Analysis Of The Book ' Men We Reaped '

These minimum wage jobs can barely keep her alive even if she was rationing her money as well as she could. “If we want to reduce poverty, we have to stop doing the things that make people poor and keep them that way. Stop underpaying people for the jobs they do” (Ehrenreich 195). She could see that the system was against the poor and prevented them from climbing the social ranks without luck. Although still attainable, the author depicts the difficulties of those in poverty and why the American Dream is more difficult to achieve than it is observed to be by the middle and upper class.

People are still living on $2 a day here in the United States. As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, how is it possible for people to live with this little amount of money? I know that I cannot. In $2.00 a Day, Jennifer Hernandez, a single mother with two kids, is a person who lives on $2 a day as she tries to survive and support herself and her kids in the collapsing economy. The minimum wage job for cleaning houses reinforces the cycle of poverty that Jennifer and her kids live in. This cycle of poverty reveals that there needs to be major changes to the economical infrastructure of the United States since the poor cannot get themselves out of poverty even though they actively look for work or have a job.

Poverty has been a serious problem throughout history. No matter what the source of income, unemployment or your upraising is, there will always be people who are hungry and in need of a home . Despite being one of the most wealthy countries in the world, the United States is not immune to it either. Even today, there are still people to find a stable home, feed and clothe their kids. This social problem has different impacts on different people. However, there are possible solutions that are available to destroy this social problem of poverty.

The view that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer has been heard repeatedly in reference to America’s income inequality. Though ironic, it comes as no surprise that America, a continent that easily trumps other countries in terms of wealth would be affected by the issue of poverty at such high levels. While much has said regarding the poverty levels, many economists, educators and scholars feel that the income inequality in America may be the reason why it is difficult to live and maintain a middle class lifestyle or to rise out of poverty into the middle class in the current economic state. With this in mind, the only way America, has a chance of lessening or eliminating poverty altogether is by understanding how it exists.

Poverty is an issue that has affected society since civilization was first created. Even with a globalized economy and economic opportunity prevalent nearly everywhere, there is still a vast majority of people who live in financial strain. According to recent information obtained by the World Bank, “10.7% of the world’s population live on less than US $1.90 a day”(World Bank 2013). In the United States considered the wealthiest nation on Earth, the poverty rate is 12.7% which is 40.6 million people(US Census Bureau 2016). Though some people are in poverty because of their own choices, poverty is a result of structural institutional practices in place.

“The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations,” said Adam Smith. The quote above sheds light upon the primary driving force behind the conspicuous poverty that currently plagues American society and its citizens alike. Whether it be the further exacerbation of an indigent individual’s lifestyle or augmented power rendered to the commonplace bon vivant, the vicious circle of poverty seemingly appears to be an indelible taint on America’s rather diverse mosaic of individuals. From the gruesome working conditions endured by impoverished Americans to the immense profits garnered by affluent storeowners, the nation remains fixated in an economics-oriented rudimentary state: a reality directly intertwined to a dearth of bona

It is not shocking to hear that tens of millions of Americans are living in poverty. Startling statistics about the poor are constantly being tossed around on television with images of run-down neighborhoods and malnourished children. The real surprise, however, is that millions of those in poverty are full-time, minimum wage earning workers. Many say one should feel morally obligated to help these people. President Barack Obama said it best in his February 2013 State of the Union address, “Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full time should have to live

Poverty is a big problem in the United States. According to Charles Zastrow, “in 2012 over forty-six million people, about fifteen percent of our population was living below the poverty line” (p. 117). In other words, there were a great amount of people living below the poverty line the poverty line. The poverty line is the minimum level of income needed for secured needs of life according to the government. Poverty causes malnutrition, homelessness, School dropout’s drug abuse, and much more.

Although it is not difficult for the wealthy to increase their wealth, for those in or near poverty, the possibility of economic mobility becomes nearly impossible. The federal minimum wage in the United States is seven dollars and twenty-five cents per hour, however, that wage falls far below what has been determined to be a living wage. Using MIT’s living wage calculator, the minimum salary for a family of four with two adults working minimum wage jobs would need to increase between $15,000 and $40,000 to achieve an income that is considered “livable.” The probability of an individual bettering their situation financially, when they can’t even afford to live above poverty, is highly unlikely. Ehrenreich, the author of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America, conducted a social experiment, putting herself in the life of the working poor, presenting how it is essentially impossible to live comfortably while working a minimum wage job. In the book, she shows the daily struggles of the working poor while contrasting it with her day to day life. Despite the flaws of her social experiment, she is able to present some of the invisible struggles of those in poverty. Her findings align with Shipler’s observations about home environment and the other factors that contribute to decreased upward mobility for those in poverty. In The Working Poor, Shipler highlights some of the critical factors that limit upward mobility for the poor, such as education. Shipler explains that both poor education systems and having parents who did not graduate from high school decrease graduation rates and opportunities later in life. In addition, stressful living situations, to include abuse and addictions, greatly affect children and often have repercussions in later life. Ehrenreich is able to effectively present the issues in the industries that employ minimum wage workers

