US poverty rates are quite high, even if our country often praised as the richest country in the world. Because of this, many problems of the disadvantaged are ignored or trivialized. As the faces of the future, it is our obligation to make the country a better place for all, not just the privileged and rich. One possible solution to curb poverty rates is raising the minimum wage. The federal minimum wage in the US is only $7.25 per hour, which is too small to be a living wage. While some may argue that the minimum wage is mostly paid to teen or college workers, over half of minimum wage workers in the US are over the age of 25. This means that many people go through life making minimum wage, which can be insufficient in paying student loans,
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According to the Pew Research Center, the wage gap allows for all women to earn less than white men by an average of 78 cents to a white man’s dollar. This rate decreases for non-Asian women of color, with Hispanic women earning the lowest at 58 cents for a man’s dollar. As for men of color, all earn less than white men, except for Asian men, who actually earn an average $1.17 for every white man’s dollar. Closing the gap would allow for poverty rates in women and men of color (minus Asian men) to drop drastically. A third solution to poverty is to instill higher education in schools. Education can help to uplift the economic positions of any individual. The school system should train students to compete in high-demand fields, such as math and science. Experts predict that job growth over the next few decades in great careers like engineering and information technology will continue to increase. Targeted education, along with incentives for companies to employ U.S. citizens, can help keep more of these jobs in the United States and help provide jobs for new college …show more content…
Poverty has been linked criminal activity, so American taxpayers are also being affected. Children in poverty may not have an opportunity to get a quality education, which can increase unemployment and weaken America’s economy. People in poverty may have poor (physical and mental) health because they can't afford proper nutrition or medical care, and they can't pay if they need medical treatment.
Poverty rates in the United States have not changed drastically in recent years, but the government is working to eliminate poverty. The official poverty rate in the U.S in the 2015 was 13.5 percent, down 1.2 percent from 14.8 percent in 2014. Poverty rates are predicted to decrease in the future, and many actions (including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) have been taken to combat
According to the Pew Research Center, the wage gap allows for all women to earn less than white men by an average of 78 cents to a white man’s dollar. This rate decreases for non-Asian women of color, with Hispanic women earning the lowest at 58 cents for a man’s dollar. As for men of color, all earn less than white men, except for Asian men, who actually earn an average $1.17 for every white man’s dollar. Closing the gap would allow for poverty rates in women and men of color (minus Asian men) to drop drastically. A third solution to poverty is to instill higher education in schools. Education can help to uplift the economic positions of any individual. The school system should train students to compete in high-demand fields, such as math and science. Experts predict that job growth over the next few decades in great careers like engineering and information technology will continue to increase. Targeted education, along with incentives for companies to employ U.S. citizens, can help keep more of these jobs in the United States and help provide jobs for new college …show more content…
Poverty has been linked criminal activity, so American taxpayers are also being affected. Children in poverty may not have an opportunity to get a quality education, which can increase unemployment and weaken America’s economy. People in poverty may have poor (physical and mental) health because they can't afford proper nutrition or medical care, and they can't pay if they need medical treatment.
Poverty rates in the United States have not changed drastically in recent years, but the government is working to eliminate poverty. The official poverty rate in the U.S in the 2015 was 13.5 percent, down 1.2 percent from 14.8 percent in 2014. Poverty rates are predicted to decrease in the future, and many actions (including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) have been taken to combat