By Msgr. Noel C. Burtenshaw

The key is having a car.

If you have personal transportation in the city of Atlanta, then you can conceivably climb above the poverty line.

Examine the facts.

Jane is a housekeeper in the northwest high rent district. She is the mother of three children. Her husband, an alcoholic, left her five years ago. The children range in ages from nine to 12. She is the lone breadwinner.

Jane has a job. She must be at her job at 9 a.m. each day. This means she leaves her home in downtown Atlanta at 7:30. Jane has two buses to catch.

After completing her day’s work, she must catch another two buses to reach home. She arrives at 7 p.m. each evening. Now she must attend to her own home. She is tired. The journey must be made every day. She cannot work two jobs. She cannot take courses in school. She cannot better herself in any way. Jane is trapped. It is the story of millions across this nation.

What does Jane receive in salary? Her gross pay is $170 per week. Her take home is about $147.

On that salary Jane is unable to buy the one object that can help her climb out of her cycle of poverty-a car.

An automobile, even the economical model, costs $10,000. A good credit union (Jane does not belong to one and her credit is marginal at best) will loan to its membership the cost of a car at the good rate of 14 percent interest a year. This means that car payments over a four-year period, if $10,000 is borrowed, would amount to $274 per month. Over a five-year period it would amounts to $233 per month.

(A lot could be said about the purchase of an automobile. Second hand cars could be obtained; however, normally used cars have high costs when it when it comes to maintenance, gas, dependability, etc.)

But Jane only brings in a total of $572 per month to feed and maintain four in her home. So ownership of the car is impossible for her.

Mary lives in Sandy Springs near I-285. She too has three children approximately the same age as Jane’s. Mary, who is divorced, works part-time for a doctor just one mile from her home. Mary’s gross salary is $180 for 30 hours per week. Her take home is approximately $160. Mary drives to work. It takes her 20 minutes to do so. She also drives to Georgia State University three nights per week to take her Master’s Degree in Social work. She also must take care of her home. However, she receives child support and when she finally graduates, she will apply to a psychiatric hospital as a counselor.

Jane’s story is what the bishops’ Pastoral Letter on the Economy would call “the story of hardship in this country.” Jane is part of the 35 million described by the bishops as being poor. And not only is she poor, she is trapped in her poverty and at every turn our system makes sure she, and her children, are kept in that state of poverty.

When Jane’s child is sick, she takes off work and loses a day’s pay. That is bad enough, but she must take the child to Grady Hospital where she gets excellent treatment free, but again she must ride two buses to get there and then wait in line for endless hours to receive the treatment. Sometimes more than one day’s pay is lost.

Since Mary can drive, bargains galore are at her disposal. Sandy Springs is packed with discount stores where real money can be saved. Both Richway and K-Mart are within minutes of her home. She also has a choice of grocery stores, moments drive from her front door. Armed with advertised bargains, Mary can avail herself of the best at the lowest price.

Jane is not so lucky. There are no K-Marts or Richways within walking distance of her home. Again, it is a two-bus, many hour journey if she can find time to make it. Grocery stores offer her the same problem. She must take the bus or purchase at her local, non-national chain grocery. Here Jane finds everything from five to 25 percent more expensive.

The bishops’ letter looks at this difference and says “(poverty of this kind) means being marginalized and powerless in a way that assaults not only your pocketbook but also your fundamental human dignity.”

As we go to press, the IRS is advertising on radio for extra staff to cope with the busy tax season. They need all kinds of help – from experienced bookkeepers to clerks. They say in their commercial that no experience is needed for some positions and they also make it clear that they do not discriminate. They hire without regard to race, color, sex, creed or national origin.

However, discrimination is most certainly present when the following is specified:

1. The IRS offices are on Buford Highway near the perimeter expressway;
2. From downtown it is a two-bus journey;
3. Those applying must be able to report for work at 7:30 each morning.

These positions are open to Mary should she wish to apply. They are not open to Jane. Distance, transportation, circumstances, prevent it.

“Poverty,” says the bishops’ letter, “is not merely a lack of adequate financial resources. To be poor entails a more profound kind of deprivation for it means being denied full participation in the economic, social and political life of society.”

We cannot all have the same wealth. No one disagrees with that statement. The bishops, however, strongly point out that better distribution is needed and better opportunities to succeed must be there if a just society is to exist.

The IRS should have employment opportunity in the poverty pockets of cities. Kroger and Big Star and all the other stores need to be in the poverty areas giving the same bargains.

The Janes and the Marys need to have the same opportunity to make it, to get out.

The bishops’ economic letter tells us they don’t.