Thread by @ideafaktory

I grew up a poor immigrant & spent much of my childhood killing roaches w/99 cent slippers.

My public HS had every race, nationality; poor, affluent. But #success had nothing to do w/any of those. Just stable home+effort. Everyone must learn the power to fix both is theirs.

1/8

Left-leaning @BrookingsInst ID's 3 factors that guarantee #success in life:
-finish high school
-get a full-time job
-wait until 21 to get married & have kids

We've ALL internalized these & most of us try to live by them.

brookings.edu/opinions/three…

2/8

So why are we OK holding the poor to lower standards?

Because they're poor? Or minorities? Or because we feel guilty or uncomfortable?

3/8

So how long do we keep pretending? Letting politicians use the poor as cynical campaign fodder, promising all sorts of freebies that nip at the edges of secondary symptoms, like teacher pay.

But they NEVER address root causes.

Who's talking about broken families?

4/8

Sure, we can try defying norms, changing culture & rewriting the rules of the game...

But until that happens, reality will slooooooowly roll over you like a Zamboni, driven by a pothead.

You will be a pancake long before your savior arrives.

5/8

What do you think is easier or more realistic:
A) waiting for a massive govt solution that hasn't come yet?
B) educating poor kids & struggling adults to follow 3 basic rules that are 100% within their control?

We can start doing B today. It's free. And it's empowering.

6/8

But DECADES of decay, empty promises, terrible ideas, zero adaptation from failure. THAT is cynicism.

Using people, who've mostly disengaged from society, as political pawns, delivering nothing, then making more empty promises next cycle.? That is dark. That's drug dealing.

7/8

Related posts:
On who's really helping the poor: ideafaktory.com/unbanked/

The Universal Success Formula: ideafaktory.com/success

8/8

PS: While not meant to be political, reality is neither party cares about the poor. One says, "Fend for yourself" & keeps walking. The other, "We'll save you!" Then doesn't.

Luckily, great things are happening locally, where this problem will ultimately be addressed.