Session 13 Housing and Community Development

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? This is not a main topic of Session 13.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? Also not a main topic of Session 13.

What do I think is being done about poverty? In session 13, there were many acts mentioned, such as the housing act of 1937, housing and community development act of 1974, community reinvestment act, and much much more. These acts helped to eliminate unsafe housing conditions, benefit low and moderate income persons, and make loans, respectively.

How well is poverty being addressed?  In this session, poverty is being addressed pretty well since there are so many ways and opportunities for low income people to benefit, such as the reinvestment act. The only thing is that some former residents of public housing still face challenges such as: poverty and unemployment.

What do I think should be done? I like the housing choice voucher because they help low income families purchase better homes, and form this, the children that move into better homes are less likely to be involved in violent crimes, and they may also improve in education and knowledge.

Session 12 Social Security

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? This is not a main topic of Session 12.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? Also not a main topic of Session 12, social security.

What do I think is being done about poverty? In session 12, social security is being a part of a way to reduce poverty. An example is the trust fund.

How well is poverty being addressed? Poverty is still not being addressed very well since I do not agree with the idea that wealth should be distributed. I also do not like one of the "solutions for social security", and that was raising the retirement age to 70. Even though people are now living longer, there are many of us who won't be able to do anything at 70!

What do I think should be done? I think that we need to invest social security's income in the stock market vs. bonds. It was mentioned in the "other solutions for social security", and I actually agree with this. It was close the gap over the next 75 years by 35%.

Session 11 Health Care

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? This is not a main topic of Session 11.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? Also not a main topic of Sesion 11, health care.

What do I think is being done about poverty? In session 11, there were many types of insurances discussed. Some policy recommendations are: raising awareness, expanding insurance, improving the number of providers in underserved communities, and increasing knowledge.

How well is poverty being addressed?  In this session, health care is not being addressed very well because there are many disparities. 22% of African Americans and 28% of Latinos report having little to no choice in seeking health care. Only 15% of whites report that. That is a big disparity.

What do I think should be done? I think that we need to increase the number of insurance providers in underserved communities. Also, we need to increase knowledge about health care. I always see commericials on television, advertising insurance policies and whatnot, but that is not enough. We need to take more actions, including the policy recommendations mentioned above.

Session 9 Policy Responses

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? Throughout all the sessions of this class, I still hold on to the belief that people throughout the world is poor. When I say throughout the world, I mean the whole world, not just people outside the United States, not just people inside the United States, but all around the world.

Why do I think US and globally is poor?  This session did not really talk much about why people are poor, so I still have my opinions from previous sessions. Some people are poor because they are lazy and depend on the government more than themselves. Some people are poor because of economic situations, such as a recessions or a depression that causes them to be laid off. Others are poor because of inheritance.

What do I think is being done about poverty? There are two types of poverty programs, public assistance and social insurance. The most used are social security and medicare. The least used are TANF and GA. Some examples of policies helping to reduce poverty include: Mother’s Pensions/ Mothers’ Aid, Aid to Dependent Children, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

How well is poverty being addressed?  In this session, I learned that poverty is being addressed very well because I learned about many state and government policies to help the poverty that I have never even heard of before. Now I know that states and the government are not ignoring the problem of poverty, for it is one that needs to be addressed on a daily basis.

What do I think should be done? I think that all these programs are great, but I think there should be more programs to help poverty. I think there should be more programs because I see people on the street everyday. So obviously, these programs are not enough. After my experimental exercise, I learned another solution. Churches, individual interest groups, communities, or whoever, may start a volunteer group. They can serve the hungry, or house the homeless for a while.

Session 7 Poverty and Wages

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? In session 7, poverty is measured according to wages. Sic of the ten fastest growing jobs pay less than ten dollars an hour, but according to Fulton County, raising the minimum wage to ten dollars an hour would help working families manage their time and money.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? I think we are poor because in Georgia, the minimum wage is still $5.15 and hour. Of the workers that are earning minimum wage, many of them are the sole providers of their family! They are not even making enough to have their necessities without public assistance.

