National Section

History of Poverty (Question 1)

Since the founding of this country, poverty has been a concern both for the United States government and its citizens. Many efforts, widely differing in both scope, style, and effect have been mounted on a nationwide scale.

A time of great suffering and great poverty, the great depression also marked a vast increase in the level of anti poverty legislation. Led by the efforts of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, four time president of the United states, many laws aimed at curbing the effects of poverty were passed. The Agricultural Adjustment Act, for example, sought to raise prices for agricultural goods by paying impoverished farmers cash for not growing goods. The National Industrial Recovery Act increased minimum wage and set industrial standards meant to regulate competition for the benefit of the people. But, perhaps one of the more significant victories of the legislation passed by Roosevelt was the creation of the social security system which ensured a minimum of retirement money for the elderly, reducing the number of seniors on the streets.

"In more recent times, efforts led by both the state government as well as the federal government have fought against poverty. American president Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the 'great society' program in 1965 as a sort of shotgun approach to eliminating poverty through education, healthcare, and urban renewal. The minimum wage, starting in 1938, forced the state of Hawaii to provide a 'living wage' for unskilled laborers."

In the past ten years, more creative solutions to poverty have been introduced. Welfare reform under President Bill Clinton, for example, created pressure for the poor to help themselves rise out of poverty. No child left behind, while primarily meant to raise the education standards of US schools, also helped attack poverty by ensuring educational minimums for those who are most likely to fail: the poor.

Poverty Situation In America (Question 2):

In America as a whole, the poverty situation is really not better. According to the most recent Census Bureau Statistics, nearly 36 million Americans live in poverty. The Bureau defines poverty as an individual earning $9,393 or less and $14,680 or less for a family of three. This means that overall, near 7.6 million American families are in poverty right now. Our economy as a whole is fairly stable: in fact, pay for wealthier Americans has risen substantially. However, the wages for millions of lower wage workers has dwindled. With rising house costs and inflation, hardly anyone on a fixed budget can afford to rent (let alone buy) a house or apartment. As Jared Bernstein, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute, states, "The U.S. economy has experienced three years of recovery, yet poverty has continued to go up." Indeed, the latest statistics show that near 6% of all working Americans lived in poverty last year. Hard working individuals are trying to support themselves by working as much as they can, it's just they cannot keep up with the demanding pace of rising costs. America needs to recognize this terrible situation sooner, and find a way to come up with a better solution.

The Heritage Foundation describes how for most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. For example, the "Poverty Pulse" poll taken by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development in 2002 asked the general public the question: "How would you describe being poor in the U.S.?" The overwhelming majority of responses focused on homelessness, hunger or not being able to eat properly, and not being able to meet basic needs.
The study revealed that "if poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the 35 million people identified as being "in poverty" by the Census Bureau could be characterized as poor. While material hardship does exist in the United States, it is quite restricted in scope and severity. The average "poor" person, as defined by the government, has a living standard far higher than the public imagines." For example, the Heritage Foundation reports that "some 46 percent of poor households own their own home. The typical home owned by the poor is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths. It has a garage or carport and a porch or patio and is located on a half-acre lot. The house was constructed in 1967 and is in good repair. The median value of homes owned by poor households was $86,600 in 2001 or 70 percent of the median value of all homes owned in the United States." As one can see, although in comparison to wealthier individuals of society, those living in poverty are not really in poverty in comparison to other parts of the world. Their situations may still be unfortunate, however, many still have roofs over their heads.

National Solution (Question 3):

In 2005 a census found that "the number of people living in poverty in the United States had reached an all time peak, at 37 million people; the highest level on record since data first became available in 1875." This can partly be attributed as the after effects of 9/11, when the economy fell and unemployment increased substantially. However, after "26 consecutive months of job growth, a jobless rate down to 5%, a strong stock market, higher corporate profits, surging productivity and rising rates of home ownership," as is claimed by the Bush Administration, a greater decline in the poverty rate then the .4 percent decrease experienced, is to be expected. While not hesitating to commit billions of American tax dollars to improve the quality of living for the Iraqi people, Congress and the US government remain indifferent to the plight of its own citizens. Even the decrease in the poverty rate was no part due to the efforts of Congress or this government. In fact, the median earning of individuals have decreased. According the USA Today, "the $40,798 median earnings for a full-time male worker were lower in inflation-adjusted dollars than in 1973." What accounts for the increase in median salary then is simply that more individuals per household are working. Where then, have the benefits of these higher corporate profits and surging productivity the Bush adnimistration has witnessed gone? Straight into the pockets of the rich. Recent studies have shown that the top 20 percent of the wealthiest in American make up more than half the the national income, while the lowest 20 percent make 3 percent. "It's a pretty classic story of an economy that's leaving middle-income households behind," Jared Bernstein of the liberal Economic Policy Institute has so aptly stated. "The gap between how this economy's doing and the living standards of the median family has never been larger." So how do we eradicate poverty once and for all in the United State? We must first begin by changing the distribution of the wealth in our society by creating more opportunities for the poor. This can be accomplished by offering higher paying jobs that rival those currently occupied by the affluent in society, then providing the needy with the necessary education and skills to help them obtain and fulfill those jobs. Better advertising for the governments many free assistant programs so that the people who would most benefit from these programs are aware of the available services, and simplifying the application process for many of these programs would also have a positive impact. For the various rules and regulations that complicate the process deter many people from applying.

To get involved,and do your part to help eradicate poverty in the United States go to:
1. Poverty USA
2. Hearts and Minds
3. Learn and Serve America

1.Poverty USA
2. USA Today

Plan of Action (Question 4)

Realistically, on a smaller scale what can be done about this issue by individuals? What impact could you have to change the current situation? What do you foresee in the future if the solution(s) you're advocating is/are not implemented or if conditions continue in their present state indefinitely?

Poverty, being such a complex and large problem, can often seem impossible for a single individual to attack. Yet, there are things a single individual can do to help be a part of the poverty solution. Local action, such as volunteering at local shelters, can be helpful, but national action can have a larger effect. Lobbying your state senators and state representatives can aid in the passage of anti-poverty legislation. A bill for the minimum wage increase that was recently passed, for example, was greatly aided by the support of anti-poverty groups and private citizens. Donations to national anti-poverty groups such as the salvation army can help make a difference, as can volunteering with such groups.

If individuals do not take action, America must continue to be the poverty capital of the developed world. Unless poverty is ended, millions of Americans will continue to suffer, with poor health care, rude living conditions, and little chance of a better future. Poverty must be recognized as a problem that affects more then just the bums on the street corner. Every moment that an American lives in poverty is another moment away from a better society.