Poverty is term that does not come foreign to those who live in the United States. We see how poverty has stricken citizens across America, whether it be on T.V., reading about it online, or simply seeing it firsthand in our society. Every single person who has been or currently is affected by poverty was placed under that line for one reason or another, but what is that reason? You can ask any person this question and you would gather a vast number of different answers, but the truth is we really don 't have a clue to what causes poverty. Conservatives and Liberals have their own views on this subject as to why it occurs and what they are doing to help put an end to it. Before I explain the diversity of the two party 's views surrounding
…show more content…
The Liberal perspective, as I previously mentioned, believes that the government has the power to lower the statistics of poverty over time. Stressing the idea that the poor aren 't getting the same opportunities and that their status in society is because of an unfair system promotes an idea that you don 't need to work hard to try to move up in society, despite the odds you are facing. Not only this, but the party does not care to address that, no matter how much the government involves themselves, it is an individual 's own decision to turn their life around. A human has his/her own rights and if they choose to try to change their life without the government forcing them to then we must respect that. Although it is very difficult for one to do this on their own, the government cannot do everything to change the high rate of poverty. The opposite of this applies for the Conservative view of things. It 's in the hands of everyone to turn their life around, but when you have vastly fewer opportunities to do so because of your social status, it 's impossible for the poor as a whole to move …show more content…
The Liberals have held several campaigns and enacted a numerous amount of policies to aid those in poverty, one being the Civil Rights Act. This Act targeted racial discrimination and allowed for the minorities to receive better job opportunities, some even equal to those who are not under the poverty line. (Hajnal & Horowitz, 2012). Other "examples range from President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty to President Bill Clinton’s expansion of the earned income tax credit." (Hajnal & Horowitz, 2012). According to Harry Holzer, Liberal Republicans plan to make a difference by expanding this Earned Income Tax Credit, as well as increasing minimum wage. (Holzer, 2016). Likewise, the Conservative party has had many leaders speak on behalf of their party about poverty and how we can put an end to it. In early March of this year, Paul Ryan, speaker of the house, spoke about poverty at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Here, he addressed that there has been minimal effort in ending this "War on Poverty" since Lyndon Baines Johnson assumed presidency. (Hoffmann, 2016). He wants to enforce "economic free zones," which would guarantee that "any community where the unemployment rate exceeds 12 percent would see its personal, corporate, and payroll taxes slashed and its capital-gains taxes suspended."
The Liberal perspective, as I previously mentioned, believes that the government has the power to lower the statistics of poverty over time. Stressing the idea that the poor aren 't getting the same opportunities and that their status in society is because of an unfair system promotes an idea that you don 't need to work hard to try to move up in society, despite the odds you are facing. Not only this, but the party does not care to address that, no matter how much the government involves themselves, it is an individual 's own decision to turn their life around. A human has his/her own rights and if they choose to try to change their life without the government forcing them to then we must respect that. Although it is very difficult for one to do this on their own, the government cannot do everything to change the high rate of poverty. The opposite of this applies for the Conservative view of things. It 's in the hands of everyone to turn their life around, but when you have vastly fewer opportunities to do so because of your social status, it 's impossible for the poor as a whole to move …show more content…
The Liberals have held several campaigns and enacted a numerous amount of policies to aid those in poverty, one being the Civil Rights Act. This Act targeted racial discrimination and allowed for the minorities to receive better job opportunities, some even equal to those who are not under the poverty line. (Hajnal & Horowitz, 2012). Other "examples range from President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty to President Bill Clinton’s expansion of the earned income tax credit." (Hajnal & Horowitz, 2012). According to Harry Holzer, Liberal Republicans plan to make a difference by expanding this Earned Income Tax Credit, as well as increasing minimum wage. (Holzer, 2016). Likewise, the Conservative party has had many leaders speak on behalf of their party about poverty and how we can put an end to it. In early March of this year, Paul Ryan, speaker of the house, spoke about poverty at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Here, he addressed that there has been minimal effort in ending this "War on Poverty" since Lyndon Baines Johnson assumed presidency. (Hoffmann, 2016). He wants to enforce "economic free zones," which would guarantee that "any community where the unemployment rate exceeds 12 percent would see its personal, corporate, and payroll taxes slashed and its capital-gains taxes suspended."