U.S.A., Land of Limitations? – The New York Times

Nicholas Kristof wrote in the August 8th New York Times about how much harder it is for lower-income people to get ahead. He equates low-income with low opportunity and cites the following story. I have no doubt the road is tougher if you are at the bottom of the rung to begin with, but are we mixing income level with life circumstances that may or may not be directly affected by income?

Kristof challenges the notion that opportunity still exists for everyone, but rather is skewed to higher income Americans. Look at the life story below; this kid got a raw deal from the start, but is it income factors or tragedy and life decisions by others and himself? Things that could happen and do happen at any income level.

Keep in mind that Rick was five years old in 1955, long before anyone heard about ADD so his school experience as tragic as it was, would not have been unique to his income level?

So what is your opinion? Is opportunity unfair in America? Is a tough road due mostly to income level at birth? Do life choices contribute toward perpetual low-income? Please comment. 

Rick, who thought he was one-eighth American Indian, pretty much raised himself, along with his brother and two sisters. His mom died when he was 5, and his dad — “a professional drunk,” Rick once told me — abandoned the family. A grandmother presided, and the kids hunted and fished to put food on the table.

School might have been an escalator to a better life, for Rick had a terrific mind, but as a boy he had an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder and teachers wrote him off. In the eighth grade, the principal punished Rick for skipping school, by suspending him for six months. Rick was thrilled. By 10th grade he had dropped out for good.

Rick worked in lumber mills and machine shops, then became a talented custom painter of cars. After his hand was mashed in an accident, he survived on disability and odd jobs. His phone worked when he had enough money to pay the bills.

He married twice and divorced twice, raised children as a single dad, and was a loyal friend to everyone around. A few years ago, Rick was slowly mending from a serious illness, dependent on a crucial medicine. Then he abruptly weakened and had to be hospitalized.

It turned out that his ex-wife’s car had been towed and she had needed to pay a fee to get it back. So Rick had given her $600 and skipped the medicine. That’s what put him in the hospital.

via U.S.A., Land of Limitations? – The New York Times.