It comes as no surprise to anyone that America is in a financial crisis. Socioeconomics and chronic health issues such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer amongst Americans and especially in the state of Texas has become a hot debate. Research on the study of behavior at the individual level has shown individuals with low political efficacy are connected to socioeconomics and dependency on low-income support services. While there is a time and place for low-income support services such as food stamps, health care, and other government assistance programs, chronic health issues can easily be prevented and controlled, regardless of an individual’s level of political efficacy and background, by establishing policies aimed at reducing
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The same study conducted by the Census Bureau in 1990 stated that 35 million Americans were officially living in poverty. These studies indicate that the average number of Americans living in poverty has increased by 11.2 million during the past twenty years. The federal welfare programs that are currently in place and designed to reduce these ridiculously high averages are not only detrimental, but have increased the amount of poverty-stricken families over the past twenty years. These programs are simply not working, and need radical change. On the other hand, the annual poverty reports may have presented a misleading picture of the actual living conditions of those who were declared as poor. For example, “Only 4 percent of poor children were hungry for even a single day in the prior year due to lack of funds for food, and only 6 percent of poor households were overcrowded” (Rector & Sheffield …show more content…
Lobbyist influence has resulted in the implementation of ineffective policies that should be aimed at reducing the growing annual rate of poverty. On the other hand, government assistance programs should not be a hand out. At the base of welfare programs, the structure is ineffective due to lack of self-sufficiency. For example, “The vast majority of the federal government’s eighty means-tested welfare programs do not include a work requirement, and good welfare policy should promote productive participation in society” (Sheffield 2016). Citizen participation in the food system can be maximized using two strategies. The implementation of the food system tool indicator, and farm to school programs would allow for local, state, and regional influence to be incorporated into food system reform (Reconsidering Federalism 2010). McCabe stated in her article that the federal government has characterized food as an economical issue compared to one with ethical, health, and political culture components. Furthermore, McCabe argued reform to the food system must include local, state, and regional influence in order to reduce food-related chronic diseases, improve low-income household conditions, and reconnection with the natural
The same study conducted by the Census Bureau in 1990 stated that 35 million Americans were officially living in poverty. These studies indicate that the average number of Americans living in poverty has increased by 11.2 million during the past twenty years. The federal welfare programs that are currently in place and designed to reduce these ridiculously high averages are not only detrimental, but have increased the amount of poverty-stricken families over the past twenty years. These programs are simply not working, and need radical change. On the other hand, the annual poverty reports may have presented a misleading picture of the actual living conditions of those who were declared as poor. For example, “Only 4 percent of poor children were hungry for even a single day in the prior year due to lack of funds for food, and only 6 percent of poor households were overcrowded” (Rector & Sheffield …show more content…
Lobbyist influence has resulted in the implementation of ineffective policies that should be aimed at reducing the growing annual rate of poverty. On the other hand, government assistance programs should not be a hand out. At the base of welfare programs, the structure is ineffective due to lack of self-sufficiency. For example, “The vast majority of the federal government’s eighty means-tested welfare programs do not include a work requirement, and good welfare policy should promote productive participation in society” (Sheffield 2016). Citizen participation in the food system can be maximized using two strategies. The implementation of the food system tool indicator, and farm to school programs would allow for local, state, and regional influence to be incorporated into food system reform (Reconsidering Federalism 2010). McCabe stated in her article that the federal government has characterized food as an economical issue compared to one with ethical, health, and political culture components. Furthermore, McCabe argued reform to the food system must include local, state, and regional influence in order to reduce food-related chronic diseases, improve low-income household conditions, and reconnection with the natural