Making light of poverty

[Christa Sadler]

I think the thing that bothers me about the name of this series is
that it really makes light of the concept of true poverty. There are
millions of people in this country who have no choice whatsoever about
whether or not they live in poverty.They don't have the training,
education, experience or opportunity to find work that pays well. Yet
for a whole lot of people in Flagstaff, myself included, their living
here is a conscious choice. All of us could go somewhere else and make
a lot more money, pay lower sales tax, and find lower cost housing
(relative to our salaries). Yet we choose to stay here because of the
quality of life: low crime, good water and air, beautiful surroundings
and a great community of educated and talented people. I prefer Brad
Dimock's suggested name for this series: "Flagstaff: You've Got to
Want It." There are people in this town who live in true poverty, but
that demographic is not necessarily related to being in Flagstaff,
Arizona per se. The rest of us who complain about the high cost of
living here are here by choice. We are not "poor," and to try and
place us within this demographic really makes light of the greater
issue of poverty and its causes in this country.

[wyattin...@yahoo.com]

Krista, I could not agree more. Our "poverty" is chosen in some
respects. Brad's title "Flagstaff. You've got to want it" is PERFECT.
However, I also agree that a LOT more could be done to grow new jobs,
to improve the quality of public planning, land use, and to focus on
sustainability. Many times, just when a family thinks they have
financially leveled-off and can start to save for a home or not worry
about local inflation, WHAM. More discussion. More thought. More
Action-Jackson. We are all working on this. A good start...