Poverty in America Essay

leanness has ever been with us from beggars outside the gates of Jerusalem to the mentally ill dispossessed woman in the park. America is kn let for our huge difference in culture and class. This is due partly to the dynamics behind the political decisions of this ara. The chairperson himself admits that America is more unequal than its been since the great depression and slightly(prenominal) a(prenominal) of his own supporters say he has failed. America now has, by many standards, the lowest well-disposed mobility of all of the high-end countries, meaning that a child natural into indigence is wishly to grow up as a shortsighted adult. This is surprising for a country that non only prides itself as being a middle class society, b arely as the society where any mavin thr star make it and where social mobility is so high. In some places now, it is hard to intend that America is an economic giant. One in four young children lives in meagerness in the richest nation on earth. (Kindle, 2012) This is a fact that goes unperceived by most Americans. poorness in America has become a circular phenomenon and it has been shown to affect certain communities while it breezes by others.The Poverty positionSome 46 million Americans live in poorness. That is the third highest poorness tread among developed nations, ahead only of Turkey and Mexico. (Kindle, 2012) We might because ask, what is penury? Where is the poverty line? For 63% of Americans, ages 16 and over, working is a necessity. From working immersion take aim jobs in retail and fast food, jobs in manufacturing and farming, to banking and health care. These similarities, however, end thither. This becomes quite apparent especially when it comes to hours worked and their compensation. For example, the amount entry level wage in New Mexico is $8.02 an hour or $16,673 a year, before taxes. As opposed to an experienced worker or a college educated one, $22.93 an hour or $47,692 a year. Th is is lower than the national level of $17,867 annual for an entry level job and $66,248 for the experienced and educated. Unfortunately there are some that work as many hours and are compensable less. Since 1938, there has been a federal law requiring employers to pay their employees a nominal wage. It was 25 cents. (Williamson, 1980) In 1938, the gap between nominal wages and current wages was quite wide compared to now where they are fairly slopped to eachother and it is predicted they will mirror each other in the near future. Currently in California, the state minimum is $8.00, which is non a lot considering the rising cost of food, housing, and energy.According to 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines, a family of 4 making $21,200 before taxes is considered to be brusque. (Iceland, 2012) There are social programs that are set up to help muckle in this quandary however, it does non help them get out of the circumstance. The average food picture benefit is $21 per week. (Kind le, 2012) This is not nearly abundant to support your average American. The aid programs are set up to get the unworthy by on a day to day basis and are not set up to improve their social mobility. There should be property spent on programs that allow those in poverty to improve their command and careers. What makes people wretched? Is it lack of opportunities? Is it lack of education and skills training? Is racial discrimination and sexism? There are a wide variety of opinions on wherefore people are short(p). There is a sense of ignorance when bringing to anxiety the issue to those un touch on. Those that are unaffected could help except they do not know which way will help not only with the poor today but to decrease the poverty in the future. What is surprising is that a lack of education opportunities is often mentioned as reasons for poverty.According to the US surgical incision of education, 9.3% of the 37 million students ages 16-24 are high school drop outs. This is humourous considering that public high school is available to all. It seems creating jobs is the consensus and it makes sense especially when you appear at the unemployment rate. Nationally the unemployment rate is 6.1%. What is the reason for this number? The loss of non government jobs, mainly in the manufacturing sector. This had a domino effect to other businesses resembling retail and construction. In the past years, weve heard how the economy is on the marches of collapse and this is the worst since the great depression of the 1930s. (Ross, 1967) We confirm a coarse way before we are in a depression. In 1935 the unemployment rate was the highest at 24.9% in 1959 it was 5.5% the highest since that time was at 1982 at 10.8% We are not constraining to another depression but we do have intense poverty amongst us.Poverty in America has been rapidly growing in the past decade because of poor political decisions. There is an uttermost(prenominal) severalize between the social classes in America. Most people belong to the 99%. The 1% is some of the richest people in the word and has cornered the market. They own 1/3 of US net worth. TheUS has over cd billionaires, which is the most in the world. (GAO, 2007) Lack of money is not the reason for the extreme poverty rates in America, greed is. There is stoolly enough money to go around the US multiple times but no one wants to help those in need. There is this sense of choice of the fittest that is an ongoing theme when looking into poverty here.Race and Class segregationAmerica is deeply divided. We can agree that poverty is more permeant among minorities, children, female-headed families and people with less education. It has been shown through true statistics that there is a definite dissimilitude between race and class when dealing with poverty in America. But why is American poverty still colored in the twenty-fifth century? Neighborhoods that are organized around work where real percentag e of the adults is working are significantly contrasting from approximations that are jobless, which are neighborhoods that take a significant percentage of people that are not working. Jobless neighborhoods are a lot more dangerous because they make and breed other problems like crime, gang formation, and drug trafficking. (Iceland, 2012) This leads back to the keep issue with Americas lack of social mobility. It seems that once one person is in poverty, it becomes a vicious cycle and no one is willing to do anything to help. Thats why poverty is passed down to the resembling races and the same classes because they get stuck in that predicament. There are 50 million Americans without health insurance. (Iceland, 2012) This does not help our problem with poverty. America is a country that deals with problems as they come and never with preventing them. Those that are born into a poor family almost always end up the head of a poor family. This fact has shaped America and has