Poverty and Wages

1. Who do you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?

 I think that my views on this question have changed somewhat. At first I thought that it was up to people to be more motivated and to try and make a better living for themselves and take up different opportunities, but now I understand another side to this. There are definitely problems with wages being so low, and for people making minimum wage there is no way that they can make a living out of it and survive and be considered to be over the poverty minimum. Of course there would be even less of the chance that a person making this little would be able to support anyone else, much less a family. They not only can not make enough but they have to almost be forced into keeping their jobs (as bad as they are paying) because they can not spare to  have zero income coming in and can not take the time to go out and try to get a better education or better career. 

 

3- What do you think is being done about poverty and how well do you think poverty is being addressed?

                I think that perhaps there is a good amount of work being put in to solving or at least improving the rate of poverty, however it seems as though all the campaigns that we learn about and groups who are out there, are somehow unheard of. If it were not for this class, I probably wouldn't know who half of all of them were so I know that means that many of my friends or classmates are clueless as well. The media needs to do a better job of getting the word out there, and then we would maybe see more improvements.

4.) What do you personally think should be done about poverty in the United States

             I think that in the United States, there should be a way to fix the minimum wages being offered and perhaps increased more or to fit the minimum to be able to support someone on their own. Even if someone if working at a dairy queen or a Wendy's as a cook or cashier, those are still major corporations, and with the amount of money that they have coming in each day/week/and year, then perhaps they could offer to their employees that they will pay for their school, if they promise to commit to work with them later on or climb the business ladder. Those are just ideas from me at this point but perhaps if something like this could be done, then we would see more people in school and working while at the same time making a living for themselves and therefor everything would work in a circle to decrease poverty and increase the economy.

The Economics and Causes of Poverty

Even though I believe that perhaps a little bit of each question is incorporated into each week's lesson, this week there was one that completely made me rethink that I had written on it before and that was number two.

1)      Who do you think is poor, both in the United States and globally?

 

In a certain way, I think that a family who is living on one salary or maybe even two part time jobs would be poor here, and most definitely in another country with their income being much lower. Also, maybe someone who is not necessarily not educated but was living in the wrong neighborhood at a wrong time, would be prone to poverty because based on economic status and way of life they would not be eligible to as many opportunities. Another answer to this question could be someone who has come from a bad family, or has had a bad family history either due to violence, low income, or drugs; although these seem so far fetched, they could easily later on in life lead to many problems, one being poverty.

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

 

 

At first I though and had said that people were poor for many different reasons, but the one I thought to be most true was because there was a lack of motivation in those people to get out and get jobs and move forward. After the lessons this week, I also would like to add that perhaps it is because they do not have the right education to be able to get out and get started. Or also, because the nation or world's economy at that time is at a low point, making it hard for the average person to get by, and nearly impossible for an already poor person. I hadn't taken into perspective how important the economic status of a nation was on the poverty rate for that place. Of course if that nation (such as ours right now) is in a recession, then it will be incredibly hard for someone to be able to finish an education and be able to get a somewhat well paying job when you are competing against hundreds of people who are perhaps better qualified then those others for that job. The higher and better the economic status, the more the poverty rate will decrease and allow for improvement. 

  

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 think that now that our very own nation is going through a recession we have a better understanding of knowing what it is like to have to get by without certain things and perhaps "luxuries" that we were once used to. Now would be the best time to address poverty in our nation as well as others and have people maybe be more understanding about the situation and want to try and help out more. Even though we are on a decline financially, there are still plenty of people out there making a lot more money than the average person who could do a lot like volunteer time to help these poor people our of the poverty world, and also donate money and supplies to those whose job is making sure poor people get out of bad neighborhoods and into a job or school.

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.