Blog 3 Poverty in a Global Context

For me this week, one of the major questions that I had more opinions on after the lesson was the one asking why we believe people are poor in the US and globally. Also, I thought about number three which asked how well we think poverty is being addressed.

2)      Why do you believe people are poor in the United States and globally?

After this week's lesson my views are somewhat the same and also changed a bit. The video we watched on Ulearn showed how the world and its countries and economy have changed over the last 200 years. At first there was not much change, but when we get to the present we can see a huge difference in countries and how rich people are and also how much they are expected to live. I beleive that perhaps because the US is such a wealthy country and has many people who are very well off and over the average income, then the government may not "see" the poverty taking place and affecting us, because realistically it is not bringing us down any more or any less and so since we can still be considered a wealthy nation it becomes hard to look after those who need it.
Another contributing factor in my opinion is that women make up large percentages in many countries, and the web links showed that in many places they are the last to eat when food is scarce and therefor they have the lowest education. With little or no education then they can not move forward and expand their incomes, leading to a never ending cycle of low income, food, and poverty. 
Other countries on the other hand have a low income, low life expectancy, and therefor a high poverty rate. With no one in the country to bring up the standard of living and make it wealthier, then they are lagging behind and become more and  more poor with less opportunities to help their citizens.

3)      What do you think is being done about poverty (e.g., specific policies and programs in the United States and globally) and how well do you think poverty is being addressed?

I believe that poverty is being addressed better than what I initially thought it was. There are researchers all over the world trying to gather information and notify everyone everywhere, especially those in rich nations, about the world's poverty and ways in which we can help. We continue to improve medicine and with transportation now and days we can send and receive help much faster than we ever could. Developed worlds try to aid those in need, and in come welcoming places they try and teach them about our government and the way we run our systems so that they can learn from that and improve their lives.
We are already on our way to improving education in all rural and urban areas and allowing all children the same possibilities. In the US we also provide electric power, clean water and sanitation, which are huge demands to living a longer life. If the United States keeps their promise of giving .7% of GNP to poor countries in need, then perhaps other rich countries would follow in our footsteps and slowly the poverty rate would decrease, in our nation and around the world. The UN Millennium goals are wonderful and the plan is all set up, now we must stick to it and go forth to a better time.