“If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin” -Charles Darwin. Poverty is a pervasive problem in our society and attempts by our government have failed to solve the problem and new ideas are being proposed on how to help the poor succeed. In the words of New York Times columnist, Charles Blow, “The War on Poverty has become the War on the Poor.” One major problem faced by the poor if a fundamentally flawed justice system, which unfairly affects America’s impoverished citizens. Each year, America spends over $80 billion incarcerating approximately 2.2 million people. More than a quarter of all adults in America have a criminal record. Possessing a criminal record is an issue because
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Achievement gaps between children of affluent versus poor families is widening; it’s estimated that children from families of low socioeconomic status start kindergarten more than a year behind in their proficiency in reading and math. Even the best students from disadvantaged families eventually fall behind. This is because students who grow up in poor families often end up in poorly funded schools, have novice teachers, and therefore ultimately end up with a lower quality education. The achievement gap is further widened when you factor in the private preschooling and other enrichment opportunities such as private tutoring, art or music lessons, etc. which only opportunities given to children of affluent families. This educational gap is significant because a college education is almost a necessity to become successful. It’s estimated that men who only possess a high school diploma earn about a fifth less than what they earned 35 years ago. Possible solutions to bridge the growing gap would be to not simply improve teacher or curriculums, but also to provide more federal funding to underperforming schools to help schools better afford tutoring for students, as well as get better supplies to enable students to learn more, and hopefully develop a passion for learning in struggling students. Additionally, the government could fund free community college. Estimates state that by 2020, 35% on job …show more content…
Millions of Americans work for at or near the minimum wage of $7.25/hr in this country. The problem behind this is that such a low income leaves many families with little disposable income to afford food, housing, clothing, insurance, etc. Therefore, this forces many low-income individuals to seek government assistance through entitlement programs such as SNAP or medicaid. The obvious solution to this problem would be to increase the minimum wage to at least $10/hr, and set the minimum wage to increase every year to at least match inflation. It’s estimated that 89% of those who’d benefit from a federal minimum wage increase to $12/hr are over the age of 20 years old. While some would argue that a minimum wage would cost jobs especially in small businesses, a survey of small business owners revealed that 60% believed in a gradual increase to $12/hr. Such an increase is beneficial because it increases the disposable income available to previously low-income individuals, who can now get off government entitlement programs, and spend that money on more goods and services which stimulates the economy and grows businesses. A minimum wage can also help businesses by reducing employee turnover and therefore training costs. It’s important that the minimum wage increases at the rate of inflation because once the minimum wage is set inflation immediately begins to decrease the buying
Achievement gaps between children of affluent versus poor families is widening; it’s estimated that children from families of low socioeconomic status start kindergarten more than a year behind in their proficiency in reading and math. Even the best students from disadvantaged families eventually fall behind. This is because students who grow up in poor families often end up in poorly funded schools, have novice teachers, and therefore ultimately end up with a lower quality education. The achievement gap is further widened when you factor in the private preschooling and other enrichment opportunities such as private tutoring, art or music lessons, etc. which only opportunities given to children of affluent families. This educational gap is significant because a college education is almost a necessity to become successful. It’s estimated that men who only possess a high school diploma earn about a fifth less than what they earned 35 years ago. Possible solutions to bridge the growing gap would be to not simply improve teacher or curriculums, but also to provide more federal funding to underperforming schools to help schools better afford tutoring for students, as well as get better supplies to enable students to learn more, and hopefully develop a passion for learning in struggling students. Additionally, the government could fund free community college. Estimates state that by 2020, 35% on job …show more content…
Millions of Americans work for at or near the minimum wage of $7.25/hr in this country. The problem behind this is that such a low income leaves many families with little disposable income to afford food, housing, clothing, insurance, etc. Therefore, this forces many low-income individuals to seek government assistance through entitlement programs such as SNAP or medicaid. The obvious solution to this problem would be to increase the minimum wage to at least $10/hr, and set the minimum wage to increase every year to at least match inflation. It’s estimated that 89% of those who’d benefit from a federal minimum wage increase to $12/hr are over the age of 20 years old. While some would argue that a minimum wage would cost jobs especially in small businesses, a survey of small business owners revealed that 60% believed in a gradual increase to $12/hr. Such an increase is beneficial because it increases the disposable income available to previously low-income individuals, who can now get off government entitlement programs, and spend that money on more goods and services which stimulates the economy and grows businesses. A minimum wage can also help businesses by reducing employee turnover and therefore training costs. It’s important that the minimum wage increases at the rate of inflation because once the minimum wage is set inflation immediately begins to decrease the buying