Culture and Poverty

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

I think that this question can go in two directions. First of all I think that there is a chance that people can be poor because of the rise in illegal immigrants who are moving to the US. Employers prefer to higher them becayse they can pay them much less then a legal person who is wanting to work and therefor the illegal people can and will accept any for of job that they can get. Many times they find ways and connections so that they can get good jobs. They are taking away from unemployed people and low income families to find decent jobs and better their situations. Another idea I have is that the rise in illegal immigrants can also give rise to homeless and poor people in the areas and all over the country. They come here in hopes of a better life, but because they are illegal there are also plenty of employers who do not want to take any risks with hiring them and so they end up not working and just adding to the amount of poverty stricken communities and homeless people. If they do not have the paperwork and documentation that the jobs require of them to show, then they must settle for anything that will pay them in cash or under the table and therefor they result to anything in order to be able to support their families, even though this may be entirely too little to support a family. 

4)    What do you personally think should be done about poverty in United States and globally (e.g., specific private and government policies, programs, etc. that you would recommend)?

I am a US citizen but I was born in Mexico and came from there. Both of my parents are legal citizens, and we know the hardships of moving from one country to another. However having said that I think that the US government should be taking matters into their own hands and try and solve this issue of allowing so many illegal immigrants to be moving here. If they truly want to be here and work here then there are ways to do it correctly. These people are coming here and get paid under the table, and then they don't even pay taxes or anything. They are adding to the negative aspects and hardships of our economy instead of helping us to get out of this recession. This is not and should not be a matter that is just left up to the states. We need to all pull together and as a nation help stop this situation and epidemic. The amount of illegals in this country is growing every day and soon there will be no way of stopping it. These people can not just come here and get the easy way out when there are US citizens now who are fighting to keep a job or even trying to find one. We should have the priority over a good job, rather then someone who is getting the easy way out and not helping in any way. 

Community Development And Housing Policies

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 think that in terms of housing and the community there are more things that are being done than what I expected. One for example is the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Being able to provide rural areas and urban counties with money and grants to expand affordable housing and to improve the areas in neighborhoods is a wonderful thing. It is allowing all areas (regardless of their wealth) to have a clean, safe neighborhood. I was also surprised to learn that there are over 13,000 public housing developments in the United States. Also there are Community Development Corporations (CDC's) that are put in place in many cities and they are run by a small staff who primarily serve in low and moderate income neighborhoods. CDC's produce jobs, as well as improve housing and develop human services in neighborhoods.  

4)      What do you personally think should be done about poverty in United States and globally (e.g., specific private and government policies, programs, etc. that you would recommend)?

Based on the lecture there apparently is still many families that are spending a minimum of half of their salary to rent or try and own a house and that can sometimes not even include maintaining it in well conditions. Perhaps there could be more grants going towards trying to remodel or even fix some of these homes so that these people were not living under such harsh conditions and risking getting sick. Also perhaps the states and the actual cities could focus on where they are instead of the big picture. If we were to start small and then work in our own communities we would slowly see improvement. Perhaps holding certain fundraisers or having clubs that offer people the opportunity to go into these homes and help fix or build, I have learned from my own experiences that many time people are more than willing to provide their time and offer help but they are unaware that this is happening in their own community. Making people more aware and asking for their time might help get these projects moving a lot faster.  

Social Security

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 think that the United States is doing an excellent job in addressing poverty by having programs like social security.This is a way to secure people, especially those who are older and and injured or sick, with the ability to collect money and compensate for the lack of income from in other areas. It is a program that has been working well and continues to be a tremendous asset to this country and its people. Also Medicare is something that has helped many, and in my personal experience I know my grandma is very lucky to receive money from the government. People like her who have lost a spouse and have no way of working rely on programs like these and others to help them get by. These programs have decreased the mount of people that are or would otherwise be in poverty in this country. And no matter what I think it can definitely be something that will remain for many years to come. 

4. What do you personally think should be done about poverty in United States and globally?

                    I think the main answer to this question would be for the amount of people that are working and paying into the social security funds to be increased. The more people that we have paying then the more we can support using this program. It was once working properly without so many risks and worries for what would happen in the future and it has the potential to get back to being that way. However as of right now I would be worried as to whether future generations are going to have the same security as those that have these programs now. If they were more strict and controlled better then perhaps less problems would arise and more people could benefit.