Session 14

Immigration

Who and why:
The percentage of immigrants (legal and illegal) whom are coming to the United States is constantly growing. This issue is being addressed on a daily basis here. Many immigrants come here to find work and make a better life for themselves as well as their families. I have always heard the phrase "immigrants will do the work Americans do not want to do." In my opinion, I believe that is somewhat true. Because immigrants have such a drive to work and make money, they do the jobs that are lower on the chain just to provide. Therefore, since some immigrants are hardly paid for their work or if they are illegal immigrants, this would be another reason as to who would be poor and why. It shocked me to see that at one point in time, Georgia had the highest growth rate for illegal immigration. You would never think that states toward the east coast would have such a significant growth in their immigrant population. I would think it would be those states close to the border at least.

What's being done and should be:
Since the attack on 9/11, the United States has become more strict with the immigration issue. A large number of illegal immigrants are being deported every year. There have been more agents put on the Border Control along with miles and miles of more fencing. The president also hopes to fix the immigration system which he believes is broken by implementing his new immigration policy. I agree that immigration is a major issue and we need to find ways to fix it. I have no problem with having immigrants in America. However, there is a right way of doing things. Americans have to have passports and proper documentations just to enter other countries, so immigrants should have to fill out the proper documentation and do what they are suppose to to come to America. This is just a thought, but I think that if homeless people (who are actually American citizens) were given the chance to do a job, they would do the jobs that some Americans are more willing to give to the immigrants. 

Session 13

Housing and Community Development

I am very pleased to see that there are so many different housing and community development policies out there. Before now, I really did not know much about the housing policies or what exactly they were all about. What I do know is that environment does contribute to people being in poverty. Those living in low income populations are surrounded by other individuals with some of the same problems as them. Therefore, communities need to be integrated. In a previous post, I mentioned a theory about achieving a society with low concentrations of poverty and there actually is a program out there just for that. The HOPE IV Program actually tries to break up poor communities (such as traditional Section 8 housing) and create mixed ones which will benefit poor families and have a positive impact. Another program that interested me was the HOME program because it helps low income families with affordable housing. I am so glad to hear that there are grants out there and people out there want to help those in poverty succeed. People in poverty still deserve decent homes and should be able to afford one that they will be able to one day call their own. As we know there are millions of people in America who are living in poverty; therefore, we have so much work to do in order to help all these individuals. 


Perhaps the government actually does care and wants to rebuild poor neighborhoods. President Obama has made it his duty to try to help urban communities. He wants to provide more money for the Community Development Block Grant as well as other grants. From what I learned about this act, it seems like it could really benefit low income families and metropolitan areas as a whole. He wants to educate them, provide them training that will give them skills for a good job and also help them save on their energy bills. 


I really did learn new information from this session. I can see that there is a lot being done in the housing aspect. However, this alone is still not going to help bring people out of poverty. These programs have been around for many, many years and yet poverty has still been increasing. Moving them to better housing is just a start and more steps need to be taken.

Session 12

Social Security

Why?
Social Security has been a big dilemma in the United States lately. I believe that there is an issue about it running out because of the recession. The United States is in so much debt that the government will have to acquire trillions of dollars for the Social Security Trust Fund in order to pay all the benefits. 

It says that the payroll tax would have to rise more than 18% under the current system in order for everyone to get their benefits. I think that people deserve their Social Security. It is a benefit that every hardworking individual deserves. However, with the payroll tax increasing, that just means more and more low income families will continue to stay in poverty. More and more money will be taken out of their paychecks which will make it even more difficult for them to provide for their families. Therefore, this does not help resolve the poverty issue at all.

What's being done?
There have been discussions about higher income families paying more for Social Security which in itself will be an issue for those individuals because I'm sure many of them feel as though that is their money and they should not have to pay more. Also, another solution that would be of controversy would be to cut benefits. Personally, I know that if have been working hard for at least 10 years, then I would feel as though I deserved all my benefits. Moreover, those in poverty will be hurt by this solution the most which does not solve anything....Recently, The Recovery Act was passed in February 2009 and this act is offered to the disabled, senior citizens, etc. The President really wants to help the Social Security issue and give everyone what they deserve especially the elderly. 


Hopefully, these solutions will help to boost the economy and help with creating new jobs for individuals. In result, this well hopefully help to solve the poverty crisis.   

Session 11

Health Care Controversies

Healthcare has always been an issue in the United States. I was shocked to see that from 2008 to 2009, 7.5 million children were uninsured. Many of those children were those in poverty. Not to judge anyone, it was not hard to believe that Hispanic children had a higher uninsured rate than the other races. I guess this may have something to do with many Hispanics who are new to the country or just cannot afford it. It is sad to see that the poor populations have to go without health insurance. In my opinion, that really doesn’t make sense. How are they expected to be able to afford insurance if they can barely put food in their tables? This is just another benefit that those in poverty are not capable of having. With that being said, if those in low income populations do have to go to the hospital, they acquire another expense. Doctor and hospital bills are not cheap. Health care costs and prescription drugs cost are steadily increasing. As a result, those in poverty are just going to get more and more in debt.

What’s being done?