In the United States alone, the amount of people in poverty is 14.5%. That equates to 45.3 million people in 2013. In a country like America, one of the world’s superpowers, it’s embarrassing to admit. But the main issue is to fix issues like these with the minimum wage and welfare. The minimum wage applies to workers who got a job whether because they were in school or because they had not gone to college and had no other option. Most of the country lives off as minimum wage workers as only 1% of the world’s population has a college degree. Minimum wage needs to be adjusted to modern inflation. But the minimum wage allegedly does not affect poverty at all says a large demographic and does not need to be adjusted. The minimum wage makes up a lot of the country and should be adjusted or modified to today’s standard of living.

Peter Edelman provides stark numbers in regard to poverty in his article “Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?” Low paying jobs, single parent households, lower occurrences of welfare, and race and gender issues all contribute to poverty in America (Edelman). He is sure to point out that this is not a new problem, but something that America has been having trouble dealing with for many years. One of the shocking numbers he provides is “104 million people - a third of the population - have annual incomes below twice the poverty line” (Edelman). A negative attitude toward those in poverty may prevent people from having empathy for and being charitable toward those less fortunate. However, whether or not the attitude is positive or negative,

Poverty is a national epidemic that plagues Americans across the country. Imagine having to choose between the simple necessities of life, the decision of whether to buy toothpaste, toilet paper, or laundry soap. Which is most important, which will have the largest effect on the outcome of one 's life? Could something so small really change a person 's ability to survive? Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia states that “poverty is the economic condition in which people lack sufficient income to obtain certain minimal levels of health services, food, housing, clothing, and education generally recognized as necessary to ensure an adequate standard of living (“Poverty”). Poverty is a way of life that becomes an endless cycle of struggle and production. Work, pay bills repeat. Poverty is the reflection of greed in our nation that encourages success at the cost of our humanity. Poverty is a generational cycle that is inherited and becomes the anchor to all future success. It is often said that poverty is the effect of a lazy, uneducated nation, in reality, the poverty level family has at least one adult working at least 40 hours a week at a painstakingly back breaking job that the elite American would quiver at the thought of performing. The effect of Poverty is caused by lack of opportunities, greed, and generational circumstances

While it has proven to be difficult to end poverty in America, Peter Edelman is optimistic. In his book So Rich, So Poor Edelman makes a call to action. There are four prominent ideas that underpin Edelman’s reasoning throughout the book: (1) More people must understand why poverty is still so prevalent in America; (2) extreme poverty must be taken into consideration as a shocking 6 million Americans’ sole income was food stamps in 2011. This fact alone creates a sense of urgency that drives Edelman; (3) increasing income inequality should be treated as a moral issue; and (4) bold political action will be required if substantive progress will be made in alleviating poverty.

Poverty has been evident since The Great Depression in the 1930’s. Since then, there has been an attempt to lower poverty level, though only a 2.5% decrease has been seen since 1965. It is argued that we do not need another war on poverty since nothing has seemed to help, but this is an issue that affects everyone. As Mark Bittman stated in his article “Why We’re Fasting” “This is a moral issue; the budget is a moral document.” Poverty can be improved if more emphasis is added to helping individuals or families out of poverty, instead of assisting them through their lives, by improving existing laws or implementing new laws centering around the idea of a fixed income.

Many Americans believe that America has one of the most powerful economies that is involved in the global market and the best average living standards. Since the creation of the United States it has been known as the land of endless opportunities, regardless of social or economic classes. Under this philosophy, all citizens should have equal rights and given equal opportunity to progress in the workforce. However many Americans are living full lives and do not have financial obstacles to get over. Even so, millions of Americans are still faced with poor living conditions and struggle with providing for their families basic needs. Whether Americans believe poverty and inequality exist in America exists or not, the authors in three different articles:” Culture of Success” by Brink Lindsey, “A Great Time to Be Alive?” by Matt Yglesias, and “Born Poor and Smart” by Angela Locke, and “The War Against the Poor Instead of Programs to End Poverty”by Herbert J. Gans, shared ideas on how to help fix the problems of the impoverished community and address the cause of the problem. The four articles also explain different biases that the impoverish have to endure everyday.