Poverty in America

Taylor Washington

Poverty Reduction Strategies

February 24, 2014

First Response Paper

There is an unacceptable contrast between the considerable wealth of America and the impoverishment of a significant percentage of our population. It is illogical to live in a country of overwhelming resources, materials, and skills, yet be near the top among other nations in terms of having the highest absolute rates of poverty (Rank, 34). In analyzing poverty as the number of people who fall below 50 percent of a country’s median income, the United States has by far the highest overall poverty rate in a group of 18 other developed countries (Rank, 35). This paradox can be further revealed by examining additional LIS analyses that show that with the United States having the highest standard of living at both the middle and upper ends of the income distribution scale, the children at the lower end fall behind in terms of standards of living in comparison to other industrialized nations (Rank, 35); an injustice for the children of America. The discrepancies in this data are due to the weak social safety net in the United States and the low wages at the bottom of the relative income distribution scale (Rank, 36).

For those in systemic poverty, it is difficult to rise above the poverty line with an economic disadvantage. Studies have shown that there are not enough well paying jobs to support all of those and their families looking for work (Rank, 54). Within the 25 years prior to 2000, the American economy produced larger numbers of low-paying part-time job with no benefits. In 2000, nearly 3 million Americans were working part-time as a result of the lack of sufficient full-time work (Rank, 54). Another study found that 25%of all U.S. workers working full-time jobs could be classified as employed in low-wage work because they earned less than 65% of the national median earnings for low-wage work in another study...