Poverty

Poverty is a major problem in the United States today. Social, economical, political, and cultural factors all contribute to poverty. Education and economic development are two major issues that will help prevent poverty. The United States Census Bureau defines poverty as an "economic condition in which people lack sufficient income to obtain basic needs for food, housing, clothing, health services and education.” In other words poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom. Poverty is an issue that the world faces everyday.

There are two ways to categorize poverty in a sociologist viewpoint. "Absolute poverty simply refers to the condition in which one is unable to afford the necessities of life, whereas relative poverty refers to the condition in which one is unable to afford that which is considered a normal standard of living in society.(Heiner, 39)” Absolute poverty is far more worse than relative poverty because they could quite possible not have a house or food to live on for everyday survival. Robert Kuttner states, "There are basically five different categories in which each poverty stricken person can be place in. 1) Those who are not able to work because they are too old, too young, disabled, or tied down by social responsibility. 2) Those who are able and qualified to work but can not find work. 3) Those who are not equipped to fill available job either because they are undereducated. Or, because they're old skills have become outdated. 4) Those social and personal problems have brought them to a point of self-defeating discouragement. 5) Those who are underemployment, underpaid, or unable to get a fair price for what they have to sell.