Taylor Lyman
The second section of this book was more enjoyable for me
personally, due to the concepts and information being somewhat easier to
understand and follow along with. Abramsky talks a great deal about different
policies, programs, assistance, safety nets, statistics, and personal stories
that deal with individuals and families struggling with poverty. He discusses
how people accept homelessness as just a condition of modern society and
explains that we do not think there is a problem with the system itself; we as
a society are oblivious. He discussed hurricanes, tornados, and other disasters
that contributed to a major number of homelessness and poverty as well. He
stated on page 164 that economic risk is a lot like a hurricane, they strike
powerfully and suddenly, and rip apart everything that they touch. Ultimately
through this he is trying to inform a society in which safety nets were failing
that what happens in an instant may change a life forever. He explains that
poverty not only increased dramatically through George Bush’s presidency, but
also Obama’s. SNAP, TANF, ARRA, are all discussed throughout this section as
well. He highlights that SNAP is the central component of America’s welfare
system and that there are glaring holes that need to be fixed in regards to
it’s functioning. Test question: While Obama waived most of the requirements to
receive food stamps, and food stamps were made to limit poverty, how come we
still slid into even deeper poverty?
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