If Poor People Are Happy, Alabama Must Be Ecstatic

Home Posted June 11, 2012 - 10:40am

Remember when our wise and compassionate Gov. Dr. Robert Bentley said this, back when he was just a legislator?

I understand and I'm fully sympathetic with people who are poor, they don't have enough money to buy food. But, you know, there—there are avenues through which if they really are poor that they can get some help. They may not be poor in spirit, they may just be poor in not being able to buy all the conveniences that you think they should have. That doesn't mean they're not happy. You can be happy and be poor.

Alabama child poverty Well, if poverty makes people happy, there's a capacity crowd rocking out in Alabama's poorhouse. We made the top 10 (again!) in income inequality:

Alabama has the sixth-worst income inequality in the nation. Median income in 2010 has increased from $39,980 in 2009, when it was the third lowest in the country. However, the poverty rate also has increased from 2009’s level of 17.5% to become the second highest in the country, at 18.1%. Some 14.3% of the state’s residents rely on food stamps, the eleventh-highest percentage in the country.

Alabama's 274,000 poor children are especially happy. They must be laughing at how little they have -- both in terms of 'conveniences' and of opportunity to better themselves.

Alabama has a poverty problem. Too many people in this state can't make ends meet. That has negative life consequences not just in terms of economic security, but in terms of health, life expectancy, educational achievement for children and -- yes -- prison population. Poverty sucks the opportunity out of lives; it's a tremendous source of suffering and a waste of human potential.

People like Robert Bentley, who won't admit that poverty is a problem, can't be trusted to do the difficult work of expanding economic opportunity so people can lift themselves out of poverty. Those who are content with the current situation -- the second highest(!!) level of poverty in the nation -- will never change it.

Here's some advice for Gov. Dr. Bentley:

Step one is to admit you have a poverty problem. If you skip step one, Alabama's poor are never going anywhere.

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