...Poverty is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. It is the condition where people’s basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. There are generally two types, absolute poverty is synonymous with destitution and occurs when people cannot obtain adequate resources to support a minimum level of physical health. Absolute poverty means about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated as demonstrated by some countries. Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy certain minimum level living standards as determined by a government that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country. Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said to be increasing and my never be eradicated. There are over 48 million Americans live in poverty, according to a special report by the Census Bureau (money.cnn.com). The government programs such as food stamps, caps (childcare and parent services program) is designed to help low income families afford safe quality child care, and section 8 which is a rental housing assistance program that authorizes payments of rental housing to private landlords on behalf of approximately 4.8 million low-income households do help some of the people in the Unites States but it is not enough. There are still 16% of American children living in poverty according to a supplemental report. According to the census report the official poverty line was $23,283 last year for a family of...
Words: 2097 - Pages: 9
...having high States of America is one of the countries that have recorded high rates of teenage pregnancy with its prevalence in the country rating higher than any of the Western industrialized nations. For instance, A National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy conducted in 2006 revealed that in the United States of America, 4 out of every pregnancy occur in women of younger age. They go ahead to explain that annually, the United States among other countries with high rates of teen pregnancy record approximately one million teenage pregnancy. The purpose of this essay is to provide a claim of evaluation that critically examines the statistics of teenage pregnancy and the relationship between depression and poverty on teenage pregnancy. Given the establishment of how bad the prognosis for teenage pregnancy is, this claim of policy intends to establish the link between this public health issue and depression and poverty. Relationship between Teenage Pregnancy and Poverty One of the steps towards with any issue that appears to be a predicament is to establish the root cause of that particular problem. In this case, therefore, the main purpose of this claim of evaluation is to find out the relationship or link between teenage pregnancy and the victim’s socio-economic status. In as much as it has been named among the consequences of teenage pregnancy, Tripp and Viner (2006) observe that there is a correlation between the teenage pregnancy and high rates of poverty. In as much as...
Words: 3274 - Pages: 14
...Why can’t we end Poverty in America? Jake Hauser English 102 12/6/13 Today in the United States, more than 46 million Americans are living in poverty. The word poverty is defined as; the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. In other words, poverty is essentially the state of being poor. In a broad perspective, there are two types of poverty. There is relative poverty which refers to people who live in poor accommodations, cannot afford certain necessities, and struggle to make ends meet. In most cases for theses people, there is welfare available to help them so it would be rare for them to go without somewhere to live or to go starving. The other kind of poverty is known as absolute poverty. This is the kind of poverty that you would see in third world countries. These people have no food, no water and no help and it usually leads to death. Believe it or not, poverty is a worldwide problem that is taking place in every nation on the globe. In fact, half of the people in the world today are living on less than $2.50 per day. Statistically, Haiti is the most poverty stricken country in the world, with 77% of it’s population living below the poverty line. It also has a 40% unemployment rate, and many poverty-stricken people live on less than $1 a day. The United States may not be the most poverty stricken country in the world, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a big problem in our...
Words: 1835 - Pages: 8
...the United States’ government has multiple problems, but there is one problem that really needs adjustment and improvement towards its solution. The United States’ solution towards immigration is very extreme. US Border Patrol all over the world are gunning down immigrants instead of making an attempt to arrest them and bring them to justice. We all know that by preventing immigration in the United States we can reduce our population, poverty, and the crime in our streets; however, not all immigrants that come to the United States cause harm to this country. People assume that just because a person broken the law by coming to this country illegally, he or she is a bad person and should be deported right away. The United States is deporting immigrants so they can help reduce our population, poverty, and crime, but what they do not realize is that may deporting the wrong immigrants. People think that all immigrants have no business in the United States and should be deported back to their countries. What people do not know is that some immigrants come the United States for a better life and to avoid the hardships they encounter back in their countries. They the choose the United States as a place for a new beginning and a new start to life; therefore, many immigrants that are already in the United States try their best to become US citizens to avoid deportation back to their country. Sadly, if they get deported they will no longer be able to come back to the United States to obtain...
