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.
Update to who:
I have learned in this weeks session that the U.S. suffers from more poverty and inequality than most other developed countries. Also, I have always knew that Africa had the highest rate of extreme poverty. I now know that in 2001, South Asia with 31% and East Asia with 15% have rates of extreme poor as well. In the U.S. and globally, the number of women and children who are poor is very large.
Why:
*there is a misconception that countries are poor because of corruption and misrule*...with that being said, I still believe people and countries are poor because of lack of education, low income, environment, etc. Some poor people and families frequently move into and out of poverty.
Update to what's being done and how well addressed:
- Author Jeffery Sachs came up with 9 Steps to end extreme poverty and the Big Five Interventios for extremely impoverished countries. I'm not too sure if his ideas are being implemented and if they are working.
- The UN Millennium Project set forth a plan to resolve poverty, hunger and disease using the Millennium Development Goals. From reading the article: http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/index.htm, the plan helped to increase overall income by 21% between 1990 and 2002. Also, the number of people in extreme poverty declined. I think that if the plan has somewhat worked before, but clearly the issue is still not being addressed well.
- The Time Magazine article discusses how the United States has been saying they are going to help other countries by giving them a larger share of their output. However, they have failed to do so which brings me back to my initial point of view. The U.S. is not doing much to help the situation.
Update to what I personally think should be done:
I personally do not think the UN Millennium Goals will have the poverty issue resolved by 2015. This may be why they changed the deadline to 2025. A lot more steps need to be taken if they are to meet this new deadline. Perhaps, they can come up with new ideas as to what more they can do. From reading more about globalization, there are some individuals who believe that globalization is growth-promoting. It can reduce poverty worldwide and global inequality. Yes there are those who oppose this idea; however, there is no reason for countries not to try and see what happens.
Update again to why people may be poor:
According to John Iceland, "Where one lives affects the opportunities one has and the type of living one earns" (51). The book also talks about how spatially isolated rural areas are and how there is inadequate physical infrastructure.
The "Do Neighborhoods Matter" video reinstates that theory. George Galster speaks about how the neighbors, the public school system, and the children who the child may play with also plays a very important role in an individuals life. I agree with the video and believe that environment can have a major impact. I have always heard about the South always being the poorest region in the U.S. and that metropolitan areas are poor ares as well. Therefore, some people in a sense may be doomed from the start just by where they grew up.
Update to what I think is being done:
Well, I still think that not much is being done by the government and that they are unwilling to make certain changes. However, from watching the video, I think there are some changes in the works. Galster's theory about trying to achieve a society with concentrations of poverty below 10% seems to be a good idea. There are all these stereotypical thoughts that go along with the idea of poor people moving into an area. If this theory does help ease some of the tension and helps neighbors feel safe, then that makes a lot of sense to me. Also, having requirements on new developments and standards for housing is a smart choice as well. Clearly, as I have been saying, more needs to be done.
Update to who I think is poor and why:
According to John Iceland, author of Poverty in America, "a common misconception is that majority of the poor are African American residents in inner cities" (3). Only about one-quarter of the poor population are in fact blacks. To my surprise, I have recently learned that 1 in every 3 poor people in 2005 were children. This statistic came somewhat as a shock to me. I guess I mainly thought that there would be more poor adults than children. As I previously said in my earlier post, there are still poor Hispanics and white. Globally, I believe there are poor people in almost every country. Therefore, anyone or any race can be considered poor.
John Iceland also reinforces some of the factors that I also believe may cause poverty:
- low income
- low education
- family instability
So far, I still believe that poverty is still a major problem that is steadily increasing. America as well as the rest of the world, needs to find solutions for this issue and more ways to help out these poor individuals and families.
If you have time, check out the "Down and out in America" video:
http://webdb.gsu.edu/dmg/mediaplayer/mediaplayer.cfm?file=swo/swomlo/Ohmer/down_out.mov
.........................you can learn a lot and see poverty from a first-hand perspective!!
Side-note: Sometimes we forget that farmers are also being affected by poverty. Many of them are being forced out of their homes by the government because they do not have the means to pay for their expenses.
Who you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?
Poverty is not limited to race or nationality. It is based upon a person's standard of living. Majority of the poor people I see around the Atlanta area are usually African Americans. However, there are Whites as well as Hispanic people who are poor too. Globally, any individual who is lives below the poverty line is considered poor. We see commercials everyday on the television of children and women from other continents, such as Africa, who are poor. They cannot even feed themselves or their family
Why you believe people are poor in the United States and globally?
I believe people are poor because they could possibly have a drug addiction. Individuals who abuse drugs can let that spiral out of control and consume their lives. Also, people can become poor because of low education or perhaps they lost their job and can't support themselves anymore. Thinking globally, in many countries, children sometimes loose their parents and then end up living on the streets
What you think is being done about poverty?
There are certain programs implemented to help out poor families. Welfare and food stamps are available to those families who qualify for it. This helps them manage getting by month to month. Also, there are homeless shelter, soup kitchens and other facilities that take time out to help the poor by feeding them and giving them a place to sleep at night.
How well you think poverty is being addressed currently in the Unites States and globally?
Even though there are organizations and facilities out there, I still believe the government is still not addressing the situations well. There is still much more that needs to be done because there are still MILLIONS of people in the world to this day that are in poverty.
What you personally think should be done about poverty in United States and globally?
I do not know exactly what should be done about the poverty issue. However, there needs to be some sort of other policies enforced that will benefit them. I think that people should give back more and donate to charities and other organizations that are trying to assist the poor.