What do I think is being done about poverty? In the slides, it mentioned the 9 to 5 campaign to increase minimum wage. This would be a good idea because then workers would be better able to support their families in this tought econominc situation.

How well is poverty being addressed? I would say it is being addressed pretty good so far since I just now learned about the campaign. It still is not addressed to the best of its abaility, but it is still okay.

What do I think should be done? I think the minimum wage should be increased so that working families, especially those who are sole providers for their family, can support their families and loved ones. Also, the wage of &2.13 an hour plus tips for these workers should also be increased because I have worked as a server before, and some nights are not so great.

Session 6 The Economics and Causes of Poverty

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? In this session, poverty was higher among those who lived in slowed economic growth regions. Also, family structure affected poverty rates at the beginning, but then later showed no statistical significance. For example, the change in family structure among African Americans in the 1949-1990s was consistent with the trends in African American female headed households.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? Te US and everyone around the world is poor because of the current economic situation. As mentioned in session 6, slowed economic growth was postively correlated with poverty.

What do I think is being done about poverty? I think that the government is trying to increase the money flow around the world and in the US. To do this, they are trying to create jobs so that people who were laid off during this recession could get back up on their feet and start moving forward.

How well is poverty being addressed? Well, it seems as if poverty nowadays is normal. We always see on the news or robberies, and these robberies have increased over the years. It has increased people people do not have enough to support their family and loved ones.

What do I think should be done? I think that new jobs need to be created so that people who were laid off (example, my mom) could work and support their family. I have 5 brothers and sisters, and with only my father working, it makes it hard for our family.

Session 5 Poverty in a Global Context

Who do I think is poor in the US and Globally? In this session, it was stated that even though Americans generally have higher living standards than the people in other countries, the United States have a higher poverty rate compared to other countries. Child poverty rates are also higher here, which is a shame.

Why do I think US and globally is poor? I think that Americans are even more poor because we tend to use alot of our money on things that are not even necessary. Personally, I buy everything in excess even things that I do not need. Also, it seems as though the US import more goods than we export compared to other countries, they export more than they import.

What do I think is being done about poverty? Not much is being done about poverty. It's actually getting worse because of the economic condition the US is in right now. It's bad for other countries that have a close relationship with the US too because now, they are also affected by oir economic downfall.

How well is poverty being addressed? Well, poverty nowadays is pretty normal I would say, compared to years ago. So there is alot going on in the news about people robbing on another, killing one another, because these people are desperate.

What do I think should be done? I think that the minimum wage in the US is too low, even compared to other countries, so it should be raised. Also, there are not as many publuc benefits here in the US as compared to other countries, as stated in the session.There is also a huge gap between the rich and the poor, so income levels are are unequal, very unequal.

Session 4 Geography of Poverty

The Midwest had some of the lowest poverty rates and the south continues to have the highest poverty rate. That means that going back on the initial question of "who do you think is poor in the US and globally", every region and everyone is poor, whether it is the essential things we need in life, or just plan materials things that we desire.

So, why do I think that people are poor? Well, from what I learned from the most recent class session, people are mostly poor because of lost jobs and etc. This is affected by the place they live and/or work, which has alot to do with geography. It states that poor people are characterized by low education, wages, scarce jobs, inadequate social support services, etc. These characterizations have alot to do with the geography, if not all to do with geography.

In this session, there are many things being done about poverty. The first thing NOT being done, however, is that poor people were affected by the past government policies. Right now, there are tax policies that favor investment in new factories.

Personally, I think there the government should do whatever it takes to create more jobs. Also, the overnment should not be taxing us on everything, but actually giving the people tax money so that the citizens can go around and spend to businesses so that those businesses have customers. Then because of those customers, businesses have money to spend on other businesses, making this a circular flow.