There are a few programs out there that I know from my knowledge that already benefit some poor families. I use to have an aunt who received Medicaid for her and her family and I know that it really helped her out a lot. Just for the simple fact of knowing that with her low income, her children would still be able to receive the proper doctor assistance if they needed it. Also, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program helps uninsured children if their families over qualify for Medicaid. Just recently in March, President Obama signed a Health Care Bill that could help those in poor populations. The bill would lower health care costs and hold insurance companies accountable. In my opinion, I believe that this could really be beneficial and could really help many Americans who do not have the means to afford health care. Families will have coverage and can rest easy just by knowing that their children will be taken care of medically. However, many Republicans and others are against this bill and there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not it should be dismissed. 

Session 9

Policy Responses

I think the "American Dream" video was a great look at the poverty cycle. Many people today are poor because they have been poor their whole life. Angie use to be on welfare and then she found a job that pays $11/hour. I was shocked to hear that even with her job, she still lives in poverty and has to have the help of her eldest son. It was sad to see that both of Angie's older children had dropped out of high school. Lakeisha got pregnant young and now lives in poverty with her two children. It is true that the longer you are in poverty, the harder it is to get out of it. I also agree with the approach of having more fathers in the picture. We tend to forget that the men are in poverty as well. I firmly believe that more help needs to be given to the men, especially when it comes to black males. Black males make up a good percentage of those incarcerated. Many of them have to result to selling drugs in order for them to survive. As you could see in Ken's case, living with drug-addicted parents and not having food to eat made him turn to the streets in order to get by. I believe that once they get caught up in the idea of being able to make "quick money", it makes it so much harder for them to want to stop. Therefore, with the males getting in trouble so much and having to go to jail, this creates a void in their children's lives. This is why so many children in poverty are growing up without fathers and the mothers are left to provide for their families all on their own. 

There are some programs and aid out there to help those in poverty. There are public assistance and social insurance porgrams. Public assistance is based on income whereas social insurance is universal. Therefore, social insurance has a great influence on poor families. Food Stamp is also offered to families of three who make $16,608 or less a year. I have recently learned that there is a federal-state program by the name of TANF and EITC. TANF is a temporary assistance for needy families and this program administers money to those families who are defined as needy. I have never even heard of this, but I think this is a great program. It is sad to hear that TANF is one of the least used social welfare programs and that half of those eligible do not even receive it. I think it's great to know that most welfare leavers find jobs; however, some of these jobs still leave them in poverty. Even with all this assistance, poverty is still increasing and more needs to be done.

Session 7

Poverty and Wages

     I had no idea that 63% of all hourly wage jobs in Atlanta pay less than $10.50/hour or that six of the ten fastest growing jobs pay less than $10/hour. Even if an individual worked full-time, they would STILL bring home less than $1,800 a month and that does not factor in federal or state taxes. This budget is barely enough money for a single adult to survive or meet their basic monthly needs. Moreover, a family of three most definitely cannot survive on this income which results in the family being considered poor because the adult cannot support her family financially. Therefore,  the family will need government assistance and cannot be self-sufficient. 

      Also, tip workers have it a lot worse because they only make about $2.13/hour and that has not changed since 1991. There really isn't much you can buy for $2.13. Even if you do not make the minimum wage in an hour, the workers are not compensated. I find that ridiculous and quite sad because sometimes being a tip worker may be the only job an individual may be qualified for. 62% of tip workers are woman and this contributes to the higher rates of poverty among single-female headed households.

The "In Search of Living Wage: Faith in Georgia" video explains the minimum wage issue very well and in depth. It was disheartening to watch the video and see how some individuals have to struggle day to day. Although the increase in minimum wage has helped thousands of workers, the government STILL needs to do more. 

Session 6

Who:
Recent reports have shown that one in seven Americans still live in poverty. That statistic should make a bold enough statement on its own. Just by knowing that there are millions of people in America, there are thousands maybe even millions of people to this day living in poverty. Also, those who do not even have a high school degree are more likely to be poor than those with a high school degree or a Bachelors' degree. Women are also more likely to be in poverty than men. From reading the articles, many individuals who live in Mississippi and now Georgia are poor. Poverty extends beyond just the homeless but to those who have been the working middle class.



Why:
The continuing rise in unemployment is a big factor of the cause of poverty. When people lose their jobs, they have no other income to support themselves or their family. Losing your source of income can alter your life completely. With the way the economy has been, it makes it that much harder for individuals to find new work. Not to mention, going from a good job to a low paying job. Low paying jobs do not pay enough to keep families out of poverty. The longer your in poverty, the harder it is to get out!


How well addressed:
Obviously, if the poverty in Georgia has increased and one in seven Americans are poor, then the issue must not be addressed too well. More effort needs to be put into letting the world know about these horrible statistics. Americans need to be more educated about poverty. We are more likely too see those affected by a natural disaster on television than those here in on backyard who are starving for food and need a place to sleep.


What's should be done:
I agree with the idea of equal opportunity and income. Every one deserves the same opportunity or chance to try to succeed in life. When one person has an advantage over the other, then most likely the top dog will always come out on top. This just makes the underdog (in this case the poor individual) have to try that much harder to get out of poverty. Anything that will help minimize the number of individuals who are poor is a goo idea to me.