Nicole Niemann Blog #2

1. There was a couple in the book Cruzanta and Paul who made mistakes over and over again.  Every time they would take a few steps forward they would go a few more steps back.  They were often the type to be stereotyped and average citizens.  They had help from a social worker to get on their feet again.  They both got jobs at a local country club.  The jobs didn’t pay much but they had a job and it was a start.  On page 142 this quote really jumped out at me. “Think of it as blocks, you can only go higher and higher.  From your tower falling down many times before; you’re beyond that point; you know how to set your blocks-solid enough so that your foundation can rise.  And that is how I look at it” (Ambrasky, 2013). Even though he fought demons on a daily basis he never stopped fighting.  They were trying to better their lives and find a home for their son.

I enjoyed reading this because it shows that people can change.  Paul had been into drugs in the past and he was not living his life the way he should.  It is never too late to give up.  Fight for what you deserve!

 2. On page 153 the heading is hurricanes, tornadoes, and some awfully big bills.  This part of the chapter reminded me of the video we watched in class “The Line”.  The entire town was destroyed by hurricane Katrina and several jobs were in jeopardy because of the seafood in the waters were depleted.  Many people died in the floods that year due to the hurricane.  Five years later there was an oil spill which caused the oysters to suffer.  “We have no little oysters, we have nuttin’ to look forward to,” said the oysterman in late 2011 (Ambrasky, 2013).

It is bad enough that the town was hit by a natural disaster then the man made oil spill.  It is hard to fight back if you keep getting knocked down.  Many people do not have the funds to recover from both of these disasters.  Several gulf shore fishers were destroyed of their livelihoods. 

3. Jim Wallis talked to Obama after his election and Obama said he would cut poverty in half in 10 years.  However, on page 196 it talks about the Obama administration focused on damage control rather than proactive anti-poverty program.  I liked the statement on page 227 “What we need is not more information, but more political will to do what’s right by America’s residents” (Ambrasky, 2013). 

Why can’t funded programs get away from state funds and turn to federal funded programs?  Too see what is working in some states and not try it seems like we aren’t trying hard enough.  I like the dial 211 and all information be spread to all departments.  I think this would help out with keeping costs lower because you wouldn’t need government officials to figure out where to send this information and the government officials could focus on the problem and what needs to be done to fix it.