Poverty Is A National Epidemic That Plagues Americans Across The Country Essay

Poverty has now become “As American As Apple Pie”, a situation we choose to ignore, and along with it the millions of families who suffer from it. Many have this tendency to believe that they are safe from falling into poverty; unaware of the multiple situations that can cause one to fall into poverty. It makes one wonder what’s keeping them from tipping over, eventually leading to the question, what makes poverty so common, and why is it still around?

Poverty affects over 767 million people in the entire world. In the United States alone, poverty affects more than 42 million people. According to feedingamerica.org, of that 42 million affected, 13 million children and over 5 million seniors live in poverty. Poverty is grouped into two different categories; absolute and relative. Wikipedia.org defines absolute poverty as the absence of enough resources to secure basic life necessities. This includes not having safe drinking water, not having clean bathroom facilities, not being able to get proper healthcare, not having access to education and not having proper shelter. Absolute poverty is also referred to as living in extreme poverty. Relative poverty, according to wikipedia.org, is the condition in which people lack the minimum amount of income needed in order to maintain the average standard of living in the society in which they live. The meaning of poverty varies from country to country and person to person. For example, while some people in the United States would be considered as living below the poverty line, a person from another country may consider that person rich. However, poverty is simply when an individual is unable to meet their basic needs. This includes not being able to clothed, house or feed oneself or one’s family. Poverty is a problem that will not be easily solved. There have been many attempts to try and end poverty, but yet it continues to grow. In a country such as the United States that’s

Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.

More than 800 million people in the world are malnourished, 777 million of them are from the developing world (Raphel, S., 2014). Poverty is an issue that must be addressed to the population loud and clear or everyone will end up suffering. There are many families trying to survive and live from paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, there are some families that are unable to support himself or herself or any family member. One important key issue of poverty in the United States is inequality. Many Americans blame the poor people for their own fate but you should never judge a book by its cover. There can be many reasons why an individual or families end up in poverty. For example, low wage jobs, discrimination and social inequality, vulnerability to natural disasters, war and political instability. Another big issue we face today is child poverty. This is a very critical issue because these young children are our future. If we let these children live in poverty, there is a higher chance they will drop out of school, look for work in order to support their family, or give up in life.

The issue of poverty in the United States seems to lie on the grounds of race education and family structure. As expected I found that educational levels paralleled poverty levels. Unexpected , research was found to prove that race did in fact play a substantial role in poverty. Family structure along with other influential factors either locked an individual into poverty or provided a means for escape from the continuing cycle. Other factors contributing to poverty was the location of homes or neighborhoods and the accessibility to better paying jobs.

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.

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

The United States defines poverty for a family of four as being less than $16,036 per year, or $4,009 per person (Leone 12). People find themselves under this line for an innumerable amount of reasons. Some of these causes are under one's control and others are greater factors beyond an individual's power. Each family or individual person has unique and separate reasons for living in a state poverty. There is no way to try and define them all. Focusing in, three main topics arise that encompass the most predominant reasons for a person to fall into poverty. Education, family life and influence, along with the business cycle may work individually or together to cause poverty. These three leading

The topic I chose to inquire about for my project was poverty in America. For the project I researched many different topics to find the one that I connected with enough to write about and come up with an inquiry. I found the topic of poverty in America interesting and it was something that I could relate to in certain ways. At first I wanted to expand on this topic and incorporate world poverty but that was to general. Also there was too much information and differing ideas on my question when applying it to world poverty. Thus, I decided to just stick with poverty in America. I already had a lot of knowledge on this subject and it was something that could be tied in with material from class. While listening to Professor Fitzgerald’s lectures

This study considers the conditions of income, wealth and poverty in the United States of America. Income got a better distribution during the 70s but the level of economic growth decreased aggravating the unequal distribution of income (Stone, et al). However, wealth enclosed an inequality of distribution in the United States. It is referred to the unequal distribution of assets among residents of the United States. Also wealth is associated to the values of homes, automobiles, personal valuables, businesses, savings, and investments. In this context, statistics of poverty indicate people living at the economic adversity without satisfying their basic necessities. In mention by the article named “Measuring Poverty (A New Approach),” the statistical data of poverty is published by the U.S. government being a topic of importance and political sensitivity.

