Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the number of "poor" persons in the U.S. In 2005, the Bureau found 37 million "poor" Americans. Presidential candidate John Edwards claims that these 37 million Americans currently "struggle with incredible poverty." Edwards asserts that America's poor, who number "one in eight of us…do not have enough money for the food, shelter, and clothing they need," and are forced to live in "terrible" circumstances.However, an examination of the living standards of the 37 million persons, whom the government defines as "poor," reveals that what Edwards calls "the plague" of American poverty might not be as "terrible" or "incredible" as candidate Edwards contends. Poverty is an important and emotional issue.
Myths About Poor Citizens of The United States Many myths about poor people, or people with limited means exists and most of them are not true. In my opinion, some of the myths were thought up because the rich look down on people with limited means and of course are going to look down their noses at people who do not have as much money as they do. Myth #1: People are poor because they are lazy and refuse to work. Of poor people 16 years and older, 12 percent work full-time year round, and another 25 percent work part-time. Myth #2: Most poor people are minorities.
Reducing Poverty In America Delmar A Bennett Buffalo State College Abstract In this essay I will briefly demonstrate how poverty impacts the United States. My main focus is to discuss the reasons behind poverty in the States. After gathering research I came to the conclusion that poverty arises due to the lack of education. The United States is in an era were poverty is becoming a big epic. We live in the richest nation yet nearly 49 million of Americans struggle to put food on their table.
Women were another vulnerable group because they were always paid at a lower rate than men. There was no safety net for people who fell into poverty other than resorting to the ‘workhouse’ which had been established to deal with cases of extreme poverty in Trade unions had little power as the Taff Vale Incident of 1901 showed and Friendly Societies could only provide a limited amount of help. Attitudes to poverty in the early 20th century were quite unsympathetic many politicians from both the Liberal and Conservative party felt that poverty came from personal laziness. Both parties had an attitude of “laissez-faire” i.e. non interference from the government.
Poverty affects millions of people worldwide; some places more than others. But what exactly is poverty and what are the causes of it? According to Wikipedia, Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. This is also referred to as absolute poverty or destitution. About 1.7 billion people live in absolute poverty.
In times of disaster, it is clear that America's poor are more so poor in regards to their social class, than their ability to survive as human beings. Even poor families, who are overcrowded by U.S. standards or face temporary food shortages, are likely to have living conditions far greater than that of the world average. The poor of America do have a hard time
Based on Census statistics the United States has a child poverty rate that is more than twice as high as many Europeans nations. The Poverty rate for children living in the U.S has increased to 22% in 2010. The poverty rate for U.S. adults is only 13.7 % today one out of every four American children is on food Stamps. Also 50 percent of all U.S children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18. There are also 314 countries in the U.s where at least 30 % of the children are facing food insecurity.
The lack of motivation caused by years of not having a job and watching your family suffer in poverty is a condition that not too many of us are familiar with. “Native American Poverty,” by Tom Rodgers justifies the allegations that a large percentage, about 25%, of the Native Americans live in poverty. “According to the US Census Bureau, these Americans earn a median annual income of $33,627. One in every four (25.3 percent) lives in poverty and nearly a third (29.9 percent) are without health insurance coverage.” The lack of money has become a huge component in the dismemberment of the culture that the Natives so lavishly submerged themselves into, and the picking up other undesirable traits such as drinking. The
Poverty is an important issue to take notice of. Many people in the United States fall within the life status of living in poverty. Just as adults are affected by poverty so are the youth. Since the youth is the future of the country they call America, it’s critical that the children do not grow up in a horrific environment. Poverty could be simply defined as being economically poor but many researchers like to refer to it as the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions.
Welfare Paper According to the poverty guideline of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the poverty line in Texas for a family of four is $23,550 per year. Families below the poverty line are eligible to apply for welfare benefits through Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The two major welfare benefits that are available though HHSC are SNAP food benefits and Temporary assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The SNAP food benefits, which are also known as food stamps, provide food and nutritional support to qualifying low-income families. Most SNAP benefits last for 6-month period but can also range form a month to 3 years depending on the qualification and need of the family.