Argumentative Paper
Just like the 46 million Americans like her, twenty-four-year-old Desiree Metcalf is stuck in poverty. Metcalf’s is among those Americans that brought poverty from their childhood to adulthood. After high school, she had gotten a full scholarship to the University of Florida but got pregnant. Now she is a mother to three children, whom all have different fathers and she lives in a two bedroom apartment in Bath, New York. She used to be an alcoholic and was into self harm. Plus Metcalf also says that she smoked, “like a chimney.” “But more disturbing is that poverty is now starting to take its toll on her children, especially her eldest daughter. Metcalf says she recently tried to run away from home in the middle of the night.” Though the government has paid much attention to this family, with programs like, Head Start, food stamps, health care, and housing it has never been enough. The government spent $3,000 on giving Metcalf certified training as a nursing assistant, which she has always wanted to be, there has never been a spot open in her small town. Also to top it all off, Metcalf knows that if she does get a job, the government will stop providing for her and her small family (“One Family’s Story Shows How the Cycle of Poverty Is Hard to Break”). Even with all of these dilemmas Metcalf still hopes to have her dream of becoming a certified nurse’s assistant come true. Metcalf’s story is one of many that tells us that the distribution of money is
President Lyndon Baines Johnson launched the “war on poverty” during his speech at the State of the Union address in 1964. During this address his goal was to encourage everyone to join forces and to believe that ending poverty was possible. The 50th anniversary of this speech has brought various debates whether the plan instilled worked or failed and how much is the governments responsibility. One side feels the war was a success and notes the improvement made for many Americans and what could have transpired if this war was not declared. The other side will state that the war implemented failed although money was invested and that poverty is a social problem. They suggest that poverty and malnutrition existed in the 60s-70s but is not the case today. However, the war has not ended since poverty still exists fifty years later so changes need to be made.
Sexual thoughts pop in and out of most people’s mind, but especially teenagers, and there’s nothing they can do about it. It is normal for teenage boys and girls to experience this, more than ever when they are hitting puberty. The hormones in the body begin to act up and teenagers want to experience other things on their own. Males begin to grow pubic and facial hairs, and their voice starts to deepen, while girls’ breasts begin to develop and their body begins to take shape. After hitting puberty, teenagers are now at the point where they want to experience things. ‚Don’t go out there and get pregnant‛ a mother
Times. http://www.nytimes.com.2008/02/19/world /americas/19iht-princeton.1.10175351.html Fitzsimmons, W. 2014. Time out or Burn out for the Next Generation. Retrieved from
Social justice is “The fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice” (Businessdictionary.com). However the opposite of this (injustice) is seen throughout the world in history, and today. People choose to ignore social injustices repeatedly, but they cannot be disregarded until they affect the whole world. When it comes to the topic of social justice, both historically and modern day, most will agree that injustices exist. However, the three that mark society are racism, communism, and genocide.
Oftentimes, the definition of social justice can be misinterpreted or misunderstood. The true definition of social justice is often structured by governmental implications but is the fair and proper administration of laws to each individual conforming to the natural law. Equality is supposed to be equally distributed amongst individuals nationally, but can sometimes be taken advantage of and be taken away from people who deserve it the most. Generally, those who view social justices as a right, also value people above profits.
The United States is often described as a place where anyone can “pick themselves up by their bootstraps” and realize the American dream of a comfortable lifestyle. But, for over 30 million Americans, this dream is no longer possible. Though we live in the richest and most powerful country in the world, there are many individuals who are living under or at the poverty level. “While the United States has enjoyed unprecedented affluence, low-wage employees have been testing the American doctrine that hard work cures poverty” (Shipler, 2004). The status of poverty translates
This paper begins by providing key terms for the situation. Next important positions are outlined and supported. Providing a more thorough explanation of these important positions, opposing positions will not be discussed. My paper concludes with suggestion for action and possible direction for future open discussion of poverty and hopefully awakens consciousness amongst compatriots of the seriousness of this socioeconomically driven problem. Poverty has always been very much present in American society, yet it seems to not be a moral urgency. As suggested by research the cost of living required to live in states such as California, New York,
The overall vibe about the Raptors of late has been pretty horrible to say the least. Expectations ballooned too fast and became hard to maintain for a young team without one of its better players for the meat of the season. I think it's really unfortunate to see/hear the negativity and hope this slump ends soon.