Words: 1043 - Pages: 5
...Poverty "Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit." -Eli Khamarov Should this quote be taken seriously? Should the upper classes in the United States blame those born into poverty for their own misfortune? In this cause and affect essay, I will take you through the process of what we define as "poor" and how we are dealing with it. There is no known pinpoint to what actually causes poverty, for it can be a number of things. You could be born into it, thus making it hard for you to get a job, without a job you wouldn't be able to pay for schooling, without a high school degree you wouldn't be able to invest in a career, without a career you wouldn't be able to support your family, and by not being able to support your family you are making it harder for them to break out of poverty. It is a never-ending cycle that is doomed to repeat itself. The definition of poverty in the dictionary states poverty as "the state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs and comforts." (H.E.D.) People who are considered "poor" or "in poverty", are people who can not provide sufficient food, clothing or shelter for their families. Although there are far worse cases of poverty around the world, in the United States people who are either single parents or parents who work for minimum wage are considered poor. Even people do have food, clothing, shelter, and make more then minimum wage but can't afford luxury are people who are considered poor. Poverty is a...
Words: 1063 - Pages: 5
...Immigration to the United States has been an issue since the country began. People have been coming here for a variety of reasons, including political and economical. People come here seeking a better life for themselves and their families. In today’s times, the largest source of immigration for this country is from Central and South America. The author Jimenez Francisco, an immigrant from Mexico, came with his family to the United States in the 1940’s. In an article written about him, Deanna Day writes “When Francisco was four years old, his family immigrated to California for more economic and educational opportunities” (Day). The causes of immigration, both legal and illegal, to the United States from Central and South America are first, high crime rates secondly, poverty in those regions, and thirdly, higher quality of life in the United States. First, a cause for immigration to the United States is because of high crime rates. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Central America is tied with Southern Africa as the world’s most violent region (UNODC, 12). In two countries, Mexico and Venezuela, the homicide rate on a three year average has been rising (36). A large part of the violence in this reason is due to gang activity. In 2012, the homicide rate of El Salvador went down by forty percent after a truce between two gangs in the country (45). People do not want to live in a country where they feel unsafe on a regular basis. These conditions are some...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...Income inequality is a subject that most social science majors or people who deal with What is income inequality? According to McConnell and Brue, authors of Microeconomics the 14th edition, income inequality is "the unequal distribution of an economy's total income among persons or families.” Recently, studies have shown that income inequality has many connections that have caused the gap in the United States. According to the research I found, income inequality is connected to corruption, trade, wages of workers, and education. The world income inequality had declined since the twentieth century according to the studies found (Clark). Corruption falls increasing on low income individuals more than higher income individuals. Additionally, the trade theory suggests that the free trade might have level up the income inequality higher within countries by the different patterns of wages and demand for workers who are skilled and unskilled (Silva and Leichenko). Moreover, the education of wealthier people has it easier because the learning efforts of education are unbalanced. Besides, income inequality in the United States is hurting our economy due to the all the issues of corruption, trade, wages, and education. They also point out that some of the causes of income inequality are "differences in ability, education and training, discrimination, tastes, and risks.” As a whole we saw these factors very useful in explaining why it exists, but the problem with these is that they are...
