Letter: Fighting poverty starts with education
Classrooms across Long Island were empty on Thursday. Check our listings of delayed openings, closures and cancellations to see what's in store for Friday. Credit: Daniel Brennan
There was another great story about how poverty is growing on Long Island and across the country .
With four out of five adults struggling with joblessness or relying on welfare benefits at some point in their lives, and the gap between the rich and poor widening, the American dream is become the American nightmare for many.
We need programs to lift people in need. If we can’t raise the minimum wage to a living wage, then we should educate the working poor so they can secure better jobs. To pay for these programs, we need to overhaul the corporate and individual tax codes as President Barack Obama has suggested.
As college education provides the best chance to move out of poverty, attention should be directed at helping students attend and graduate from college. Resources should also be used for job training programs geared toward rebuilding the nation’s ailing infrastructure. Preparing workers for the energy markets of the future — wind, water and solar power — is also paramount. If we want to make the American dream possible for all, we need to start the education programs now!
Peter Barnett, Sayville
Editor’s Note: The writer is a board member at the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless.
