Living in America, citizens should be well aware of the poverty issues that strike the country everyday. With the poverty rates increasing, Americans are pleading the government for aid in providing food and shelter for their families. In “Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It,” author Peter Edelman, asserts that poverty can be fixed if the people have interest to do so. He includes statistics and reasons that explain the rise of poverty in America and possible solutions to the problem of poverty. Edelman stated that although the numbers of poverty have declined, there are still 15 million more people who are poor today. The government has also taken action to decrease the numbers of citizens in need of aid and keep 40 million people out of poverty by giving: Social Security, food stamps, cash assistance and programs. The author explains that even though there are still individuals who need aid, the numbers would have been double without government assistance. Edelman …show more content…
With these reasons, the author believes that people power wins in most situations and includes examples from history to make his claim. Edelman rounded up a few solutions including: making the rich to pay their fair share of running the country, provide healthcare and a safety net, and raise the minimum wage for jobs. He states that lower-income individuals will participate in making a change if there are candidates who stand for their situation. The people have the power to make changes if it is in their interest to do so. Food stamps, created in 1977, benefits low-income citizens by allowing citizens to acquire food through vouchers given by the
The sociological perspective that is employed in the article “Rethinking American Poverty” by Mark R. Rank is Conflict Theory. The conflict perspective views society as comprised of various groups and interests competing for power and resources. Unlike other perspective, conflict theorists focus more on the negative side of the society. This perspective is used in this article because the author wanted to show the reasons why America has the highest rate of impoverishment even though America is the wealthiest country in the world.
Poverty can be characterized either as far as a clear salary level or as a relative condition that progressions as society reclassifies it. As the age of the world grows and progresses among the middle and upper class, the lower class is struggling to keep up with the rest. As citizens they have the right to be in the same boat as other successful people in the world, they just do not have an advantage in doing so. Communism is not in the conversation, but many of the working people in poverty deserve to be paid as normal to keep a home and more. Poverty can be reduced drastically with just a little help and kindness.
Knowledge Question In chapter 5 of Poverty, By America, the author discusses the large myth that those who receive benefits from the government are lazy (Desmond 2023:85). The point is made that how we as a society/the public think receives aid plays a large role in our own views. A large amount of negativity towards social programs by the government is related to Black Americans (Desmond 2023:85). What are the two beliefs that the American public has when it comes to welfare/benefits associated with federal programs/aid?
In the article “Rethinking the American poverty”, Mark Rank suggests the three major shifts that are required for a practical understanding of American poverty. First, it’s important to recognize that poverty affects us all because of two reasons. The first reason is that each year, the government has to spend a lot of money to solve the social problems associated with poverty. Poor people suffer from lack of health access, not having enough money to support their basic needs,…which create a huge burden on the government’s budget. The second explanation for us to care about poverty is that there is a strong chance at some point during life time, Americans would face poverty. The second shift is to realize that American poverty is largely the
An issue that impacts the world globally is poverty. Poverty is a problem that is not to be taken likely. Poverty affects almost the majority of the world's population, and it can turn into hate, lust and other things that can affect family, friends, cities, government, and even nations. Take Germany for example. During the era of WWII, the Germans started to go down an economic slump and recession because of the harsh Treaty of Versailles that France and Britain dictated on. Corrupt leaders in Germany influenced the poor that Jews were the reason for the loss of the first World War. Because the people were tired of living in poverty, they decided to believe these so-called "leaders" and scapegoat the Jews, and they did not take the acceptance
In an article written by Angus Deaton, he discusses the issues behind poverty and why it is persistent in the United States. In the beginning of his article, he presents data from the World Bank which states that 3.2 million out of 769 million of the world's poorest people are living in the United States and are living off of less than $1.90 a day as of 2013 (Deaton). Some of the arguments he mentions that may contribute to the United States high poverty rate include where our poverty line is set, the quality of our necessities, and our government aid.
staggering? Poverty occurs when a person’s need for food, clothing and shelter are not being
Poverty, the state of being extremely poor, exists all over America! There are several different types of poverty, and the causes of poverty. Most people think of poverty as just somebody who is homeless and has no job, somebody who has no money to support the basic needs of life, and wears ragged clothing and lives under a bridge. What people don’t know is there are people living in poverty that have jobs and make money but live so poorly that they are categorized with people that live in absolute poverty.
Many reforms in the UnitedStates have been passed to help fight against the “War on Poverty”; but it has not been effective in eradicating poverty in the U.S. There are about 46 million people who are living in impoverished conditions and poverty continues to be a social issue in this country (Heritage Foundation, 2011) In the beginning, our country was formed under the belief that “this land is the land of opportunity and if we worked hard enough the American Dream can be gained” (Schwarz, 1997). People immigrate to this country today in hopes of becoming rich so they could gain a better life. In spite of coming to this country for a better life, many are faced with the lack of skills and money to succeed. In the end, most will end
Poverty has been an ongoing issue since the birth of this Nation. When one thinks of poverty the last people we think of are the ones closest to home. As children some are told “finish your dinner, there are starving kids in Africa”, but what about the starving children whom are in neighborhoods close to us? Poverty is everywhere, even the places that are thought of as wealthy. Poverty in America; a continuing issue.There are many different definitions of poverty. The United States Census Bureau states that
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.
The official poverty rate in America in 2015 was 13.5% meaning 43.1 million people in the Unites States lived in poverty. In recent years poverty rates have been declining. Poverty has been in America since the be 16th Century, with the emergence of the New World. In 2003 10.6 million children died before they reached the age of 5(same as children population in France, Germany, Greece and Italy.) (Shah, n.d.) In “Laziness isn’t why people are poor. And iPhones aren’t why they lack health care, ’The author uses examples and evidence to show the poor choices that leads people to poverty and/or lacking health care.
When most people think of poverty they think of somewhere overseas, however; poverty is a lot closer to home than one might think. The winding, twisting roads of Eastern Kentucky have picturesque scenery, but many of the people here are struggling in these hills. The people of Eastern Kentucky have been dependent on the coal industry to feed their families and pay their bills, but this once thriving industry has been on the decline in recent years. Without coal, Eastern Kentucky is facing a grim future and many of its residents are struggling with the effects of losing one of their main employment opportunities.
Dr. Wilson talks about what really cause poverty in our country. He says that the cause of poverty in our country has nothing to do with the social working class, whether is black or white. Dr. Wilson points outs that the cause of poverty in the United States has been because of the high and rich rate of income that has been changing over the last year. He emphasizes that we should not forget the importance of race in this topic but that the main thing and what really matters is focus on how the economic class is affecting our society.
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.