CONTRIBUTORS NICK REID AND NANCY -- AND AMY BLANSIT.
I WANTED TO -- THIS IS A
MYSTERIOUS TALK.
WE A FEW YEARS AGO SPOKE ABOUT
THE ISSUES WITH PAYDAY LENDING,
SO-CALLED PREDATORY LENDING,
THAT SORT OF THING.
REMEMBER THAT?
I WANTED TO GET BACK INTO MORE I
GUESS RELATED TOPIC WOULD BE
SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE GENERAL
LEVEL OF POVERTY IN SOUTHWEST
MISSOURI.
WHY DOES IT SEEM AS THOUGH THIS
AREA HAS SUCH A LINGERING
PROBLEM?
I THINK IT'S A 24 PERCENT
POVERTY RATE IN THE CITY OF
SPRINGFIELD, I'M NOT SURE WHAT
THE PERCENTAGES ARE IN RURAL
AREAS BUT THAT MUCH BETTER AS
FAR AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
SO WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THIS,
IN YOUR ESTIMATION?
SURE IN ITS AREA WE ARE
RESEARCHING.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
STARTED ACTUALLY RESEARCHING WA
WAS, FOR INDIVIDUALS ABOVE AND
BELOW THE 20 PERCENT POVERTY
LINE, WE FOUND OF THE FAMILY
THAT WE HAD PULLED THAT MANY OF
THEM GREW UP IN A POPULATION
THAT WAS LESS THAN 2,000 PEOPLE
AND MIGRATED TO SPRINGFIELD.
AND SO BEFORE WE HAD THIS
ASSUMPTION THAT AFTER 2007
PEOPLE HAD MOVED TO SPRINGFIELD
IN ORDER TO FIND BETTER JOBS
THAT MAYBE WEREN'T EXISTING
RURALLY.
AND THE CITY SHOWED IT WAS A
PART OF.
SO YOU HAVE CULTURALLY AND USES
RURALLY WHERE YOU ARE MORE
CONNECTED WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS,
YOU DO A LOT MORE IN ASSISTING
EACH OTHER AND THEY ARE NOT
TRANSPORTED HER TO SPRINGFIELD,
THEY DON'T HAVE FAMILY, AND HAVE
NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS THAT RETAKE
AND USE RESOURCES.
SO NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO SET UP
SHOP IN A NEW PLACE AND IT'S
DIFFICULT FOR THEM.
IS IT ALSO EDUCATION-DRIVEN?
YES.
WE DO HAVE -- EVEN INDIVIDUALS
THAT ARE GRADUATING, SO IN OUR
NORTHSIDE SCHOOLS WOULD HAVE
LOWER EDUCATION ATTAINMENT RISK
AND SO INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT
GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL.
THEN OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THAT RATE
FROM THOSE GO ON TWO COUNTS, WE
HAVE DECREASED PERCENTAGES THE
THERE.
FROM THE STATE WE HAVE SEEN AN
INCREASE IN FUNDS, WHICH DOESN'T
HAPPEN VERY OFTEN IN OUR STA
STATE -- WE ARE SEEING AN
INCREASE IN FUNDING -- IN
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, IN
EDUCATION, BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING
THE POVERTY RIDGE NOT ONLY
SPRINGFIELD AND ST. LOUIS ON THE
RISE, RURALLY MISSOURI, SO THERE
IS MONEY GOING INTO WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE MORE OF
THOSE TRADE TYPE DEGREES THAT
ARE NOT THE DOLLAR 50, $2.50,
MAYBE $50 OR MORE WITH BENEFITS.
SO WE ARE SEEING A SHIFT IN THE
TYPE OF WORK THAT WE ARE TRYING
TO PROMOTE SO THAT INDIVIDUALS
HAVE THE CHANNELS WANT TO MOVE
OUT OF POVERTY.
NEXT, THIS IS A VERY PUBLIC
AND/CONSERVATIVE AREA...
