Sen John Edwards gets $400 haircuts & feels qualified to discuss poverty

We have all read about Senator John Edwards, Democrat candidate for president, getting $400 haircuts. He recently said he got the message of this extravagance and will probably be more careful in the amount he spends for this service in the future.
However, seeking an issue to elevate his chances at catching the brass ring he has decided to focus on inner city poverty as a campaign issue.

Not to be excluded from this issue Senator Barack Obama has also made this topic part of his message. On page 16A of today’s LA Times he is quoted to having said that “poverty is not an issue I just discovered for the purposes of a campaign. It is the cause that led me to a life of public service almost 25 years ago.” Is that so? I do not recall reading anything in the news regarding his concern about this issue but than again it’s that time of year. Keep an eye on the competition and be sure not to overlook an issue that can resonate favorably with the electorate.

And who ends up footing the multi billion dollar bill for all of the services that this poverty removal effort entails? There is no question that our major cities have higher crime rates, gangs and drug dealers. We read that upwards of 50 percent of high school students drop out.

This is the land of opportunity. I was born and raised in Newark New Jersey, not exactly Beverly Hills 90210. At one stage in my life I worked three jobs seven days a week. While I have compassion for the children of broken homes, where single moms are doing their best to raise their families, perhaps the place to begin is in our public school system. We are taught the three R’s but nothing about marriage or the responsibility of starting and raising a family.
As to the issue of unemployment the answer is to stay in school, select the area where you can earn a decent living and commit yourselves to reaching that goal. Dropping out of school surely limits your chances at getting a job that would enable you to keep up with the cost of living, no less move to higher ground and break the cycle of poverty.

Your thoughts on this latest Democrat campaign issue are surely welcome.

PS: What’s the real cost of a haircut these days? My wife cuts my hair with an electric hair clipper!

About Larry Gilbert