Think back to the first time you and your friends tried mixing all the sodas in the pop fountain. You watched each different fizz cascade into the 64 oz. Big Gulp, mesmerized as the cola-colored puddle metamorphosed into a rust-colored, guaranteed gut-buster of a beverage. You thought to yourself, "Is this a good idea?"

And if you're anything like me, you said, "What the hell," and took a sip and even as you felt your Cheetoes and chocolate milk crawling back up your throat (with just a hint of Dr. Pepper), you swore to all your friends--you swore to God--that it was the "best thing ever made, try it, you gotta try it, just try it." And in the end, after fighting back your lunch, you decided it wasn't really that bad. And you took another sip.

That's what life is like in mredison's neighborhood. Welcome.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Black Straw Man

If you make too much money to qualify for government assistance, don't blame your situation on your mistaken notion that blacks are grabbing up all the assistance money.

When you make $4500 a month, but you spend $3000 on house payments, it's not the black man's fault that you're broke. Common sense should tell you that putting 2/3 of your income on any one expense is a foolish idea.

Or if you take home $5000 a month, but you owe $2500 to Visa and you've got a $75000 boat docked at the lake, and you're still making payments, it's not the black guy's fault that the government won't give you $200 bucks toward your winter gas bills. Your spending habits suck.

Man up, look at your ledger, and do what you have to do to get by. (Yes, I'm telling you to sell the boat, pay off the balance, get Visa off your back and STOP BLAMING THE BLACK MAN!!!)

Finally, if you live in Wisconsin, don't assume that minorities take the lion's share of government assistance. For my particular organization, the bulk of our funds go to white families. In all of the counties my office serves and all but one county in Wisconsin, the overwhelming majority of clients are white. In the county that covers Madison and its suburbs, white clients outnumber black clients by more than 20 percent.

For the source of your money problems, look in the mirror.
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