Hardships In America

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.

The current poverty rate in America is 13.5 percent (US Census Bureau). That measures out to roughly 43.1 million Americans. What exactly is poverty? Poverty means not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is so much more than just not having enough money. Poverty is not having access to a doctor or medications you may need, poverty is not having access to a good education. Poverty can be the people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter and simply can’t afford other expenses such as car repairs, field trips with their children and any other extracurricular activity.

Families that cannot live at the American standard are forced to live in oppression. Instead of helping those that cannot afford to live, America makes poor families live in unhealthy environments and passes laws that make it illegal to be homeless. Families that can afford to live in a low income community often live in areas where crime rates are high and opportunities are limited. A child born into a poor family, that lives in a low income community, must work harder than a middle-class or wealthy child to receive the same opportunities. This child would also have to worry about their safety, even in his/her home, far more than a child in a different financial situation. Life is even more oppressive to those who are unable to afford a home. Most American cities have laws against homelessness; at any moment a homeless person can be arrested simply for not having a home. America's poor are oppressed and forced to live in fear, while the wealthy live privileged extravagant

The United States fell into a dark pit of hardship and despair during the mid-1800’s. The two sections of the country split off into two factions in a mixture of blood and tears. Economic and moral issues were shoved in front of the two factions that plunged them into a civil war.

The United States, a place where anyone can “pick themselves up by the bootstraps” and realize the American dream of a comfortable lifestyle. Well, for over 30 million Americans this is no longer possible. Though we live in the richest and most powerful country in the world there are many who are living under or at the precipice of 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” (The Working Poor, 4). This translates to families of four making around 18,850$ a year. And as soon as they find work or move just slightly above that 18,850$ a year (which is still a meager and deprived way to

Americans that are living pay check by pay are struggling to pay their bills every month, of these, most of them earn only minimum wage which is “$ 7 .25” Epstein, R, & Bedford, K. (2014) , p,3. Working full time, 40 hours a week and 52 week a year. The average Americans that are working minimum wage jobs are providing for families on a full time salary which is not enough to pay for the hose hold bills and proved for every day necessities; this forces them to find a second job. In 1996 the number of people holding two or more jobs averaged Barabara Ehrenreich (2011) “7.8 million or 6.2 percent in the workforce” (p.45). According to Michelle Conlin a senior writer and editor of the Working Life Department and Aaron Bemstein a senior writer on Workplace and social issues, 63% of United States families below the federal poverty line have one or more job. More than a “third are 18-25- year old” Conlin, M., & Bemstein, A. (2007), p, 2, who are trying to work their way up the ladder with little to no help. In today’s society more than “28 million people” Conlin, M., & Bemstein, A, (2007), p, 2, which is about a quarter of the workforce between the ages of “18 and 64, earn less than $9.04 an hour” Conlin, M., & Bemstein,A. (2007), p, 2. This is well below what most American’s would consider a decent stander of living. The increase in the cost of living means parents earning the national minimum wage struggle to support families. Raising the rent for apartment and houses are

Does the United States really support its citizens and allow them to prosper? In Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, Ehrenreich investigates this question by living as a low-wage worker for three months in cities around the United States. Her experiences teach her that as her jobs change, so does her place in society. Nickel and Dimed effectively proves American society does not support the poor; instead, it decreases low-wage workers’ mobilities and forces them to live lives that are focused only on their jobs. Through her journey, Ehrenreich learns that because she works “unskilled” labor, her place in society changes.

In “ LA’s Crisis: High rents, low pay, homelessness rising, and $2000 doesn’t buy much” by Steve Lopez, show high rents and minimum wage increases the rate of homelessness. Next, “Class in America -2012” by Gregory Mantsios, addresses the true difficulty as a minority. Altogether, both authors demonstrate how middle-class are struggling because the fewer opportunities they are born in the world. As a low-income child, I had to deal with many difficult obstacles in my life. I had to juggle between part-time jobs and education to help my family to make ends meet.

The Unites States is supposed to be the land of opportunity and if you work hard enough, you will succeed and move up the ladder of success. Unfortunately, this does not occur for everyone and in some cases, climbing this ladder gets harder and harder with each generation. There are many people that face abject poverty, lacking

42% of kids born in poverty will not get out. Today, more Americans are falling below the poverty line and are struggling trying to find a way to get out. The Inequality gap in America has increased for the past few decades. Resulting from Economic Inequality in America, 400 Americans share more than 50% of America’s total wealth. These 400 Americans are the Top 1%. While the Top 1% are living luxurious lives, the Bottom 99% is struggling to make ends meet. Inequality is nothing new to the United States. In fact, it is a serious problem for America’s Economy, Democracy and the Middle Class.

In the U.S., the primary source of income comes from jobs. However, people are unable to find jobs because businesses are outsourcing unskilled labor to developing countries since workers there are willing to be paid less than the average American worker. This creates problems for people who are trying to look for jobs because many lack the skills to function in a job that requires skill and will remain jobless until they find unskilled labor jobs. Since the Recession, working class families who had lost their jobs are struggling to survive due to the little job availability (Heritage Foundation, 2011). Because the majority of working class families are suffering from prolonged

In America today, millions of people suffer from a lack of basic needs due to a shortage of reasonably paying jobs. A growing percentage of Americans are falling below the poverty line, and, in recent years, the rapid growth of technology is destroying blue-collar jobs. For example, 55-year-old Glenn Johnson of Miami is making about $14,000 a year - or $7.93 an hour - working at Burger King and Walmart. Johnson is a single parent who toils day and night to provide for his family. He gets home at 1 or 2 a.m., but despite his hard work, he depends on food stamps. Johnson described his daily routine to the Huffington Post as “pure hell.” Unfortunately, this is a reality for more than 45 million Americans, roughly 15 percent of the American population,

There is an issue in the United States that a large portion of the population is either choosing to ignore or is simply naïve to the facts. I am a firm believer that poverty is directly associated to education. Research has backed this theory as it shows that 53% of those classified in upper class are college graduates compared to only 15% of whom identify as lower class (Parker, 2012). While there has been a lot of research conducted on who the upper class are and what the lower class need in order to bring themselves out of poverty there has been little to no change in funding practices of public education. If the end state goal of public education is to produce our countries future why are Americans not taking a more aggressive financial

Today, despite strong labor markets with record low unemployment rates, there are millions of Americans who work but remain poor. In 2009,.which is the most recent data available, accordint to the Working Poor Families Project (a privately funded effort aimed at improving economic security for low-income families) 10 million low-income working families in the United States an increase of nearly a quarter million from the previous year. Forty-three percent of working families with at least one minority parent were low income, nearly twice the proportion of white working families (22 percent). The number of working poor in the United States is higher than they have ever seen it before and it continues to increase at a staggering pace. I'm going

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.