Poverty and Classism

758 Words2 Pages

According to Schwartz-Nobel, America will lose as much as 130 billion in future productive capacity for every year that 14.5 American children continue to live in poverty (Koppelman and Goodhart, 2007). Sadly the seriousness of poverty is still often clouded by myths and misunderstandings by society at large. This essay studies the issue of poverty and classism in today's society.

Causes of Poverty

One of the main causes of poverty is the lack of education. The U.S. education system denies students in poverty the opportunities and access it affords to most other students. Without good education, most people would encounter challenges in finding income-generating work, especially when there are few employment opportunities during an economic downturn.

According to Koppelman and Goodhart, merchants would sometimes exploit the poor by enforcing or formulating policies that would earn them more profits. These practices include blank price tags, bait and switch, rent-to-own and pawnshops (2007). These types of inequality and exploitation would make it harder for the low income to escape poverty.

Consequences of Poverty

As a consequence, low-income households suffer more health problems due to the lack of income. "Despite social assistance programs such as TANF, Women, Infants and children (WIC), food stamps, and Meals on Wheels, malnutrition exists primary among the old and the young in the United States". The American health care system which is based on ability to pay is not adequate to provide immediate services to poor people. Among the common health problems associated with children in poverty include asthma, lead poisoning and vision deficiency. (Koppelman and Goodhart, 2007)

Furthermore, the lack of nut...

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...f poor and the real barriers to their access to adequate services must be fully understood in order to resolve this problem. The subsidization for women's shelters and child care services are important to relive some of their financial burdens. Koppelman and Goodhart also suggested providing tax relief for the lower income families (2007).

Conclusion

Most people of the society still blame the poor for their own predicament. They believe that "if there is a will there is a way". However, they do not think about their government that might had made bad decisions and policies that could actually harm successful development. This causes of poverty and inequality are usually less discussed and often neglected. We must recognize the effects poverty could have on the society and seek ways to create better understanding and resolve the issue before it is too late.

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