Words: 830 - Pages: 4
...didn’t think of them in this way since starting class and doing the research we’ve done, have taught me so much. Many of society issues are social inequality, poverty, urbanization, discrimination against race, and culture. When learning about these issues, I’ve decided to do my paper on Poverty and Children in the United States. Poverty within the United States has become a major issue that affects our society and at hand families with children are coming face to face with this issue every day of their life. Poverty has become a major issue in our society today due to the result of our economy and the decision that one makes in life. And sad to say when the economy is always on the defense at failing, the children of our society have to pay a high price. There’s many reason and factors that can be related to one’s poverty. Some factors that can take place to which can place a child at poverty could be, single parent, unemployment, homelessness, abuse, or mother having more kids she can take care of. Over time history shows that poverty in the United States has raised a great deal. Many of us can’t even imagine how it feel to live in poverty, even if it’s looking us right in our eyes, we still try not to picture ourselves in that place. Poverty means can range from so much, and not just from not having enough money. Poverty truly mean not having enough of everything you need in order to take care of your household, money, and food is the main source. Not being able to having enough...
Words: 1845 - Pages: 8
...The Effects of Poverty: Come Together to Help People in Need Do you ever take things in your daily life for granted? Many people live day by day not having a stable amount of money to support themselves and their families. This lack of money can advance into many different problems. Health problems can arise from not having proper resources such as food and medical assistance. Poverty also influences people’s social and emotional stability. Social classes also play a part in how these people can find help with organizations in the United States. Poverty transforms people mentally and physically and it can be hard to find help, but with a basic amount of money given to families each month...
Words: 1342 - Pages: 6
...I decided to focus on the poverty in America. I have done a lot of research on this subject and have been very interested in what is being done about the poverty level in this great country we call the United States of America. As it stands to today, as a our nation is getting poorer and poorer. I started and ran a successful housekeeping business. I started this business because I was jobless after being honorably discharged from the United States Marines Corps. As a result of being unemployed, my focus on our nation as whole was in regards to poverty was magnified. Since I was a struggling citizen, I wondered how many more of our countries citizens were considered poor. As my business took off and I needed to hire more people to satisfy the demand my company was incurring, it struck me more vividly that there were a lot of unemployed people in the city in which I lived and conducted business in. As I followed news reports and articles in the newspapers along with televised presidential debates I found that there is plenty of statistical data that illuminates the fact that we as a nation are getting poorer. According to a special report from the United States Census Bureau, 46.2 million Americans are now living in poverty. The number of those living in poverty in America has grown by 2.6 million in just the last 12 months. This marks the largest increase that we have ever seen since there have been this type of reporting as been conducted which dates back to 1959. Moreover...
Words: 857 - Pages: 4
...Poverty in America: An Overview Stephanie Tran Pol S 310 Professor Strohman Iowa State University Some people may argue that the American dream is no longer achievable. Perhaps it was, but as time lapses and history takes its course, the pursuit itself may appear meeker. Today, most people would agree that the economy “is bad,” but what does that truly mean? A “bad economy” may impact some families on a more personal level than it appears. There are 20.6 million people in the United States who live in deep poverty, 6 million of whom have no income (Edelman). A family that lives in poverty is not always obvious to the eye. When a person thinks of “poverty,” he or she may think of developing countries with people who live with little to no food, shelter, or clothing. They may think of the too-thin African children in black and white commercials with the sad music trying to guilt viewers to send money. However, in America, poverty is a little more complex than that, and standards for poverty here are different than that of Africa, Asia, or Mexico. While poverty in the United States may still include an income, free education for children, and a place to live, it still may entail food insecurity, debt, lack of basic necessities, and the weight of stress and pressure from society that can take a huge emotional toll on a family. Poverty in the United States is a very real problem, and many people are unaware of the impacts of it. In the United States, the poverty rate...
