HW 43 - Elevator speech

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm only going to talk to you for a minute or so this morning,Ive come to speak to you about a grave a problem which rest in our hands.Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been called to the pulped to be judge .When we are called to give testimony to our generation what will we say, when asked did we care for the most vulnerable in our society? In pain's me to say that our answer will be , must be , no. Here lie's the very troubling problem. It is my believe that our generation like so many before us will be defined on the final success or failure of our war on poverty.

In the word's of John F. Kennedy "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life." These words were echoed a century ago and yet we have done nothing. This is evident when it was estimated in 2007 37.5 million people were impoverished.36.2 million Americans are food insecure, including 12.4 million children; single women-headed households are worst off with 30.2%. Our own single mothers and children are living impoverished. This should come as no surprise when about 90% of the wealth in America is controlled by 10% of the upper class of the population.And when the United States spends one trillion dollars for every enemy soldier killed, and only seven billion dollars on the victims of poverty, this is all a very tragic mix up. This is some very sad news for all us .It's perhaps potent to ask knowing what we know now, what kind of a nation are we ? what direction do we wish to move into?

For those of you considering the evidence I just gave you , some might be filled with bitterness, or sadness or overwhelmed and doubtful that change can be made.Now it can be easy for us to move in that direction as a generation, sitting on our hands glued in fear ,that's what they aspect from us.But I say we expect different ,we can make an effort, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that fear with the willpower to make a difference. What we need in the United States is not two Americas,not division; what we need in the United States is not greed or hatred; what we need in the United States is not poverty , but is real policy change for unwed mothers living in these most troubling conditions.

What we need is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country. So I ask you this morning to return home and find out how you can make a difference.How we can change the plight of single mother's in poverty. Yes to make this change we will have to face difficult times.Change does not come over night. It wont be the end of poverty as we know it. But if the vast majority of us decide to live up to this ideal, to think out of our own selfish needs, to care for those less fortunate in this country ,we can improve the quality of their life.

Let's dedicate ourselves ,our generation to this, let us be the change we so desperately need. Let us give birth to a new Nation.My friends let our generation not be judged on what it wondered was wrong and never changed but let it be judged by what it knew what was wrong and had the will to act. Let them never say we never did it.