I would never have thought that North Carolina and Georgia would have been places that had to worry about illegal immigration. I had always thought it was just the states that were close to the border. The comment from the “Matters of Race” film about Mexicans do the work that Americans don’t want to do is something I have heard many times, and that is great, as long as they come to our country legally and pay taxes. It drives me crazy that I have to work to get medical insurance and then see people that are here illegally getting care for free. It is just wrong. As many of the blogs I have read pointed out, we are all here from somewhere else, but there used to be restrictions to get into America. Before my parents emigrated here from Scotland they had to have a sponsor and my Dad had to have a job. They just couldn’t come here illegally and wait for amnesty.
I have decided just to post this at the top as it really doesn’t break out well for the five questions we have been working on so far. Nothing that I read on the slides surprised me as it makes sense that the people suffering from poverty would also be the ones that don’t have proper, or any, health care. Since the economy has tanked, people not suffering from poverty have either lost their insurance or their companies have had to provide less coverage. It is awful that in our country there are so many people without health insurance coverage (16.7%). If would be good if there was more money spent on health care so that more people would be able to get routine check-ups. It seems that it would be a huge cost savings for the insurance company or the government covering the bills in the long run to pay preventative bills instead of hospital bills for preventable conditions.
It was good to see that the elderly only have 1.7% uninsured. This is most likely because the older generation worked for companies that provided life time insurance once they retired. I was surprised to see that Americans have the lowest life expectancy among 30 industrialized nations. Being a wealthy and industrialized country gives the impression that we would have better care for all.
Who you think is poor, both in the United States and globally.
My views are quite a bit different than they were a few years ago due to the horrible economy. I see reports all the time of executives who used to make a fortune now trying to get jobs delivering pizza. In addition to the people that have fallen into the poor category due to having a poor education, living conditions, and are unhealthy and unable to work, we now have formerly wealthy people who have lost their life savings.
I believe there are poor people in other countries for the same reasons as we have poor people in America.
Session Three Update:
I have learned that there are more elderly people considered poor than I realized (recent rate in 2005 was 10.1%). I have also learned that the majority of poor remain so only for short periods of time. Unfortunately the reports show that 50% of those who are poor at any given time during their lives, will be in poverty ten or more years.
Session Four Update:
I have learned a lot from this chapter about the geography of poverty. I knew that when manufacturing plants closed down that many people lost their jobs and that some of them became poor, but I didn't know about concentrated poverty before. I knew where the barrios were when I lived in California and have seen the ghettos since I have moved to Georgia, but I didn't realize they were called concentrated poverty neighborhoods. The description of "threatening appearances, marked by dilapidated housing, vacant units with broken or boarded-up windows, abandoned or burned-out cars, and men 'hanging out' on street corners" was a very vivid description and true to the areas that I have seen.
Session Five Update:
It was surprising to learn in this session that nearly half of the world is considered poor. But it was unbelievable to discover that the United States suffers from considerably more poverty than most wealthy countries. I had always assumed since we were such a wealthy country that our poverty level would be relatively low. I learned that Africa has the highest rate of extreme poverty (50% in 2001). I admit I am a spoiled American and as I sit here drinking my $1.25 bottle of water, I can't even imagine what it must be like trying to live on $1 a day.
Session Six Update:
Due to the recession there are now one in seven Americans in living in poverty. Georgia had 300,000 more people fall into poverty from 2008 to 2009 which was a 20% increase. Georgia exceeds the national average and is the second highest state behind Mississippi.
The poor are the elderly and African Americans who are relying on Social Security benefits when they retire. Since it is the only income for 20 percent of the elderly and 40 percent of African Americans and the number of workers paying in to it has declined from 16 workers to 3.3 workers per beneficiary, there is no way the poor will be able to get out of poverty.
Session 12 Update:
The poor are the elderly and African Americans who are relying on Social Security benefits when they retire. Since it is the only income for 20 percent of the elderly and 40 percent of African Americans and the number of workers paying in to it has declined from 16 workers to 3.3 workers per beneficiary, there is no way the poor will be able to get out of poverty.
Why you believe people are poor in the United States and globally.
I believe one reason we have more poor people now is due to the dreadful job market. There are many people who would like to work that are unable to find jobs.
Another reason is some people are unable to obtain high enough paying jobs to make it worthwhile. Child care costs can be more than what they could earn.
In some other countries they have poor people for the same reasons that we do. There are also a lot of people in undeveloped countries that are poor due to civil unrest.