There seems to be an increase in poverty in the United States and there are so many theories behind why this might be a problem. It seems as if Society as a whole wants to blame this social “condition” on Society itself. I believe that the problem of poverty lies within the actual individuals that are experiencing poverty. There are a few reasons why people experience poverty. They are as follows: One, the liberal welfare programs that were started in the 1960’s, two, individuals lack the characteristic of power and individuality, three, anti-social behavior and the idea that poverty passes from one generation to the next.

Poverty has made the American Dream impossible to it’s people. The numbers of poverty in across the U.S. hasn’t really changed at all since 1983. People have struggled day to day living in poverty, ranging from the neighborhood or area they’re in, income, health, and even racial problems. These area’s considered in poverty or the ghettos are mostly minorities. Minorities as in African-Americans and as well as Latino or Hispanics.

Research shows that 46.7 million individuals and families live below or at the poverty threshold in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). At 15.7 percent, the nation’s poverty rate has steadily increased since the early 1970’s. According to sociologist Mark Rank, “nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will experience at least one year below the official poverty line during that period and 54 percent will spend a year in poverty or near poverty” (Rank, 2013, p#). The systemic symptoms of poverty Americans experience have proven to be visible threats to the general population’s welfare. Often times, Americans are affected by multiple issues pertaining to poverty. These issues are quantified by time and classified as either strained or non-existent resources. For example, strained resources include, but are not limited to Financial, Emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, or other relational support systems (Payne, 2009). Just under 18 of every 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness on a single night (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016). Approximately 29 million individuals and families have gone without health coverage in 2015 (Census Bureau, 2015). Studies show the direct correlation between poverty and stress related illness (Sapolsky, 1998). Although our national unemployment rate is currently at 6.2 percent, working lower-income families are most at risk due to increasing in housing rates and lack of equally raised income

Poverty is a persistent problem that plagues even the wealthiest nations. Plenty of experts have given their theories for what exactly causes this world-wide problem. There are short term causes of poverty that unquestionably affect poverty rates, such as heavy drought and other environmental factors, but this still does not account for the many millions of people that can barely afford to live. A countless number of citizens of the United States cannot even recognize the problem in their own back yard. As Diana George states in her essay, Changing the Face of Poverty, “More than 35 Million-one out of every seven of our fellow citizens-are officially poor.” (George 676) It’s tough to believe that a country that is known as a land of freedom and opportunity even has that many that are living in poverty. I believe that long term causes of poverty include a lack of education, overpopulation, and the lack of steady jobs and living outside of one’s means to survive. To overcome poverty in America, those that are impoverished need to be given the opportunity to obtain a better education with additional funding from the government, they need to be given better resources to prevent unplanned pregnancies, they need greater agencies within each state that can help individuals find a job that fits his or her trade, there needs to be less stipulations for child care assistance and individuals that live in poverty needs to live within their own means.

Millions of people are affected by poverty in the United States. Poverty is the state of not having money or the means of support to live comfortably. It results from a number of factors that include political, social, and economic dynamics. I personally believe that some causes of poverty are unemployment and low wages. As an example, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) states that “as the country shifts from a manufacturing to a service economy, wages have been dramatically lowered for the average "nonprofessional" worker” (Poverty, n.d.). Here in the United States, minimum wage has not been raised since 2007. If it were increased in order to cover the cost of living, people who work these hourly jobs would be able to afford their housing, food, and other necessities. Education plays a roll in unemployment as well, seeing as most jobs require a certain level of education that not everyone has the opportunity to receive. I’ve seen many people not get the jobs they want because they have not gotten that college degree yet. I’ve also personally experienced trying to get a specific job, but not having the education required to get hired. Another issue with the low wages has to do with the gender pay gap. There are large differences in the salaries for men and women. In our society, many women face this pay gap of 21 cents. These are just a few of the causes of poverty that I have read into and personally believe in.