If a Person Doesn’t Feel Poor, are they Still Poor? Who Gets to Decide?

Poverty is not a state of mind. Poverty is a social issue observable in the way people live. If people do not feel that they are not poor, it implies that they are not poor. However, a person cannot decide to be poor. Poor people are denied opportunities that could help them overcome poverty. A wealthy person will become poor when denied external resources such as skills and economic resources. If poverty was a choice, many people could opt for becoming wealthy. However, since it is an external force, many people spend their lives struggling to overcome it.
If somebody can afford a Flat Screen TV or Loan Payments on a new Car, are they Really Living in Poverty?

No. Poor people lack access to basic needs such as food, health, and shelter.Flat TVs and loans are secondary needs that are not mandatory.If a person can afford secondary wants, it implies that the person is living above the poverty line and has enough money to spend on secondary wants. Additionally, if a person can service a loan, it implies that the individual has access to employment or businesses that generate income for maintaining the vehicle while at the same time paying the loan.
Can Poverty Be Eliminated through Federal Programs and Via Cash Transfers to the Poor?

People need skills and knowledge to manage wealth. Transfer of wealth and money from the government to the poor cannot alleviate poverty. People will misuse wealth and money because they have not developed a mindset of managing wealth. Children born in wealthy families often struggle to maintaein family resources because they have not struggledto acquire wealth. On the other hand, poor children equipped with proper knowledge tendto invest in profitable programs with the hope of leaving an inheritance for their future families.

The Poverty Experienced by the Poor in America is Primarily Psychological. Agree Or Disagree?

I disagree. America has a history of racism. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, the population of people of color wallowing in poverty is three times that of their white counterparts (23). After the emancipation of slavery, former slaves were not given land for economic development. Instead, they were freed to compete unfairly with the white landowners. Additionally, the emancipation of slavery was only a declaration. The notion of racism was still in the hearts of Europeans that had enslaved the people of color. Thus, poverty is a social, political, and economical construction that has been nurtured through inequality.
According to the Federal Definition, Approximately 12.3% of Adults Currently Living in America are Poor. If Only 12.3% of Adults are Poor, is that a Problem?

Yes, it is a problem.When parents are poor, it implies that they cannot fend for their children. Children growing up in such families end upstruggling in life.According to Tankersley and Margot, children brought up in poverty tend to inherit inequalities from their parents.Poor parents cannot afford to take their children to good schools with quality education. Some children may also quit schooling to help their parents work and provide food for their families. Others may opt for prostitution and drug trafficking, posing a security threat to communities.

Why are the Poor Less Likely to Vote than their Middle Class and Upper-Class Peers?

Poor people believe that poverty is a social construction. They think that the government has failed to address the issue.Additionally, poor people have not been educated enough to learn that voting is a constitutional right. They think that voting is a mere event of putting people in political power.Unless electorates are educated through voter education, they will not turn out to vote.Furthermore, poor people may be busy working to provide food for their families when others are voting. This denies them an opportunity to vote when others are voting.

Are Anti-Poverty Programs Corrupting? Do Anti-Poverty Programs (I.E., Food Stamps, Cash Welfare, Unemployment Insurance) Stifle Initiative and Create Dependence on Government Aid?

I agree that anti-poverty programs create a dependence mindset among the poor, even though they help provide short-term assistance to suffering families.The government should not offer short-term solutions to a persistent problem. Instead, people need long-term interventions such as the creation of employment opportunities, quality education for children born in poverty, and equal access to economic resources.Food stamps cause the people of color to think that the government has the responsibility to shoulder their problems. When people are denied these programs, they will start thinking critically on how to solve issues and overcome poverty.

Suggesting that Some Poor People are Just Lazy. Why is that a Politically Incorrect Thing to Say?
Poverty has been in the history of America for Ages. Many people have worked hard but end up spending their lives in poverty due to the high cost of living.Some people are poor because they work hard in companies where they are paid little salaries to the extent that they cannot afford quality life. Some employers choose to pay employees meager wages to retain them. They think that poor people will quit employment when they are paid higher salaries.Claiming that poor people are lazy is, therefore, being insensible to circumstances that have caused people to dwell in poverty.

Why Does Poverty Seem to Cripple Some People and Inspire Others? In Other Words, Why is it that Some People who grow Up in Poverty Achieve Tremendous Economic Success and Others Stay in Poverty Throughout their Lifetimes?

We live in a stratified society. Some children may take poverty as a challenge, while others take poverty as a liability running in the family line. Children that end up succeeding in life could have decided to take poverty as a challenge to change their social status. On the other hand, their counterparts that dwell in poverty embrace their fate and spend their life hoping that someone will rescue them.Additionally, the level of poverty varies from one family to another. Some parents may afford to take their children to school, while others decide to embrace the fate of poverty.

Will Poverty Ever Be Eliminated? Should It Be?
It is impossible forthe United States to eliminate poverty. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, 49.7 million Americans wallow in poverty (2). This is a significant number to be ignored.Furthermore, the history of racismhas made it nearly impossible for the country to accommodate the people of color.PresidentLyndon’sprograms of war on poverty sought to increase access to economic resources, but the people of color who had been enslaved were denied access to land and quality education.Their children have inherited this disparity, and it is haunting the whole country to date.

Works Cited

“The War on Poverty 50 Years Later: A Progress Report.”The Council of Economic Advisers, 2014.

Tankersley, Jim and Margot Sanger-Katz. “Declaring War on Poverty ‘Largely Over,’ White House Urges Work Requirements for Aid.”The New York Times, 12 July 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/politics/white-house-war-on-poverty-work-requirements.html. Accessed 24 Feb. 2019

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