In 1958, Edward Lewis Schempp, his wife and two kids, who attend a Pennsylvania public school, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. district court, claiming their religious rights was violated by state law. The law made public schools read at least ten passages, from the Bible, at the beginning of everyday. According to Britannica “The Schempps, who were Unitarians, claimed that the law was an unconstitutional establishment of religion and that it interfered with the free exercise of their religious faith, in violation of the First Amendment’s free-exercise clause.”(Stephen R. McCullough). They asked to get rid of the school district’s requirement that students recite the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of each school day. The only time a student could
There are many global concerns, but one that continues to be a major problem is poverty. Along with poverty comes the inability to pay for things that are vital to our health such as shelter, water, and food. Over the years there have been countless efforts to find a way to end poverty and feed every person in the world. “Three-quarters of all hungry people live in rural areas, mainly in the villages of Asia and Africa”(Who Are The Hungry?”). To get a perspective, “Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That's about one in nine people on earth”(“Hunger Statistics”). When thinking of it in terms of 1 out of every 9 people, you start to see that it’s a larger problem than what we know. We tend to ignore things that don’t directly affect us and this is a major example of that. We see the commercials of the starving children in other countries but we don’t feel like it’s of any importance to us since it isn’t happening in our own neighborhood. Or is it? Just a couple years ago in 2014, “48.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 32.8 million adults and 15.3 million children”(“Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics”). This just goes to show that poverty could be in your own neighborhood and maybe you just didn’t know it. While the vast majority of those that can’t afford to eat live in developing countries, poverty affects more than just them. Those who are undernourished are just one of the many stakeholders involved in world hunger. The other main stakeholders include the various government and non-government organizations, regulatory agencies, government entities, international organizations, private sectors, food corporations, and the general population.
I immediately turned and skipped away happily because someone wanted to bring me home to become a family. The thought of having great parents who will love me
The pinpoint cause of poverty is challenging to find. People who live well off and are above the poverty line may be quick to assume that laziness, addiction, and the typical stereotypes are the causes of poverty. Barbara Ehrenreich, a well known writer on social issues, brings attention to the stereotypical ideology at her time, that “poverty was caused, not by low wages or a lack of jobs, but by bad attitudes and faulty lifestyles” (17). Ehrenreich is emphasizing the fact that statements like the one listed, often influence readers to paint inaccurate mental pictures of poverty that continue to shine light on the ideology of stereotypes being the pinpoint cause to poverty. However, there are many other causes that are often overshadowed, leaving some individuals to believe that poverty was wrongfully placed upon them. Examples would include: high rates of unemployment, low paying jobs, race, and health complications. Which are all out of one’s ability to control. There is no control over a lack of jobs and high rates of unemployment, nor the amount of inadequate wages the working poor receive. Greg Kaufmann, an advisor for the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and The Half in Ten campaign, complicates matters further when he writes, “Jobs in the U.S. [were] paying less than $34,000 a year: 50 percent. Jobs in the U.S. [were] paying below the poverty line for a family of four, less than $23,000 annually: 25 percent” (33). Acknowledging Kaufmann’s fact, the amount received for a family of four is fairly close to the yearly salary of a high school graduate, which means, receiving that kind of pay for one man may seem challenging, now imagine caring for the needs of four individuals. To make matters worse, certain families receive that amount of money and carry the burden of paying for
In today’s world, poverty is happening throughout many societies. Poverty is defined as a person who is living of off of paychecks to pay checks; or not having enough money to meet basic needs such as, food, shelter, and clothing. Poverty has been a social issue that has been around for many years in the United States, and as the years continue to pass by poverty tends to get worse. Despite being one of the most popular countries in the world, the United States has families and communities who are struggling to survive with low income that puts them in the either below poverty who are known as low class, or right on top of poverty which are known as the middles class. This social problems has caused impact on the United States, However
What does not discriminate against gender or race, and ultimately affects everyone? Poverty. The big bad wolf of an issue. Something we never consider until we dig ourselves into a hole. But what about us as a society, surely something must happen to the body when we are plagued with a disease as such. If someone below the poverty line suffers, can someone that's well above it be suffering as well because of a cause and effect relationship. After reading these New york times articles, as well as thinking a great deal of the idea of poverty in contrast to the mindset of someone who does thanks to the New York Times i've concluded that poverty is something that exists because an infinitum of scenarios, we could say it was the U.S government
During the mid-1970s economic growth had tied into the falling poverty rates. If the United States would have upheld that compromise, then poverty would have been eradicated in the 1980s. However, it is affecting Americans because it means longer working hours but, still are becoming poorer and less economically secure. Drastically over the years poverty has changed and it is not for the good either. Many people think that it will not affect them, it will later in the time. Reasons for that is because it will continue to grow larger and larger. The goal to end poverty by 2030 now seems impossible due to the growth there is every day. The access to good schools, healthcare, electricity, safe water and other critical services remain elusive for many people. Especially when they are determined by seriocomic status, gender, ethnicity, and geography. (Leary, M.K ,2016)