Session 9

1. So far from what I have learned from the class and what I've gotten out of the textbook my view of who's poor is the same. 
2. I feel as though my view on this topic has not changed as well.
3. Overall I feel the government plays a huge role in why people these days are poor. If they would find more ways to help and do more things to help the poor, I feel as though poverty could be decreased.  Everyone has different reasons as to why people poor and what to do to help the ones in need, which is why it is difficult for people to come up with a way to help everyone in need.
4. I feel as though poverty in other countries is taken more serious than it is here in American. There's a great deal of poverty hear in American, and you always here about what people are doing to help these 3rd world countries. but what you don't hear to often is people helping here in America. 
5. I feel as though poverty will never really be taken care of, but if it could get better than it would help a great deal. There needs to be a way to make the school systems better and have more jobs available for people (which I know will come in time, as the economy gets better).  This will never happen over night but hopefully as the economy starts to get better poverty in America will as well.

Session 7

I was so surprised while reading this section but, in Atlanta 63% of hourly jobs pay less than $10.50 an hour and the other 29% pay less than $7.50 an hour. With these amounts it is almost impossible for a family of four (which is this typical American family) to live above the poverty line. There needs to be a set wage that would accommodate to the family of four. They should also consider raising the hourly wage so people can be above the poverty line. I feel if the government would look into those things it could help people get above the poverty line.

Session 6

People in the US and globally are poor for so many reasons, but recently here in the U.S one of the main reasons is the downfall in the economy, the lack of jobs, and the amount of people getting fired and laid off. The more I read about poverty the more I realize that things are a lot worse than what I had originally thought.  In the U.S. there 1 in 7 Americans that are in living in poverty, and it is not getting any better. People are having to rely on what they have to make it in todays world, and if you don't have much saved or know one to help you out, than your stuck in tough situation and left with counting on the government, which at that point is scary! I think during this time with lack of jobs that there needs to be more programs to help aid people who are in poverty.

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.