The U.S. Census Bureau claims that the US has over 30 million poor people or roughly 12% of the population. 30+ million people, that’s a big number. Here’s a good question for everyone, if this number is correct, or let’s even say there may actually be only half as many(15 million for those who don’t want to do the math), why are there so many people poor? What exactly does poor mean? By definition poor means lacking riches, needy, lacking in signs of wealth or good taste, but what do people believe poor means? My wife thinks that being poor means not having a roof over your head (a place to live), the Govt says that being poor is earning below a specific wage, like a family of 2 should earn at least over $15,000 a year to not fall under the poverty census, about $3,000 to $5,000 per every other person added to the family. Other people believe that poor are usually people who just can’t afford to pay bills, put food on the table, don’t own a car, their clothes look old and dirty. There are even some who believe that being poor is not being able to get a DVD player, have brand name electronics, buying Wal-Mart clothes, always eating in Burger King or KFC but not in Ruby Tuesdays or Red Lobster.
So many different ideas of what being poor really is, but they all have one thing in common, poor is not a decease, it’s a state of living. In other words it can be changed if the person makes the effort or tried harder to move out of that position. Sure there are those who can’t do it on their own, elder people, small children, disabled people, sick people; but that’s what we, the American people, are here for. It is our moral (not legal unless it’s your own child) responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves. The Gov’t also plays a role in helping the helpless, but they too are not legally bound to do so. It is, however, their responsibility help us find ways to better ourselves because we, the American people, created this Gov’t for that reason, not to give us a better life, but to help us get to it, show us the door so that we can open it and go thru it.
The question still remains, why are there so many people poor in the US? Is it because they just can’t make ends meet no matter how hard they try? Is it because they just are not trying hard enough? Is the Gov’t to blame for their lack of wages that don’t meet what the U.S. Census Bureau considers to not be in the poor category? All good questions and should be considered one at a time.
1) Is it because they just can’t make ends meet no matter how hard they try?
Sure, there are plenty of people that just can’t. Why? Well some just don’t understand how our system works, in other words it’s usually because of lack of education. Some never finished high school, others never went to college and some just never tried to find out what else to do because they don’t know where to start asking. These are all fair excuses. Not everyone was born to go to college, not everyone has time to get their GED when they have children to take care of, and even with the Gov’t there to help you with any of these, some people just don’t know how to get help from the Gov’t because… this is my main point, people won’t help them, many don’t care and those who do can only do so much. They can’t help everyone. But we have organizations that are dedicated to do this kind of stuff, so I have to wonder if they are there to help those who want help but don’t know how to get it then why are there still so many who are still poor? That might be the answer to the next question.
2) Is it because they just are not trying hard enough?
It could be. There are some people out there who do not have a lot of will power to keep trying. There are others who give up at the first try and failure. Once again a situation that can be solved by either a better education or simply involving ourselves in helping them to see where the problem is. A person who shows eagerness to better themselves deserves a chance to do it and is the kind of person we need in our work force.
There are also those who just don’t care and would rather steal or live off of other family members or asking for money on the streets. Those who would rather stay how and get welfare or food stamp help from the Gov’t simply because the Gov’t is willing to give it to them for free. I mean, think about it, why work when I can get a check thru mail or sent to an account without, barely, lifting a finger except to sign papers and provide proof as to why you are not currently working.
3) Is the Gov’t to blame for their lack of wages that don’t meet what the U.S. Census Bureau considers to not be in the poor category?
I say hell no, but many will not agree. See there are these people who are called "the rich" that seem to have more money than they really need and that is not considered fair to many who think the poor should have everything the rich have. But just like the word poor, what exactly does rich mean? By definition rich means having abundant possessions and especially material wealth, it implies having more than enough to gratify normal needs or desires. To me a rich person is someone who can have things that are not normally necessary, like more than one DVD player, a Mercedes Benz instead of a Toyota Camry. A person who can buy things without having to check their bank account to see if they can afford it, who’s children have all the latest video gaming systems and the oldest.
But why do I say no? Because I believe that our Gov’t is there to provide us with the tools necessary for us to provide ourselves with the wages necessary to live, at the least, an average lifestyle, not to give us that lifestyle or better. They can help by having programs that can either help us get education or pay part of it or give us a loan to pay for it. Programs to help us get jobs, find babysitters, transportation; a program for health insurance; programs to help us get a home or, at the least, a place to live. If you are smart enough to notice there is a pattern here, they help you help yourself and not give it to you.
After all of this my main question remains unanswered, why are there so many people poor in the US? And this is my opinion why. I only have 2 groups to blame.
First I blame those who are poor that don’t make the effort to stop being poor. With so many different ways to make a better life for yourself, I can’t see why they can’t do it other than just plain being too lazy to try and happy to have a Gov’t that is willing to pay you for doing absolutely nothing for almost the remainder of your life.
I blame the Gov’t, or should I say the American people (those who are not exactly poor), I mean this is a Gov’t for the people by the people. And to think that most Americans don’t have the slightest idea how much power they have over the US Gov’t except when it comes to voting people in. How do people work the system? Simple, they cry, complain, do protest, go on TV and scream about what they don’t like, etc. Last time I checked none of these actions are used inside of Congress to get a law passed. As usual people revert back to their natural instincts rather than use their brains.
To put it simple, the reason there are so many poor in the US, in my opinion, is because some are just to dam lazy to want more out of life than welfare and because we just don’t really care enough to try and eliminate the problem all together. And to say that there are people and organizations who do care just doesn’t cut it cause it always about letting someone else do it for you rather than do something about it yourself, besides the problem still exist which tells me that these people and these organizations are either failures or work just too dam slow.