Session Three Update:
Common sense makes this information obvious, but I hadn't considered it as one of the reasons that poverty continues for generations is that the parents lack of money hinders the ability to invest in their children's education. I always like to read those stories about people that rise above poverty and make something wonderful happen with their lives, but in what I have been reading in this class, that is the exception instead of the rule.
Session Five Update:
After seeing the figures that show how little is actually spent helping people who need it worldwide, it is obvious why people are suffering. Per Jeffrey Sachs we believe that Americans are generous, and believe that we do 20 to 30 times more in development aid than we actually do. The United States only provides 15 cents out of every $100, whereas the rich world on averages provides 25 cents out of every $100. Per the Time magazine article we spend $500 billion on military but only 16 for the plight of the poor. That is an embarrassing statistic.
Session Six Update:
One of the reasons we have so many people in poverty is that the low paying jobs do not pay enough to keep families from falling into poverty. There are many people living in poverty and are working full time jobs. Higher education is very important to obtaining jobs that pay higher salaries, butt the level of education necessary for these jobs is rising more quickly than workers can catch up.
Session Seven Update:
I had mistakenly believed that people that were classified in poverty were people who didn't work. I was very wrong. If someone is working full time to support their family, they should be able to make ends meet. The minimum wage is obviously too low to help people survive. Since America's production has risen so dramatically, the minimum wages should have risen the same amount. If they had it would be at least $14.65 an hour today which would help people to take care of their families.
What you think is being done about poverty (e.g., current policies and programs in the United States and globally).
What you think is being done about poverty (e.g., current policies and programs in the United States and globally).
I think our country does a lot to help people that are in need. Unfortunately there are many people who take advantage of what our great country offers.
Session Three Update:
It seems that with all of the programs available (food stamps, WIC
Session Five Update:
We obviously aren't doing enough since the United States has one of the highest poverty rates compared to other wealthy developed countries. Since we are the second wealthiest country in the world, I don't understand why public benefits are more limited here than in other countries.
Session Nine Update:
In watching the American Dream video it shows how the Welfare to Work program really didn't help people get ahead in life. It was great that so many people got off of welfare and went back to work, but when they asked the children if they had noticed anything different their lives they said no. The one son quit high school and takes care of his siblings while his mom is at work and then he goes to work once his mom is home to take care of her kids. There doesn't seem to be a chance of him getting out of the poverty cycle as he won't have a high school education either.
Session 12 Update:
Per the slides, one of the primary functions of Social Security is that it is one of the nation’s most successful anti-poverty programs. Ever since I began working I have been hearing that we were going to run out of money and that whoever was due to receive it next would be out of luck. I have been working for over 25 years and they still manage to provide money to those that need it.
Atlanta and DeKalb counties are establishing zoning ordinances that offer incentives to provide a share of affordable housing in developments over a certain size. Fulton and Atlanta are providing tax credits and incentives toward mixed income housing.
Session 13 Update:
I like how HOPE IV aims to improve neighborhood conditions by revitalizing distressed public housing communities and assisting residents with moving to better housing in less distressed neighborhoods through the use of Section 8 housing vouchers. I think that would do so much to help someone’s dignity improve and enable them to have a better outlook on life. I understand that the former residents of public housing will still face daily challenges, but in watching the Visionaries movie and how much living in a house instead of the projects improves someone’s self esteem, it would seem that this would help their attitude.
How well you think poverty is being addressed currently in the United States and globally.
Honestly I am not sure how poverty is being addressed currently in the world. I have been following how people are doing with the reduced job market more so that those that are considered underprivileged. I know that many people that have fallen into the poor category due to the sad state of the economy more than I am aware of people who have been classified as poor for other reasons.
Session Three Update:
What I have learned so far is that the government has many more programs available than I was aware of, but that they are working with outdated/incorrect information.
Session Five Update:
It looks as if poverty will be getting more attention with the Millennium Development Goals that the world leaders are working on. According to figures released from the U.N. there has been some progress with the goal to halve the people suffering from extreme poverty. That goal is to halve it by 2015 and it has been recommended that U.N. adopt a bold goal to eradicate poverty by 2025.
Session Seven Update:
After learning that someone who works 40 hours a week only makes $15,080 a year ($7.25/hr x 2080 hours), which is $2,300 less than what it costs an adult to live a self sufficient lifestyle in Atlanta, it shows that something needs to be done to make it possible for someone to live with dignity. That expense is for a single person, if they have two children then their expenses jump to approximately $43,214 year. It is no wonder that so many people need assistance to survive. It is sad that the incomes of the richest 1% of the population have doubled, yet the incomes of the 95th percentile have risen less than 1% a year. The people who really need the money to just get by are the ones who can't get ahead in life.
