Dispatch 10: A Public Resource for a Public Good (Part 2)
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
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Hello Everyone,
Everything that I’ve written so far has been to convince you (and me) that if there’s a way to abolish poverty in Littleton for the 6.3% who experience it, we owe it to each other, as townspeople, to try because we’re all running out of time to be good to each other.
Littleton means a lot to me, and I’d like to see my hometown do something really amazing: end poverty in town.
If you’ve been reading along, you know that POVERTY, BY AMERICA by Matthew Desmond changed my life. I convinced our library to buy a bunch of copies in the hopes that you all would read it and that his message might change your life, too. Because now that I know poverty is here in Littleton, I can “un-know” that.
Let’s not turn away from this. People here in town are hurting. I’ve met them. Their suffering is needless. I want to work to change that. To end it.
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Littleton is in Middlesex County, a county that is in the top 1% for household incomes nationwide. This means that the poor in Littleton are surrounded by daily reminders of the great wealth of their neighbors, people whose household incomes could easily be ten times what the 6.3% have to work with.
And yes, this is “the way capitalism works,” you might say. True, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. We can say, “I’d like everyone in my hometown to be able to eat dinner tonight” or “I want everyone in Littleton to be warm this winter” and do something to make those desires come true.
The systems that exist to combat poverty are not working, as evidenced by the existence of persistent, needless poverty.
The system I’m proposing (giving 100% of profits—like $1,000,000.00 a year—to Littletonians experiencing poverty) is different and radical—and a little crazy. But that’s what needs to happen to disrupt the status quo.
And that’s what makes it fun. That’s what makes it a good story that we all can be a part of. We can have a really good time doing this. I want this project to be the sort of thing that the Globe writes about, that brings some positive news to Facebook, that becomes the basis for a feel-good Netflix series: NOT IN MY HOMETOWN: How a Small Town Abolished Poverty Within its Zip Code and Had Fun Doing It.
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Next Dispatch: A Public Resource for a Public Good (Part 3)
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RECAP:
THE IDEA: What would it take for Littleton, Massachusetts to be the first location in all of America to intentionally bring its poverty rate to 0.0%?
THE PROLOGUE: Before climate change makes us understandably and selfishly concerned with only ourselves and our loved ones, let’s do one more good deed. Let’s try a radical “something kind for people less fortunate” while there’s still time.
D1: Abolishing poverty in my hometown starts with recognizing it exists. I’m writing about it, talking about it, and pointing attention to it. Eventually, I want to work—directly for the poor—in an obscenely profitable industry and give 100% of those profits to people in town who live below the poverty line.
D2: Littleton’s Select Board granted a license to sell cannabis to a business that promised to be philanthropic with its obscene profits. I think it’s important that the people of Littleton benefit from one of the two licenses to sell cannabis.
D3: Despite the generosity of our local faith communities, Littleton’s poverty rate is 6.3%.
D4: Please read POVERTY, BY AMERICA by Matthew Desmond and subscribe to POT TWIST if you want to help those in Littleton who experience poverty.
D5: I trust that those in need are, in fact, “in need.”
D6: When you think of yourself in relative terms, you may find that your good fortune is pure luck of birth.
D7: A video interview with author Matthew Desmond for those short on time.
D8: Poverty is getting worse, especially for children.
D9: Because the license to sell cannabis is controlled by a publicly elected board, the license ought to go toward the public good.
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If you pay to subscribe to read about poverty in Littleton, 100% of what I receive from your subscription will go to Littletonians experiencing poverty.
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THIS WEEK’S ENVELOPE (UCT) DISTRIBUTIONS:
Text me: 978.760.0482
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FINAL THOUGHT:
Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Basically, it's made up of two separate words — "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
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For Your Listening and Viewing Pleasure:
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