Amy: GEOGRAPHICALLY.
Brian: YES.
Amy: THANK YOU FOR CLARI
CLARIFYING.
Brian: I AM TO THE FIGURE OUT
THERE A RELATIONSHIP AT ALL
BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO HAVE CERTAIN
POLITICAL VIEWPOINTS, AND ONLY
LOOKING AT THE POVERTY SURE
SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM
POTENTIALLY, OR SOMETHING THAT
THEY DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER WAY TO
SOLVE EXCEPT THAT SOME POINT
PEOPLE WILL DO BETTER ON THEIR
OWN?
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU STARTED
TALKING ABOUT EFFECTIVE
APPROACHES, PEOPLE SOMETIMES GET
PUT OFF THAT FROM A IDEOLOGICAL
STANDPOINT.
, WRONG ON THAT?
SEE IT SO I'VE GOT REAL BROAD
VIEWS ON THIS.
Brian: -YEAR SHE AND, FIRST
OF ALL, I DON'T THINK THERE IS
AND WHAT SOLUTIONS.
Amy: IF THERE WAS WE WOULD DO
IT.
Nick: YEAH.
AND THERE ARE SO MANY -- LIKE,
DEFINITIONS.
HE MENTIONED 25 PERCENT POVERTY
AND SOME POINT PART I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THAT MEANS PART HOW DO YOU
DEFINE THAT?
IS IT INCOME?
YOU COULD HAVE KNOWN PEOPLE THAT
MAKE 40,000 A YEAR, ONE COULD
THINK OF DENNY AND THE OTHER ONE
IS IN TEN YEARS BE READY TO
RETIRE.
ATTITUDE IS SUCH A HUGE PORTION.
YOU READ ANY BOOK ABOUT
SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRES AND THE
ONLY THING IS, IT'S ABOUT AND
ALL OF THEM IS THE MENTALITY AND
IT'S AN ATTITUDE.
IS NOT HOW THEY WERE BORN, WHERE
THEY WERE BORN, IS NOT THEIR
EDUCATION STATUS.
NOT THAT THERE AREN'T AT TIMES
SIMILAR TO THAT ONE TO THAT IS
THERE, IT IS AN ATTITUDE, IT'S
OUR CULTURE.
AND I TALKED WITH PEOPLE THAT
ARE BUSINESS OWNERS,
PARTICULARLY THE SORTS OF
BLUE-COLLAR JOBS AS WELL THAT
PAY VERY, VERY, GOOD BUT THEY
HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING GOOD
WORKERS.
AND THAT SOMETIMES OCCURS WHEN
YOU MAKE IT MORE COMFORTABLE TO
NOT BE EMPLOYED.
ONCE UPON A TIME -- I'M NOT
ADVOCATING FOR THIS -- BUT IF
YOU DIDN'T WORK, YOU DON'T EAT.
THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE.
IF YOU DON'T WORK THERE PLENTY
OF OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE FOR
YOU TO AT LEAST SURVIVE.
IT MAY NOT BE WHAT ANY OF US SEE
AS A COMFORTABLE LEVEL OF LIVING
BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAPPY
THAT, THEY ARE CONTENT.
THEY ARE MORE COMFORTABLE IN
THEIR PLACE IN LIFE THAN THEY
WOULD BE IF THEY WERE TENANT
MARKED 40 OR 60 HOURS A WEEK.
SO NOW I THROUGHOUT ALL SORTS OF
THINGS HERE.
Amy: PEOPLE THAT ARE HAPPILY
SITTING --
Brian: THEY MAY NOT
ACKNOWLEDGE IT TO THEMSELVES,
BUT I KNOW NUMEROUS PEOPLE, OR
HAVE KNOWN NUMEROUS PEOPLE -- I
WANT TO SONIC A HORSE -- THAT
FAILED TO THIS CATEGORY BUT THEY
HAD INDICATED THE ABILITY OF
YOUR GOOD WORK AND GETTING THOSE
JOB BUT THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK
THEY DIDN'T WANT TO.
