Up from poverty/Carlos Pueblo

Up from poverty/Carlos Pueblo

Last Thursday night, we were on our way out for a joint-birthday dinner in Austin, Texas with our entire family. Michelle pointed it out a small tent city of homeless on highway 183 underpass due to an abolish of a city ordinance to jail illegal camping on the public land. I asked the reason why of such change. She said that again due to lack of jail facility. A week later, the nationwide Wall Street Journal reported such issue on its third page with a debate between the Republican Governor and the Democratic Capital City Mayor of Austin about the national issue of poverty. I can sum up many issues existed and facing a rich nation such as the United States, the national healthcare, students debts, budget deficit, and homeless, etc. Just about a month ago, there was a shocking news broken out in England that 39 illegal immigrants frozen to their death in a refrigeration truck. These are all the sad stories of the modern world we are in. I don't believe that social welfare would make you up from poverty or a government should provide such help which they can't afford. I believe that the family should take the main responsibility, especially the parents who brought the innocent children to this world. Take me as an example.

I was from a very humble family. One year, I went back to Taiwan to purchase a family registry of my paternal grandmother. It was so stressful for him to introduce his ancestors. He was the first one to receive two formal schools education with total of 10 years. They were all illiteracy and very little to pass on to him. He received a technician job after school and then found a permanent job with the sugar company until his retirement in the late 60's. His job with a very humble income yet provided us, his children, the opportunity to receive proper schools education. Like the frozen death Vietnamese, I was also very anxious to leave Taiwan at young age upon my dad's encouragement. He did have a week tour of Japan when he graduated from the second technical school with the fee paid by the Japanese Governor-General's Office. I applied for the graduate study in the U.S. and formally enter this great Nation. I also have provided my two children with college education and they are both working for more than 10 years continuously after the graduation. They are doing better than what of mine at their age. I consider myself is the first generation to break that poverty class, just takes one generation.

When I was a young high school freshman, I read an English book written by an inspirational author, Booker T. Washington called, Up from Slavery 1901. Because of this reading, I even made a special visit to Tuskegee University near Auburn Campus in Alabama. In Texas, the school district provides free breakfast and lunch for at risk students. At risk students mean students in families of poverty. I applaud for such policy at least poverty students will have enough to fill their stomach for study. School education is very vital for the struggle from poverty.

It was also from that year's high school Confucian Study of the book of Tai-Po, when a country is well governed, poverty a mean condition are things to be ashamed of; while when a country is ill governed, rich and honor are things to be ashamed of. This is a philosophy and indeed an influence of my life. I don't see complaint can help me to break of poverty, education and dedication will.