Session 3

Who is really poor in the United States?

Although I hadn't really stated any specifics on "who" in my original post, I had assumed that minorities and the elderly were among the nations poorest. I was astonished to find out that every 1 in 3 poor people (in 2005) were under the age of 18. In 2005, only 10.1 percent of those who were in poverty were 65 and over while 17.6 percent were under the age of 18. As far as poverty correlation related to race, I had imagined that the white or non-hispanic population is less affected by poverty, but I had no idea there was such an enormous difference. 24.9 percent of the poverty stricken are black, and 21.8 percent are hispanic, while whites only occupy 8.3 percent.

Despite race or age, we have seen an overall increase in the number of people affected by poverty. Since 2000, the number affected has more than sextupled from 5.4 million to 36.9 million.

I am especially curious to see the reasons given when concerning why the number has jumped so much.

Do you have any hypotheses? Did any of the statistics surprise you?

Original Views

1. Who you think is poor, both in the US and globally-

This question is difficult to answer because "poor" is a pretty subjective term. In the United States, the poverty threshold in 2008-2009 was $10,830. However, many Americans would find an income level much higher to be unsatisfactory and "poor" to them.
Globally, I imagine that the $10,830 threshold is about double. In many poverty stricken countries, a single family can live off of $1.25 in any single day.


2. Why you believe people are poor in the US and globally-

Many people in the US and globally are poor for various reasons. Being born into poverty is one of the largest contributing factors to adulthood poverty. Another large factor in the US can be attributed  to the growing unemployment rate. As the economy in the US took a downturn, millions of jobs were lost. With the new found unemployment, we have seen a great increase in the number of families using government aid.


3. What you think is being done about poverty (e.g., current policies and programs in the US and globally)-

Currently, Obama is trying to encourage higher level schooling for adults and children alike. It has been statistically shown that higher level education leads to an increase in pay and better job security. There are also many other programs in place to aid those in need. Medicaid, food stamps, and welfare are just a few of those assistance programs.


4. How well you think poverty is being addressed currently in the US and globally

I think poverty is always something that could be better addressed in both the United States and worldwide. Nevertheless, I feel like the programs currently in place in the United States are aiding those in need, just not enough. Globally, I am largely unaware of programs in place and the amount of assistance they're actually posing.


5. What do you personally think should be done about poverty in the US and globally (e.g., policies, programs you would suggest)

I believe that the programs that are already in place should remain in place (WIC, medicaid, social security). I also think that there should be a greater emphasis on both pre-schooling prior to kindergarten and contraceptive use while in higher levels of schooling. I would also like to applaud services such as "hands on Atlanta" for their aid with those in need, and I think that other programs like this in other US cities would do a large amount of good.