Words: 2437 - Pages: 10
...trying to solve poverty compared to Hong Kong’s in the past 10 years? What is poverty? Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money. In addition to a lack of money, poverty is about not being able to participate in recreational activities; not being able to send children on a day trip with their schoolmates or to a birthday party; not being able to pay for medications for an illness. These are all costs of being poor. Those people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter simply can’t consider these other expenses. Global perspective Many countries around the world have people living under the poverty line. But many countries in Africa are suffering major cases of poverty. There are other bigger countries that suffer major cases of poverty such as India and China. In this essay I will be focusing on how India, China and the United States of America try to solve poverty in their countries. The United States of America has a population of 317,128,000, which is the third biggest country in the world after China and India. In 2008 35% if the American population lived in poverty and now in 2013 around 15% live in poverty which a huge improvement. Kiryas Joel, New York is a city in the United States, which has the lowest GDP (Gross Domestic Product), with a population over 10,000. The main reasons people in the States are poor is because...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
...referenced here on poverty-related issues is the primary research data sets. Included are studies and findings that surface through research of literature on specific reviews of the specified issues. The assessment of the methods of analysis used in the referenced research was rooted in peer reviews, frequency of citations, and perceived quality. For the purposes of this summary, the methods were not re-analyzed or tested. The research addressed here is focused on findings within the context of the United States. The analysis of the causes of poverty as well as research on issues that impact income, earnings and poverty can be considered determinants of poverty. The issue of employment and life experiences that put people at risk of not working or not working enough to prevent entry into poverty is strength of the economy and quality of wages. Introduction The scale and conditions of poverty make it one of the most pressing social issues facing the nation. According to the 2007 Population Report prepared by the US Census Bureau, over 36 million people in the United States are living in poverty and 54 million are at severe risk of falling into poverty.1 “The annual rate of entry into poverty for the total population of the United States has been estimated at roughly three percent per year”.2 Poverty will touch the majority of Americans at some point during adulthood. It is estimated that, on average, 60 percent of 20 year olds in America will experience poverty at some point...
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...Tiffany Ritter The Editorial Reflection English 151 11 November 2012 Can You Afford to Eat Healthy? The obesity rate in the United States continues to rise year after year. Researchers are working to find the cause and reverse it. The problem is there is more than just one cause; we just have to find the biggest issue and fix it. The cost of healthy foods is not in the price range of many Americans; therefore, they continue to eat cheaper, fattier foods. Obesity rates could be reduced if the prices on healthy foods were reduced and more accessible to the general public. Cost is a major factor when shopping for groceries for many families. If healthy foods were more affordable than unhealthy food and snacks, Americans would choose to buy them more often than not. The amount of low income families in the United States is continuing to rise. Sullivan says, “Census figures for 2011 show that the official poverty rate will rise from 15.1% in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7%, putting poverty at the highest level since 1965” (“U.S. Poverty Nearing Highest Rate Since 1965”). Therefore, the number of people who will be able to afford healthy foods will continue to decrease. Low income families tend to buy cheaper foods because they have no other option. For example, the McDonalds menu offers a cheap and affordable dollar menu, while the grocery stores provide overpriced fresh fruits and vegetables that are out of many families’ budgets. Families are increasingly becoming overweight...
Words: 910 - Pages: 4
...The poverty level in the United States has risen an alarming amount due to the economy, and other factors that have a tendency to go unnoticed. On average a household in America earns less than it did in 1997 when inflation in accounted for. Poverty is defined as “at or below an income of $22,314 for a family of four,” (Fletcher, U.S. Poverty reaches 15.1 Percent) and the number of families living this way in the US is astounding. The possible causes are multiple and the solutions range in size and practicality. For example making it easier for the less educated to get jobs. Regardless of why this is happening, and what can be done to aid the solving of it one thing is for certain, poverty levels are at a record high and something must be done. The United States is at a very sensitive place in its history because of the most recent recession, and because of this the level of poverty has increased dramatically. The poverty rate in America has increased to 15.1 percent, making it the highest it has been since 1993 (Washington Post). Why this is happening has been under debate for quite a while, and multiple answers have surfaced in speculation as to the cause. One of these believed causes is the tax cuts that the government has put into place in order to aid the citizens of America who make more that two-hundred and fifty-thousand dollars annually. (Washington Post) While it seems like a good idea on the surface it is certainly a double-edged sword because though it is easier...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
