How Debt Affects Americans

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There is a widespread concern about rising levels of debt. Debt can become disastrous for those who live alone or those families who are already having problems with supporting their family. The people who might be struck by debt, they might have trouble recovering. Debt can cause Americans to lose their homes and stability they need to feed, and shelter their families. Although debt comes upon us Americans quickly, people can see debt as terrible thing to be stuck with. It has many disadvantages that can devastate to people.
Within debt there are subtopics that can be debated. We have the poor and the people who are living in poverty. Poverty is seen as a big problem within America. “It is defined as the state of not having enough money to afford basic needs”(Finley). This means that people can not afford food to feed their families, clothing and shelter to protect them from the weather. The poor on the other hand “The poor are deprived of services, resources and opportunities as well as money”(Marello). This means that those people don't have the ability to help themselves and those around them. People often confuse the two but they are completely different.

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People view those in poverty and those who are just poor as people who don't have anything. When in reality people view them as two different categories. “The issue of poverty in America is often cast as a series of dichotomies: “haves” and “have-nots”, the “rich” and the “poor”, or the “ghetto”. Versus the idealized suburbs. Along with these labels come certain assumptions and associations”(Fleisher).
Many Americans have dreamt for the American dream of owning their own a house. “The luster of homeownership, which has been shorthand for...

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Works Cited

Finley, Laura. “Poverty: An Overview.” Points Of View: Poverty (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
Fleisher, Jared, and others. "American Poverty." Harvard Political Review. Summer 2004: 11-23. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Nov 2013.
Morello, Carol, Peyton Craighill, and Scott Clement. "Achieving American Dream Fades as Certainty for Many." Washington Post. 29 Sep 2013: p. A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Nov 2013.
Pressman, Steven, and Robert Scott. "Three Million Americans Are Debt Poor." Dollars & Sense No. 271. July/Aug. 2007: 10+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Nov 2013.
Shipler, David K. The Working Poor: Invisible in America. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print.
Vedder, Richard. "The Wages of Unemployment." Wall Street Journal Asia. 17 Jan 2013: 11. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 18 Nov 2013.

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