Session 5

America is one of the richest countries in the world, and because there is poverty here in American I can only imagine what poverty is like in other countries. Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Latin America, Caribbean's, East Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, and North Africa. Thats the order of countries from highest to lowest based on the amount of poverty the countries have. Imaging taking the amount of money you make and cut that in half, thats how people in Africa live. Although America is one of the richest countries in the world, it still has an insane high rate of poverty compared to some of the other countries. I would not think that America would have such a high rate compared to the others, given again, that America is one of the richest countries. One of the reasons why there are so many people in poverty is; people in poverty or at least with low incomes such that they need to be on a strict budget, they may tend to go for lower-paying but fixed-pay jobs rather than potentially higher-paying and upward-mobility type jobs with variable pay. Again, when you must make a certain minimum for your basic budgetary needs, you can't afford to risk a job with uncertain pay.

Session 4

 Things today in the U.S. are not what they were 10 years ago, and I feel as though there is still not enough being done because there more and more people are dropping into poverty. I heard on NPR the other day, that between 2001-2009, the average middle class income declined by 5%. That percentage decline is unprecedented since the Great Depression--which reinforces that this "recession" is the worst since then. Of course, that statistic is about the middle class, but because the current US definition of poverty is absolute (fixed dollar amount) rather than relative (compared to general standard of living, which presumably has declined along with the economy), likely there are many people who have dropped from "middle class" into "poverty." 

Session 4

 Things today in the U.S. are not what they were 10 years ago, and I feel as though there is still not enough being done because there more and more people are dropping into poverty. I heard on NPR the other day, that between 2001-2009, the average middle class income declined by 5%. That percentage decline is unprecedented since the Great Depression--which reinforces that this "recession" is the worst since then. Of course, that statistic is about the middle class, but because the current US definition of poverty is absolute (fixed dollar amount) rather than relative (compared to general standard of living, which presumably has declined along with the economy), likely there are many people who have dropped from "middle class" into "poverty." 

Session 3

I was on the way to school this morning when  I was listening to the radio and I heard them talking about how the number of people in poverty in America has greatly increased since 2008. In 2008-2009 the number  was 4 million people below the poverty line, but today in 2010 the total number of people in poverty is 4.4 million people, that is a lot of people. While hearing this, I was thinking that the people in poverty are probably the people who are not very educated, but to find out I was wrong. The people in poverty are in order from black, hispanic, and then white. From reading different articles to hearing different things on news/radio/television the people who are in poverty will probably stay in poverty for the next 20 years. It is really sad that the government isn't doing more to help all these people get out of poverty and keep people from coming into poverty. The United States needs to be doing a lot more when dealing with poverty. If they don't step it up, the number is only going to increase.

What Should be Done?

I am not informed enough to create a flawless policy to cure poverty but I do feel certain current methods can be improved. For example, the housing help should be more readily available but the terms given to the residents should be followed and strictly enforced. This will cut back on it abuse, allowing the policy to work and stay in place. Another area that should be improved on is the amount of quality education opportunities for our children. Allowing every child to get a proper education is important to their future success. While touching on the subject of children, I feel like there should be some sort of policy made to control the birth rate. I do not know the right answer to this, keeping in mind our rights as citizens. But some ideas I do have are determining the number of children a family is allowed to have based on their combined income. I don't know how something like this could be monitored and implemented, but in general there needs to be more time and money spent on the issue of poverty. It is huge around the world and far to many people take it lightly just because it is not them. It is very serious and needs a lot of time and care applied to it until it is no longer a problem.

Is Poverty Getting Turned the Other Cheek?

More and more every day people are finding out about and realizing the severity of poverty. As of right now, I feel that there is not nearly enough action being taken towards ending poverty. In fact, though less and less, I feel the severity of poverty is down played and therefore not made a priority in the U.S.  My hope is that in the years to come the knowledge about poverty will spread and people everywhere will be more inclined to do something about it.

What is Being Done: Is it Enough?

For a third world country to get out of poverty they are ultimately forced to rely on outside help. I said forced because it is near impossible for one of these nations to come up with enough funds and support to build programs that are dedicated to curing poverty. As far as the U.S. is concerned, they are helping, not only foreign countries in need but it has some programs in place dedicated to helping the impoverished in America. Some of the things American's have set in place are the Food Stamp program, temporary assistance for the needy families, WICK for poor mothers, food programs in schools, and housing assistance, to name a few. Although I do not feel that this is nearly enough, I do know this is better than most and hopefully, as we become more informed, the help for poor people and third world countries will increase.

Why People are Poor.

There are numerous individual reasons why someone becomes poor but there are a few underlying factors that I feel are most important to touch on. The majority of poor people became that way because they were either never given a decent chance or they were never taught how to manage their live and their money. For example if a child is born into an impoverished family they are automatically forced to defy the odds. They are never taught how to make, save, or use their money wisely, unless a good example happens to enter their life. This means they are never given the same opportunity as others, starting them off a step behind. On the other side some people become poor because they take advantage of what they are given. These people are given everything their whole lives until they abuse this, leaving them, an usually, their loved ones with nothing. This is when people spend all of their money on wants instead of needs until they have no money for their needs. This almost always leaves a person in debt which can easily lead to homelessness. While these scenarios are bad there is much worse that most people don't know about because they can't see it. This poverty takes place in third world countries. This extreme poverty can only be explained by history and continuous selfish leaders.

What is "Poor"?

Webster's Dictionary describes poverty as having a lack of money or material possessions: want. While I do agree with this broad definition, I feel like there is a more concise was of getting the real meaning of poverty across. Touching on the people and countries that are poor allows everyone to be more sensitive to the subject. My definition of poor is people who make minimum wage or less. People who are unable to meet their day to day needs financially, and countries who cannot meet the needs of it's citizens. An impoverished nation is a whole other level of poor because it applies to the majority of it's people not the minority like here in the United States.