Essay On Poverty In The United States

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One of the most prevalent issues in the United States currently is the issue of poverty and appropriate ways of determining poverty levels as well as assisting the impoverished. Given that the disparity in income and accumulated wealth can affect all aspects of life, from education, to health, to future chance and decisions, it is only logical to further examine where issues may lie in the current system. One need only look at the US census website to have the factors determining poverty lined up for perusal, funnily enough, the standards have not changed much for a few generations, the only major change being an account for inflation. In essence we, the US people, are following a system that has not changed since 1963 when it was enacted. For the measurement of poverty level the pre-tax income is put against the minimum cost to feed the amount of people included in the household in 1963 which is adjusted for inflation annually. Now this …show more content…
Trying to find an apartment in Fairbanks for example will be very expensive if you do not find a few roommates. Which in many instances will use half of a month’s wages, if added to food expenses and utilities this cost adds up fast. Child care rapidly pushes costs up, sometimes amounting to over a year’s worth of tuition at a community college depending on the age of the child in question. The high cost puts the parents in a tough spot if a family is already struggling to make ends meet, since it is unsafe to leave a child at home alone, essentially amounting to as much as one third of a family’s income being put towards child care. Next moving to minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour, it is immediately apparent that while in the 60s a worker on minimum wage could move a family with one child out of poverty today that is entirely unrealistic (to be clear minimum wage back then would in today’s market be over
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