for at least a HS diploma on the most low level of jobs.
There are a LOT of people (no matter what race) who are providing for their families by being nurses, teachers, aids at schools (no college required), clerks, managers or stores, factory workers, computer jobs, repairmen, plumbers, delivery men, etc.
We have one Black company--highly successful--which is much like the Two Men and a Truck for moving people. I used them several times and they were great.
No matter what the race--it generally works that each generation is more successful than the next. The three of us (children) made more money than my Dad. I have 2 degrees but my brother and sister do not.
But first you have to get a job and keep it.
In the last 2 months, Michael's has hire 5 Blacks to work as new employees. But NONE are still there. Why? Were they fired? Some were but some just never came back. Those let go did not come to work when scheduled to work nor did they call in. They came when they felt like it. One was the 2nd job for a woman who is the EDITOR of the Community section of the newspaper. She just faded away. She was the oldest--the rest were kids.
When I was a baby and before I was born--my Dad had 3 and 4 jobs. He kept improving himself with going after bigger and better jobs. He never got rich but had a nice home, put me through school, sent my sibling to college as long as they would go, etc.
My brother didn't finish school--but both his children are in College. One about to finish and the other just starting.
My point is that you don't HAVE to go to the top--the first time out of the box.
ANd you don't HAVE to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or college president--to be successful. And success comes in many ways--
We all heard that you can be anything you want as long as you work hard--even president.
Well, that's nice...but very FEW are ever going to be president or Bill Gates or Donald Trump.
BUT,,there is a world of ways to BE successful out there....but first you have have to have some sort of education ...and work yourself up.
You don't start out being CEO or even manager of a store. You start out with the lowliest job there.
Many of these kids (that I had) needed to be shown the connection between having a job--and buying a car, having an apartment (that wasn't in the projects), buying nice clothes, etc. Providing for their family, etc.
And they needed to know that most people's money doesn't come in the mail.
charlie