Session 3 Poverty in the United States

WOW. All I can say is WOW. The current US poverty statistics really overwhelmed me. I cannot believe that compared to adults, children are more poor. This really breaks my heart to see this statistic. My conclusion is that the parents made these children this way, because they are only children. Children cannot help themselves yet. They are not adults. At least the poverty rate of the elderly was the least. You can tell I have a really soft spot of children and the elderly.

Something I learned in this session is that each year, the poverty rate increases, but ALOT, in my opinion. There is a correlation between poverty and African Americans. African Americans have the highest poverty rate. There is also a correlation between poverty and Hispanics. Hispanics follow closely behind African Americans in poverty.

There are four categories of serious and critical hardships and they are: food insecurity, insufficient health care, housing problems, and inadequate child care. The difference between serious and critical hardship is that critical hardship is more critical.

The film Down and Out in America showed me that sometimes, it is not that person's fault for being poor. In the film, the African American lady had a college degree and a job, but once one thing happens, it is like a domino effect.

Session 2 Historical Views, Definitions, and Measures of Poverty

There are many definitions of poverty as mentioned in the class session slides. I believe that some are correct, but some are more detailed than others. The definition that I agree with the most is Gilder 1891. Gilder says that poverty is " the breakdown of interrelationship of work, family, and faith." I like this definition because when I think of poverty, I think of not only money, but also of family and the higher power that I believe in,God.

An interesting fact that I learned was that poverty is judged by both time and place. I never really thought about people being poor in let's say, the 1900s, would be different than people being poor now. Now, I understand that this makes sense because everything was cheaper back than.

I also learned that more African Americans were considered poor. Some of the reasons were: slavery, low skill and education levels, and moral deficiencies.

Another interesting thing I learned is that there are different ways to measure poverty. I never really put this thought into my head. However, I still do not understand the whole picture. How do you measure poverty? By a number? This just seems a little weird to me. I understand the relative measure, so you can compare and contrast a standard of living.

Initial Perspectives on Poverty in the US and Globally

I think that the whole world is poor, including the United States because we are in a recession right now and countries across the world are also affected by this recession. The average American probably is not spending nearly as much as they used to, including me, and that kinda of messes up the whole circular flow of the economy, which is buyers buying and sellers selling.

I believe that the whole world is poor because we are all stuck in a recession. Many people lost their jobs, including my mom, and my father's incoming cannot support a family of 7. Therefore, he spends less, and I am almost sure many other people in America and across the world are in the same situation as I am.

I do not think that much is being done about poverty, especially in other countries, such as Vietnam. In Vietnam, everywhere you go, you will see a homeless person. There is no such thing as a rich person in Vietnam, in my opinion, because it is still a Communist country and the government controls everything! The citizens work all day for food to eat, not knowing that the government might take their farm land the next. In America, however, is is better. Still not good, but better than Vietnam. The government lets people on subsidized housing and food stamps, but there isn't much more than that. In America, at least there is a minimum wage, which at least let workers know that they will make a minimum amount of money, hopefully relieving their stress about bills, etc.

I think that poverty is being addressed more than ever now since the recession. The recession has had such a negative impact on many Americans. Some Americans now are jobless, which leads to households with no salaries, which eventually could lead to poverty. The government in America is addressing poverty now by trying to creat jobs. Everything that has been on the news in the past 1+ year is about creating new jobs, employing people, and much more in that category. Globally, poverty is even worse because America has a very high employment rate compared to countries in the world.

Personally, I think that the minimum wage is a great idea for Americans. I think that the national minimum wage policy should spread globally because I am positive this policy does not exist everywhere, even in places that the citizens of that country need the most. A program I suggest to help relieve poverty is helping citizens in America and globally by giving every city or village a water system. This would help the citizens for a long time, not like giving them water and they will run out. Also, there should be volunteers to feed the hungry and helpless, or just normal people who recently lost their jobs and cannot afford to feed themselves or their family.