Session Nine Update:
It seems in reading the book and slides that America is doing a lot to address poverty, but after seeing the video and how that program really isn't making a dramatic change, I wonder if the others are. I like the 1996 Welfare Reform Law current purposes of TANF where the second item was revised to include job preparation along with work and marriage. It seems that if someone isn't better prepared for the workforce, they aren't going to be able to get a decent job.
Session 13 Update:
It is hard to really tell how well poverty is being addressed with housing as there are so many more people falling into that category with the economy in the state that it is in today. Housing affordability continues to be an issue with the number of working family renters and homeowners as they are paying more than half of their income for housing. One benefit is the Section 8 Housing Vouchers which allow low income families to occupy existing and privately owned housing units instead of living in the “projects”. The vouchers are a subsidy that covers the difference between 30% of the tenant’s income and the fair market rent of a housing unit. The challenges with housing vouchers are that they don’t provide equal access to low-poverty and low-minority neighborhoods for all poor households, but the most important challenge is that only one in every three eligible families gets assistance. The benefits of housing vouchers states that when used to move into a low poverty neighborhood, children are less likely to become involved in violent crime and they can contribute to improved educational outcomes. They can help eliminate the need for frequent moves, which studies show undermine school performance. They can move to new neighborhoods with better commutes and great access to job openings. This seems like a great step to get someone out of the cycle of poverty.
What you personally think should be done about poverty in the United States and globally (e.g., policies, programs, you would suggest).
I feel we should stop sending money out to other countries to help them out. I realize that it is selfish, but we are one of the wealthiest countries in the world yet we have starving people in our own country. You can’t watch television and not see some special on people that are unable to make ends meet. We are spending billions of dollars fighting wars in countries that don’t want us, yet we have people starving on the streets of America.
I believe we need to have plans that will motivate the people willing to work to be able to find jobs. We also need to make it more difficult to receive hand-outs for those who are lazy and choose not to work.
Session Three Update:
I haven't read anything yet that changes my opinion of keeping money in our own country to help people have better lives.One person said that hand-outs weren't that easy to receive and I feel that he is correct for the people that need them. I feel that some people that shouldn't get them do receive them though (i.e. people who have children just so they can get more money from the government).
Session Five Update:
I feel we should increase the amount of money we devote to helping people who are struggling. We have some good policies in place, food stamps, WIC, etc. but we need to increase the amount of money that is provided for these programs.
Session Six Update:
I agree with what was said about being in debt and how can we increase the amount we spend to help people, but we are in the same debt and are still managing to spend billions of dollars elsewhere. I just feel that we should keep more money at home and help the people that need it here first.
Session Seven Update:
I really like the ideas proposed with the true living wage movement. I think it is a great idea to have companies that are supported by public money pay their employees a living wage. As the article pointed out, if they don't pay them more the public will end up paying twice as they will need to pay for the public assistance the people will need to survive.
Session Nine Update:
It is a shame that Clinton's provisions were not included in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. I really like the expansion of jobs program that was proposed where it would provide the client with child care benefits. I feel it is almost impossible for someone to obtain a job and be able to support their family in a reasonable manner with the expenses incurred with child care. This was really obvious once I worked on the Budget Exercise.
I liked the suggested idea of depositing $2000 a year into a savings account for every child from birth until they turn 18. Without any further contributions, a person would have over one million dollars by the age of 65. Since the plan would be far less than what is currently being paid for Social Security, it would be a good go-forward solution. Yet it wouldn’t be fair to those of us that have been paying into Social Security for years and would like to see some benefits in our golden years.
Session 13 Update:
I liked the goals for the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 to decentralize the housing policy, use nonprofit sponsors to help develop and implement housing services, link housing assistance more closely with social services and facilitate home ownership for low and moderate income households. They would still preserve existing federally subsidized housing and initiate cost sharing among federal, state and local government and nonprofits.
Session 12 Update:
I liked the suggested idea of depositing $2000 a year into a savings account for every child from birth until they turn 18. Without any further contributions, a person would have over one million dollars by the age of 65. Since the plan would be far less than what is currently being paid for Social Security, it would be a good go-forward solution. Yet it wouldn’t be fair to those of us that have been paying into Social Security for years and would like to see some benefits in our golden years.
Session 13 Update:
I liked the goals for the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 to decentralize the housing policy, use nonprofit sponsors to help develop and implement housing services, link housing assistance more closely with social services and facilitate home ownership for low and moderate income households. They would still preserve existing federally subsidized housing and initiate cost sharing among federal, state and local government and nonprofits.
