Poverty In America

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.

The current poverty rate in America is 13.5 percent (US Census Bureau). That measures out to roughly 43.1 million Americans. What exactly is poverty? Poverty means not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is so much more than just not having enough money. Poverty is not having access to a doctor or medications you may need, poverty is not having access to a good education. Poverty can be the people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter and simply can’t afford other expenses such as car repairs, field trips with their children and any other extracurricular activity.

Public housing is another program that helps to provide a roof over a family’s heads for reduced costs. Rent in some places can be quite high and a family of four may find it hard even to afford a small 3 bedroom house without breaking their pockets.

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

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 the United States, there are about more than forty-six million people living in impoverished conditions today. Poverty is a major conflict issue in this country amongst people who are part of the lower class because American families always had a hard time making ends meet, even before the Great Recession began. Living in poverty puts them at a disadvantage because they have to choose between necessitates like health care, child care, and food in order to help themselves and their family members. Though many reforms had been made to help cope with those who are living in poverty, it has been keeping many from being able to climb the social class ladder because the “War on Poverty” has not been

In the United States, about 24 million children live in poverty (Ingraham). Poverty is a big issue and has been for a while. It can affect children now and when they become adults. There are children going to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal is coming from, but Compassion is a Christian organization working to stop child poverty around the world.

Poverty is a state of deprivation lacking the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. (Poverty) Poverty in the United States is a well know issue just like in other countries. Even though the United States is a powerful country it stills has problems and poverty is a major problem in the United States. According to the United States Bureau, the poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7 percent, which is down 0.8 from the previous rate in 2015.

Poverty is an important issue in the United States. In fact, child poverty in the US is at its highest point in 20 years. [Flores & Lesley, 2014] The poor are at a disadvantage, because they have an unfulfilled right to a good education. A majority of children attending public schools come from low-income families. It is hypothesized that a low household income correlates with poor achievement in school. A solution to poverty is for everyone to have a good education so everyone can be equally prepared to take on a high-skill, high-paying job. It’s unfortunate, because the solution to poverty is a good education, but a good education is hardly ever available to children living in poverty.

What is poverty? Poverty is not simply a matter of low income flow. Poverty can be generally categorized as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/poverty). There are two types of Absolute poverty where individuals have no access to the basic necessities in life including food, water, clothing, shelter and Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a government that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country (Brunswick and Canada, 2010).

Nowadays the poverty level in the US rises to record numbers since the middle of the last century. The US has the highest rates of poverty by a big variety of reasons: the weakening of the economy, the financial crisis and the weak support of problem groups of the population by the state. Moreover, according to Stricker (2007), there exists not only an increase in the number of people with inadequate incomes, but also an aggravation of the gravity of the situation. Poverty is rightly associated with the problem of unemployment, as well as with the fact that desperate people do not know how to avoid the poverty.

Poverty in the United States is defined as a social problem. As outlined in the text, a social problem is “a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy”. It is easy to see that there is a large economic divide in the United States, but with only a small percentage of people in the highest income stratification and the vast majority struggling to get by, the majority of United States citizens agree that there is too much power in too few rich people. The “American dream”, the idea that if you work hard you will be rewarded accordingly, is a increasingly inadequate theme of the past. Today, average people who work hard have been struggling to provide for

Henslin (2014) said “Richard Rodriguez represents millions of immigrants – not just those of Latino origin but those from other cultures, too-who want to integrate into U.S culture yet not betray their past. Fearing loss of their roots, they are caught between two cultures, each beckoning, each offering rich rewards”

America is one of the wealthiest nations in the world with having a high inequality than other industrialized countries. Inequality exists in income, wealth, power and education. People who are legally and socially poor in the United States tend to stay in a cycle through life, not always by choice, but because they are given less opportunities, education and tools to achieve their success. The poverty stricken class has a significantly larger income gap than the upper class, the American Dream is weakened through opportunity and is shown through statistics.

In 1977, Peter Goldmark, the director for the state of New York, said, "Welfare, is hated by those who administer it, mistrusted by those who pay for it, and held in contempt by those who receive it" (Auerbach 2016). Goldmark's statement still rings true today. People have found a way to live off of welfare. They have figured out how to live off of another person's hard worked for money. It is unfair to those who are working to make a living to have to support people who do not even try to support themselves. People have become so entitled today that they believe that the world owes them. We owe it to ourselves to work for the lifestyle we want. We have to work for what we want because no one else should have to for us. It is understandable