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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 3, 2004 Poverty invades all aspects of life I am a 26-year-old single mother of two young boys. I have been living back in Ashland for one year now and still haven't been able to afford to move out of my mother's house. It took me a long time to find a job. I work about 30 to 40 hours a week and I cannot afford to live without public assistance even without having to pay rent. I feel shame to have to rely on this assistance. I don't buy anything that we don't need because I can't afford it. Many times, I don't buy things that we need for the same reason. I make under $12,000 per year and am making a little more than minimum wage. It's an unhealthy, stressful way to live. I get physically sick from stress and I'm tired of struggling all of the time. One surprise expense of $100 sets me back for months. I think somebody needs to either raise wages so that they are livable or there needs to be more affordable housing in town. Both would be optimal. I don't have a car and can't afford one. I think it's great that buses are free in Ashland, but it seems to me that they are unreliable due to frequent breakdowns. I'm fortunate to have a good friend who lends me her car so that I can get things done when the bus in inconvenient and a wonderful mom who puts up with me and my kids in her house, which can't be easy. This isn't the way I planned to be living at this time in my life. I feel for my children who have to do without many things and I feel for my mom who should be enjoying her home without the constant raucous of small children. She doesn't get to be the type of grandma that she would like to be because she has to uphold my rules for the kids and that ruins the fun of being the grandma that gets to spoil her grandchildren and let them get away with things. Holidays and birthdays should not be a stressful time, but for many parents in town they are. Nobody wants to disappoint their children because they can't afford gifts. Like I said, I'm lucky to have family in town and good friends, but what about those who don't? As a community, we need to do more to make Ashland more livable for it's families with children. I intend to go to college so that I can better my life and the life of my kids, but at this time, I can't afford to miss work and I can't afford more daycare even though I receive some assistance for that also. This is a huge problem for many and we need to do something about it before it's too late. M. Hamilton Ashland True assistance needed for poor This poverty article was a great beginning but it needs to be expanded to cover why the government and the entities receiving money from the government provide housing, food, and medical care for those suffering from substance abuse and ex-cons but not for the "walking around" disabled and working poor. Without basic housing, there is no hope! They cannot rent a place to live because of the required deposit and lack of credit history (if they could afford the rent). Without a place to live (stove, refrigerator) food is more expensive and they end up with a poor diet which results in low energy level and illness. King County Washington (and I assume other Metro areas) are allowing "Tent Cities" in church parking lots for "working poor families" but these are inadequate. These people need basic housing and neither the government nor charities are addressing the problem. Maybe the "great minds" in Ashland can come up with an enterprising solution. L. Walker Ashland Baha'i share concerns During recent months, government authorities in Iran have demolished historic sites of great artistic and cultural significance, to the people of Iran, the world, and to the worldwide Baha'i community, which holds the sites as sacred. The U.S. Baha'i community placed a statement decrying recent demolitions in the Sept. 12 edition of The New York Times. Similar press releases have been and continue to be published in newspapers around the world, in the hope that shedding light on this activity might prevent further destruction of cultural landmarks. In June, a crew destroyed a stately home in Tehran that had been the residence of Mirza Abbas Nuri, the father of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith. Mirza Abbas, who was born and died a Muslim, was a renowned 19th-century statesman and scholar. He was also widely regarded as one of Iran's greatest calligraphers. His home had been preserved as an exquisite example of Iranian- Islamic architecture. Iranian newspapers carried articles expressing shock and dismay at the demolition. In April, the gravesite of Quddus, a preeminent figure in early Baha'i history, was razed to the ground. The house-like structure was destroyed in spite of protests by Baha'is at the local, national and international levels. Since the Islamic Republic of Iran was founded in 1979, the Iranian government has confiscated Baha'i cemeteries, holy places and historical sites. Many have been destroyed. Despite their peaceful character, 200 Iranian Baha'is have been killed and hundreds more have been tortured and imprisoned. Tens of thousands have lost jobs, pensions, and access to education, all solely because the clerics who rule Iran declare them heretics. The Ashland Baha'i community requests that concerned individuals express their concerns about the ongoing, systematic destruction of cultural landmarks associated with the Baha'i Faith to our representatives in Congress. For more information please visit: www.bahaiworldnews.org Jim Stephens Corresponding Secretary, Ashland Baha'i Community DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams