* Who you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?
I believe that due to recent economic stress, millions live in poverty in both the United States and globally. I believe poverty does not discriminate among races, although studies have shown that rates are high among Hispanics and African Americans. I believe poverty also does not discriminate among age or sex, including large numbers of children. I personally feel that Blacks are among the poorest in the world. There are a number of reasons I feel this way, but mainly due to young black children dropping out of high school and having babies at such a young age. Globally, I think the third-world countries are extremely poor due to their economic/environmental issues and lack of food.
(Session 3 update)
After reading the material on culture and poverty, it is very clear that poverty is effecting so many people throughout the world globally. It was very interesting to learn how the lowest rate of poverty, which was recorded in 1973 at 11.3% had risen "every single year". In 2005, the rate of poverty was reported at 12.6%.To me, that paints a picture of concern. In my earlier blog, I noted that I felt that Blacks were among the poorest in the world. After reading the class material, I learned that I was correct. It was stated that Blacks have had the highest rate in poverty compared to Non-Hispanics whites. Hispanics were reported to follow closely behind Blacks in high rates of poverty.
*Why do you believe people are poor in the United States and globally?
I believe people are poor in the United States and globally due to lack of education, unemployment and great financial strains. Without having the proper education, many people do not qualify for jobs that will require them to live "comfortably" and to afford all of the necessities for them and their families. I believe that because education is not a requirement, many young individuals are choosing the option to drop out of school, without gaining the proper knowledge to help them live and survive in the world. Years ago, children would quit school to help their families work and bring money into the home. But now, children are dropping out of school because they "feel like it" and not even thinking about working. Everyone should begin to realize that education is needed and important to get a good job. As the cost of living continues to rise, especially in the United States, many continue to struggle to meet their needs. Thousands are losing their jobs, which can result in the loss of their homes and healthcare.
(Session 3 update)
I discovered several reason to why people are poor in the United States and globally. The recession and unemployment, to me, appeared to be the leading cause of poverty around the world. We all know job loss can lead to no funds and lack of funds can lead to many material hardships...e.g. food insecurity, insufficient health care, housing problems and inadequate child care.
*What you think is being done about poverty (e.g. current policies and programs in the United States and globally)?
I do believe the issue of poverty is being focused on through several programs within the United States and globally. Alot of the programs are designed to help families that may not have the substantial amount of funds to get shelter, food or clothes. There are even programs that I am aware of that will help individuals/families with utilities bills. I am also aware of programs that help globally with food, water, clothing and even medical care. For such a large problem, there is so much more that can be done and needs to be done.
(Session 4 update)
The video entitled "Do Neighborhoods Matter" really focused on the dangers of children growing up in poor neighborhoods. From the video, I learned that George Galster feels that public school systems and neighborhoods shape the lives of children. He noted that when the context is negative, it can determine how a person is raised. He feels that poor neighborhoods are always located within poor school systems, low employment opportunities and high crime rates and resulting in a low economic status that encourages people to do the wrong things/make the wrong choices. I completely agree!
From his research, he also feels that the opportunity changes when poor individuals exceeds more than 20%. We should try to make sure poverty is kept low (e.g. 10% or less). I completely agree with George Galster. I think creating neighborhoods that are not poor, can help improve the lives of our children and their families.
George Galster also gives reason to improve federal/state housing programs to avoid to rates of poverty increasing. I think the plans giving in the video would be beneficial to helping poverty, not only in neighborhoods but globally.
(Session 9 update)
In this section, I was able to learn about the different public assistance programs available to families. I was also able to read the views on the debate of the Reform of Welfare: Is welfare working or not? I personally think that the Welfare Reform is hindering alot of people. I personally believe that people abuse the system when they know they can "fall back" on something or someone. It really doesn't allow people to take the full responsibility for their actions, such as having multiple non-martial births with no education, housing or job. Now, I do think that the Expansion of Jobs program is great because it allows individuals to move from welfare to working. This is good because it shows a positive plan in action. It also allows individuals to begin taking responsibilities for the well-being of their families and receiving the appropriate services without abusing the system.
After watching the film, "American Dream", I was able to captured 2 stories that captured the fate of families living in welfare. The first story appeared both positive and negative because although the woman was moving from welfare to working, due to her lack of education (not having a high school diploma), she didn't have alot of alternatives. It was interesting to hear from her children how they could not see the difference in being on welfare compared to when they were not.
The second story was very interesting because it focused on the men and welfare. It was not surprising to learn that there seems to be a cycle with fathers not present in their child's home/life. Most of the fathers were in prison. The father in the film explained his transition from selling drugs and being in jail to working a low-paying job to make a difference for his 3 year old son.
(Session 12 update)
I am all for saving Social Security. I personally agree with President Obama that Social Security should be protected and that all seniors should be able to retire with dignity, not just a privileged few. As learned from the PowerPoint reading, Social Security is one of the nation's most successful anti-poverty programs. This program was designed to help take care of seniors, so that their burdens would not fall on their children and family members when they reached a certain age. Without Social Security, I believe that millions more Americans would be poor and living in poverty.
It is troubling to know that Social Security may not be available when I am 65 or older due to several issues. With a decrease in funds and less people putting money into Social Security, this program may hurt us all in the long run. The government can easily start to increase everyone's taxes, pretty much taking double out of the paychecks of working individuals. If people continue to lose their jobs, but the senior population continues to increase and grow, poverty will surely increase.
I don't think people really realize how much the government can do to help the people. The government can do so much more. The government needs to look more into who is putting money in the Social Security Fund and how it is being distributed to the ones in need when they retire or reach a certain age. Even the ones who are working so hard are worried about if Social Security will support them when they get older and retire and if they will have to work longer to receive Social Security since the retirement age may rise to 70. We have to come up with positive solutions to save these programs that are designed to help and keep those living in poverty out of poverty.
*How well you think poverty is being addressed currently in the United States and globally?
Although, there are programs and policies being developed to address poverty, I feel that more could be done. I personally think that there are many people taking advantage of the "system" and all the programs that are available to provide assistance. An example could be the people receiving food stamps and selling them to make a profit instead of buying food or the individuals that continue to have babies after babies with no means to care for them without help from the system. I think that currently most programs have requirements to receive assistance (e.g. sliding fee scale, family size, employment status, income, etc), but those requirements should be reviewed again to ensure funds are being dispersed properly to those that are truly in need.
*What you personally think should be done about poverty in the United States and globally (e.g. policies, programs you suggest)?
I think more jobs should be made available and education should be a requirement. Lay-offs are one of the main reasons why poverty is rising. I think that more jobs should be created and allow those that are educated to work in their field of area. The cost of living should be suitable for everyone and not increased when the economy declines. To me, this doesn't make sense. I think that more programs should also be made available, but requirements to receive aid should be reviewed, so that they are not abused.....whether in the United States or globally. I think strict reinforcements need to take place for those that continue to abuse the system.
Updated from Video "Down and Out in America"
I want to note that the video on poverty entitled "Down and Out in America" was very touching to me. I learned that alot of farms are now being lost, which are destroying families. Farmers have been known to be the backbone of America. Here are just a few touching points that I was able to note on individuals' view on poverty.
- One individual explained how he had fought in the Korean War to get freedom there, and never thought that he would be fighting for his freedom in America, his home.
- One woman explained how she had a college degree and never thought she would be poor, but she noted she realizes that it could "happen to anyone".
- One gentleman explained how when he lost his family home and farm, he thought about committing suicide to "raise money for his family" by the use of insurance money.
When farmers loss their homes, they do not qualify for medicaid, welfare or other government programs, which was very interesting to me. I do feel the government needs to step up and help our farmers and so many living in poverty before it is too late. Poverty is causing more than people being poor, but causing family devastation everywhere.
(Sessions 5 & 6 update)
It is shocking to me that the United States has a higher poverty rate than other foreign countries. After reviewing this session on how the U.S. relates in terms of poverty to other industrialized nations, I learned that the U.S. has one the highest poverty rates, especially among children. I think it is solely due to children being raised in poor neighborhoods with poor school and the drop-out rates of our teens. Although, the highest poverty rates are among children in the U.S., I found it a little hard to believe that the U.S. is still not among the richest in some areas.
The United States is always claiming to be in the hole and in debt, but we still continue to use money to support the War and other countries. We really need to focus on our Americans and our people first to solve this poverty issue. More and more people are placed into poverty with the loss of jobs and their homes. I feel that the government needs to invest more money into creating good paying jobs here in the U.S. Another huge factor to why the U.S. has more poverty than other countries is the lack of healthcare provided. Out of all the countries, I don't realize why the U.S. struggles to make sure everyone has the adequate and proper healthcare that they need. Hopefully, the National Health Care Bill will help many people living in poverty. There are so many factors underlining the issue of poverty within the U.S. and we really need to handle them one by one.
(Sessions 7 update)
I believe the government needs to look and review minimum wages. I know it has gone up from the past, but clearly is still not enough to help individuals out of poverty. This was all exhibited through the video: "In Search of Living Wage: Faith in Georgia". This film explains the minimum wage issue very well and how it effects the lives of people. It is just sad to me to know that families are struggling day to day to get what they need.
I believe the government should also look at developing more high paying jobs. We have people that go to school to get an education and training to do certain things, but yet they are working as a cashier, a clerk, in retail, or as a janitor and security. Personally, that should not be!