"WHY SHOULD HAVE TO DO THAT?
"OR "WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT MY
DEGREES AND SO I'M NOT GOING TO
DO THAT."
AND BECAUSE THEY ARE ABLE TO
SURVIVE RELATIVELY COMFORTABLY
THAT'S A CHOICE FOR THEM.
AND WHEN YOU MAKE IT EASIER AND
MORE COMFORTABLE TO NOT PROMOTE
YOURSELF, NOT WHAT THERE, YOU'RE
GOING TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE NOT
ALL YOU WILL HAVE MORE PEOPLE!
Amy: AND ONCE YOU GET INTO
THE SYSTEM OF -- AT LEAST $200 A
MONTH UNREPORTED I HAVE $20 A
MONTH IN CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE,
AGAIN, HERE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE
TO PAY RENT AND WHAT MISSOURI
DIVIDES IN THESE SUBSIDIES.
IT IS SCARY TO SAY, "I'M GOOD TO
GO GET A JOB THAT IS TEMP OR
THAT I MIGHT GET FIRED FROM AND
THAT I MIGHT HAVE TO START THIS
WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN SO
ABSOLUTELY YOU CREATED A SYSTEM
THAT GETS PEOPLE CAUGHT IN THE
WHEELS.
I WOULD NOT SEE THAT THERE ARE
MANY WHO ARE COMFORTABLE AND
LOVE IT.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE RE
REAR, GETTING OUT AND GETTING
ABOVE WHATEVER WE'RE CALLING
POVERTY.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE
TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, THAT THE
WAY THAT WE HAVE BEEN IF IT'S
DESIGNED WE DO NOT PROMOTE
PEOPLE TO TAKE THE EMOTIONS OR
TO DO WHAT IT TAKES PART SO ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE
YOU TO SUPPORT, AT LEAST, ROUND,
IS HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE TO STOP
USING THEM?
WELL, IF I GET EVERYTHING YOU
TAKE AWAY MORE THAN WHAT MY
RAISE WAS, I'M GOING TO MAKE
SURE I STAY BACK ONTO MY RAISE
IS BIG ENOUGH, AND IN OUR AREA
THE RACE IS NEVER BIG ENOUGH.
WE JUST KNOW THAT WE HAVE -- YOU
KNOW, OUR INCOME IS 40 PERCENT
OR MORE BELOW THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE.
SO WE GET THIS SYSTEM, AND THEN
THERE IS VERY FEW WAY TO GET OF
OFF.
BELIEVE ME AFTER THE LAST FOUR
YEARS WORKING IN THIS, GIVING
ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES AND
KNOWING WHERE ALL THE STOPS, IT
IS SO SO DIFFICULT.
AND MOSES BECAUSE POOR PEOPLE
TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD WEEK CUT
OFF A SET OF STEPS DOWN.
AND IF WE DO PROMOTION JUST LIKE
WE DO IN THE WORKPLACE INSTEAD
OF A STEP METHOD IN CENTER PARK
AND WE WOULD LOSE MORE PEOPLE.
OTHER STATES HAVE DONE THIS AND
HAD SUCCESS.
YOU UNDERSTAND I HAVE NO
INFLUENCE AT ALL OVER ANYTHING.
Amy: YOU HAVE PEOPLE YOU CAN
TALK TO ABOUT IT.
Nick: IT MAKES YOU FEEL THAT
I'VE GOT SOME EXCELLENT.
Brian: THEY HAVE SOME
INFLUENCE AND THIS IS SOMETHING
UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE ON TIME AND
WE WILL COME BACK TO BECAUSE ONE
OF THESE ISSUES THAT'S NOT GOING
AWAY ANYTIME SOON.
SO WE APPRECIATE NEGRETE AND AMY
BLANSIT BEING WITH US TONIGHT
AND WE WILL BE BACK AFTER THIS.