Poverty in America
A response to another medium blog post.
The War On Poverty Is Not Over is a blog on medium.com written by Rev. Dr. Williams J. Barber II. He is president of a group to help combat poverty in America making him a very credible source to gain information and learn about the topic. Barber discusses a topic I previously hadn’t given much thought to, poverty in America.
Originally, my main idea and focus was on extreme poverty abroad in places like Africa, parts of Asia, and the Middle East. These regions often face severe violence in the form of civil wars, oppressive governments, or different groups within the country vying for power making focusing on prosperity a second priority. However, as Dr. Barber points out, poverty right here at home in America is a huge problem as well.
Poverty in America
To prove his point about the severity of poverty in America, Barber cites shocking statistics such as “There are currently 140 million poor and working people in our country” (Barber, 2018). He also reports that “41 million people are living below the poverty line” (Barber, 2018). Barber points out that this has a huge impact on our youth also as “four in ten children spending at least one year of their lives in poverty” (Barber, 2018). These statistics can be surprising, and it shows how big the issue of poverty is even for our neighbors. I have lived in America all my life, and I was stunned to hear how many people in my country are suffering each and every day from poverty.
Solutions to Poverty in America
Along with listing the sheer number of Americans living below the poverty line, Barber lays out some ways he believes poverty can be solved. He goes into detail about how the government should do more to help those in need rather than helping out big corporations. He calls for an increase in the federal minimum wage to further assist those people just trying to get by. Furthermore, he calls for the government to look into the possibility of universal income so that people can “enjoy life rather than simply trying to live” (Barber, 2018).
Barber also discusses how mass incarnation and the wealth gap contribute to making some Americans even poorer and making the very rich and richer. Overall, he believes that the government could do more to help solve poverty in its own country.
What Impact Does Violence Have?
While Barber does make great points and I believe that what he proposes will work, I am curious about his opinion on the effect violence has on poverty in America. While we fortunately do not see terrible wars on our own soil, our country can still be a violent place. Particularly in the inner cities where a large portion of people live below the poverty line.
Due to the violence, sometimes caused by gangs, businesses do not want to operate and cannot flourish, schools are typically not very good, and the quality of life is substandard in these areas. If peace were to occur in these areas they would see a surge in new business and education opportunities which would help lift them out of poverty.
References:
Barber, W. (2018, July 15). The war on poverty is not over. Medium. https://medium.com/brepairers/the-war-on-poverty-is-not-over-d7729a888801