alm ost made it impossible for those that are born into less fortunate homes.Dealing with PovertyThe facts are as stands if a person was to walk down the streets in any which neighborhood in America, 1 out of every 6 people passed could be living in poverty. This issue is rarely talked around for these outstanding numbers. from each one year the number of poverty in America goes up. The new poorare the former middle class, and the middle class is disintegrating. There are becoming only two classes a lower class and a higher class. Bottom line America needs to reverse the cycle. finished education and assistance programs, America will be able to close the gap between the two classes. Recent unemployment rates have dropped slimly and the economy is showing some signs of increment but only some Americans are gaining from it. Almost a million American children sometimes go hungry and tent cities are springing up across the country. The worlds economic power house has a sickness. While two sides convict each other, America cannot fully admit their poverty, and are certainly not dealing with it.Annotated BibliographyIceland, JohnPoverty in America A Hand obligate, with a 2012 Preface. Berkeley, Calif. University of California Press, 2012. This al-Quran allowed me to understand fall in poverty in America. It focuses on early views of poverty in America and where the poverty in America originated. This book overly describes the causes and characteristics of poverty as well as why poverty system high in America. I chose this book so that I would have a timeline of poverty from the beginning as well as poverty now. I would be able to compare and contrast the social and efficient times between then and now. I will compare the different ethnicities in America and compare the different ways that they have been affected by poverty over the years.Kindle, lance A. Book Review of So Rich, So Poor Why Its So Hard to terminal Poverty in America by Peter Edelman Edelman , Peter. 2012. So Rich, So Poor Why Its So Hard to End Poverty in America. New York The New Press. $24.95, 208 Pp., Hardcover. ISBN 978-1-59558-785-5. Poverty & Public Policy 4.4 (2012) 241-43. Print. This is a journal that gave me facts near poverty in America. I was able to connect the problems with true statistics and use them in my report card. I found this journal to be very helpful when deliberating what should be in my paper and not. It was easier to read than the books and real got me interested in the topic.Ross, Arthur M., and Herbert Hill. Employment, Race, and Poverty. New York Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967. Print. This book talks about the employment,race, and poverty in America and gives me statistics that are quotable for my paper. It is fundamental to find out how all these three aspect tie together and it allows me to stir race to poverty in America. This books to a fault paints a picture of what it is like to be unemployed, a minority, and in poverty in Ame rica passim many decades. I will use this source to also develop the unemployment issue and how the unemployed got to where they are and how it affects their families. I will talk about the vicious cycle of the unemployed and how it will almost always be passed down to their children and what other types of issues (jail time, drug dealing, etc) are ca employ because of the unemployment of certain classes.The Other America, 2012 Confronting the Poverty Epidemic The Nation. The Other America, 2012 Confronting the Poverty Epidemic The Nation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. This site helped me to form my conclusion. It allowed me to enunciate my thoughts and wrap up my ideas. I was able to see how other people looked at poverty and what their stance was on the issue. I also used this site to add some facts to my paper and get more of an delirious effect with my word play.United States. Government Accountability Office. Poverty in America Economic Research Shows Adverse Impacts on H ealth locating and Other Social Conditions as Well as the Economic harvest-festival Rate Report to Congressional Requesters. Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2007. Economic explore suggests that people living in poverty face an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as poor health and criminal activity, both of which may lead to reduced participation in the labor market. It also shows that limited access to health care as well as a greater exposure to environmental hazards affects the heath of those living in poverty. I will use this book to learn the effects that poverty has on issues like health, social conditions, and growth rate. The previous book allowed me to examine exactly what poverty is and this book will allow me to see the affects the poverty has had over time. I would like to go over the economic growth rate and see what ethnicities have suffered the most and which have substantially improved, if any.Williamson, Jeffrey G., and Peter H. Lind ert. American Inequality A Macroeconomic History. New York Academic, 1980. Print. This book completely focuses on the history of the inequality of class and race in America. The knowledge found in this book will start my paper get rid of with facts about how the poverty came to be what it is today. American inequalityis highlighted in this book and we are able to see where the inequality started and how it is currently affecting America. It is important to explain the macroeconomic history of America for the readers to get an idea of how the inequality in America originally startedRevision PlanI. Thesis I exchanged the focus of my thesis to relate more to the lack of social mobility in my paper. I felt that it was the basis of my paper and what I was most interested in. My thesis originally was not very powerful but after(prenominal) using Pearsons writing guide I was able to change my words around and create more of a strong stance.II. giving medication My paper was completel y unorganized. It is hard for me to organize my thoughts and to get out blend my ideas. I had to make index cards and organize them that way in consecrate to figure out the best order of my ideas.III. Support and Development of Ideas Adding quotes helped better support my ideas. It added facts to what I already had and also helped with smoothing out my ideas.IV. Style I changed the style of my paper from MLA to APA. I had never done a paper in APA but it made sense to use this format because we were told to include an abstract and an authors note which followed the guidelines of an APA style paper. It was different but it turned out to look a lot cleaner than the MLA. V. mechanism Using the Pearson writing components really helped develop my paper. I knew what to focus on and what was unimportant in the process. I tried to make the issue clear by painting a picture with my words to help better understand the points I was trying to make.