Underestimating Poverty in America

Underestimating poverty in America

The man arrives home greeted by his wife & three children. A look of disappointment flooded his rosy cheeks & sunken eyes. Simultaneously, his wife begins to cry, she knows he did not have any luck begging on the major streets. His little daughter then tells him that the heat no longer comes on, and with a half smile and nod of the head, he goes to open the door to an angry voice. They have just been informed of their eviction. They have no where to go. They have been stricken by poverty just like the other 37 million people in America.

Everyone has their very own definition of poverty. Merriam- Webster’s Dictionary defines poverty as “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.” According to FHS sophomores Danielle Cook and Dominique Blanks, poverty is not having enough money to maintain a stable lifestyle in order to survive.

Selfishness. Irresponsible adults. Careless ways, and haughty attitudes, have all been the blamed cause of poverty in America today.

Blanks believes that a downfall in one’s home or financial situation may cause poverty. Other people are not always to blame for the misfortune of the poor.

“Many people become poor because of an addiction. Some gamble while others do drugs,” says Julian Morris, Stockbridge Middle School student.

Cook says that America should work together as a whole and help out more. Money, even though it may seem to be, is not the significant solution. Blanks strongly disagrees with her by stating that the world is centered around money. To back up her statement Cook says if people were less selfish and more helpful poverty would not be such a huge problem.

“Everyone only cares for themselves, not the world around them,” preaches Cook.

So what if the government, as Blanks suggested, level out the playing field so everyone has the same amount of money. Will this new communist government provide the poor with a lasting better life? Or will they end up even worse than they started? Sasha Koroma, Bowie Community College Freshmen, thinks she has an answer to that question.

“If you give destitute people money, without the resources or knowledge of how to manage it, they will become poor once more.”

Kelleh Mansaray, an engineer at General Motors also agrees with Koroma. No matter how much one tries to help the less fortunate the help is worthless without education or the want of help.

“If you have a car with a broken engine and you continuously change the outside appearance of the car, it still will not run. Even though the car may look nice on the outside it still does not function. This relates to giving a poor person money