Learning about the average wages vs. the cost of living in Atlanta is shocking. It is very hard to beleive that 63% of all hourly wage jobs in Atlanta pay less than $10.50/hour and six of ten of the fastest growing jobs pay less than $10/hour. How in the world do people expect people to be able to live and get all the necessities they need from day to day?!?! I think it would be different if we didn't have to budget for so many things in life, such as medical needs/health care and water to drink, which comes from the earth. We haven't even addressed the different taxes that has to come out of one's check, which means they are actually bringing home much less than they actually make. It is extremely sad to me that this is an issue leading to poverty.
(Sessions 11 update)
I will be the first to agree that Health Care in the United States is a major and leading problem. Although, I was not surprised to learn the number of adults and children that are uninsured, it was surprising to learn that Georgia is the 5th leading in the nation with the largest rate and percentage without health care insurance. I think this is all due to the lack of jobs available and the part-time jobs that do not offer full-time benefits. Health care insurance is also expensive. Depending on how many individuals are covered under a plan (individual/family) and their health condition(s), health care insurance can cause a family, especially those living in poverty, to be dropped due to being unable to pay their health care monthly premiums. I do feel that the number and percentage of people receiving health care coverage has decreased for the reasons that I listed.
I am all for the Health Care Reform Law! The health reform will make health care more affordable and expand coverage to all Americans, along with making our health system sustainable. After watching the video clip about the Health Reform in Action, I realize the need and value of this law. It has been proven that nearly half of all Americans are worried about affordability of health care. You hear stories everyday relating to how one is sick and cannot afford the proper health care that they need. I think the most unbelievable thing with health insurance is that even for the ones that can afford it, due to their age and health condition, they can actually still be denied or receive higher premiums. The young lady in the video expresses how important the Health Care Reform was to her when she discovered that she had cancer and could not initially afford the treatment. Sickness/illness does not discriminate against anyone. It is beneficial to know that if you become sick with a minor/major illness, you are able to receive the appropriate care. As President Obama stated in the Health Care Reform in Action video, “It is necessary.” and I agree!
(Sessions 13 update)
Housing and community development is truly a factor we should consider when we think of individuals who are living in poverty. With the loss of jobs, there are so many families that do not have a roof over their heads, homeless, going from shelter to shelter or living on the streets. There are many Americans that are unable to pay their monthly rent or mortgage and losing their homes every day. Even though some do have a place to live, there could be other factors that cause them to fall into poverty such as poor living conditions and not being able to pay for heat and utilities. Unsafe and dangerous living conditions are other factors that those living in poverty face.
In this session, my thoughts went back to the video entitled "Do Neighborhoods Matter". Housing and communities does matter when we look at crime rates, schools and education. I think the different Housing and Community Development Acts are helpful when we look at what is being done to address the concerns with providing proper housing to those in need. These Acts are designed to help eliminate unsafe and unsanitary housing conditions, eradicate slums and provide decent, safe and sanitary dwellings for low income families. I think this program is great because the goals are to revitalize neighborhoods, improve more affordable housing and economic opportunities, along with benefiting low and moderate income persons. I also think that HOPE is an awesome program that the government has in place to address Housing and Community Development issues. HOPE is the Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere program. Hope aims to improve neighborhood conditions by revitalizing distressed public housing communities and assist residents with moving to a better housing in a less distressed neighborhood through the use of Section 8 vouchers. It was very interesting to learn the challenges with Housing vouchers. With all the people living in poverty, it's amazing that only 1 in every 3 eligible families gets assistance. The government has to do better with making programs that are beneficial less stressful for families that are coping with so much already. It’s a little disheartening to think of all the challenges and struggles that people go through to get the assistance they need.
I also learned a lot about the CDC. The CDC is Community Development Corporation. I learned that CDC often focuses on serving lower-income residents or struggling neighborhoods. They can be involved in a variety of activities including economic development, education adn community organizing. These are often associated with the development of affordable hosuing. President Obama's approach to urban recovery, which look into the problems that affect urban areas and how they are interconnected and how they should be addressed appropriately, was also very interesting to me. The government is on the right track with providing programs to help with Housing and Community Development. More can always be done, but so far… so good. (Sessions 14 update)
Discrimination is the pre-judgment and negative treatment of people based on identifiable characteristics such as race, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, disability, etc. (Barker, 1999). Racism is defined as discrimination against and prejudicial treatment of a racially different minority group (Karger & Stoesz, 2005) “or” Stereotyping and generalizing about people, usually negatively, because of their race; commonly a basis of discrimination against members of racial minority groups (Barker, 1999).
I was not surprised to learn that legal and illegal immigrants make up a growing portion of the U.S. Georgia had the highest growth rate of immigrant issues among the states in 2005 as opposed to California California is so close to New Mexico America America America
