Jordyn Hartke Part 3

The third part of Abramsky's The American Way of Poverty was attention-grabbing to me. I thought the third part of the book was a lot easier to read because it had actual personal experiences that happened to people. The book states how to stop poverty and how we can prevent it from happening or even getting worse. One thing that caught my attention was the welfare system and how we could improve it and it could cause a change for those in poverty.

Test Question: What are some ways the government could improve the welfare system?

Kuhlig #3 Blog post

During the reading, it is easy to feel hopeless.  What can we do, we have seen where policies were put into place and new programs emerged and they didn't fix everything.  I like how the author provided an answer to some of those questions I have had while reading.  There are things that we, as a nation, could do to help fix this terrible epidemic.  We just all have to agree to do it.  The poor, middle-class, and wealthy have to agree to focus on this problem.  It has to start by everyone agreeing that poverty is a real problem.  On page 324, Abromsky points out that many have claimed ignorance of poverty in the country.  He says, "If we are honest with ourselves, as twenty-first century unfolded we saw the effects of poverty on a daily basis."  Then he lists where we would have seen it and when.  This was jarring to me.  I had to agree, as I hung my head in shame.  When I drive my children to school I pass a very run down trailer park.  If I am heading to school following this drop off I pass a section of town that is literally a neighborhood of shacks.  If I am honest, I try not to look at some of these buildings.  If I am honest, I know people inside these small run down buildings go without a lot of the time.  If I am honest, I try not to think about the not quite a house and their people.  I do this because it is easy.  However through the reading of this book I have felt my eyes open more to these things.  

Test Question:  What are the solutions that Abromsky gives to help end poverty?  Why are we not doing this? 

Rawlings Discussion 3

One thing that stuck out to me about this last part of the reading was how many people were in prison for nonviolent crimes. I do not agree with the three strikes policy, especially when some people's third strike was nonviolent, and they were stealing things that they needed to survive. I do not agree with people that steal, but I can understand someone being desperate and needing to provide for themselves and/or family to survive. After reading this book, it has really changed my view on taxes. I do not mind paying taxes, but I wish that our country could find a way to better use our tax money. Keeping people in prison for long sentences does nothing to help our society. I like how the author compared someone who has done prison time and coming out and having somewhat of a scarlet letter they have to wear. This is so true. Instead of our tax money going to prisons, I would rather our tax money went to helping the homeless and helping people with addictions. Let's be honest, we have all a television, how many times to we see a politician or famous person come out saying they are battling an addiction of some sort. They have the money to go to a fancy rehab center and get the treatment they need, then their lives can go back to normal. For a person living in poverty, society is too quick to label them as scum and throw them behind bars for very long periods of time. People do not have the understanding that it costs us tax payers money to keep those people behind bars. I really agreed with the author sharing the thoughts of Almaz Zelleke that instead of just looking at how much adults should be making to live above poverty, that children were included. I think that sometimes people forget that when we deny a parent resources and make cuts so less parents are able to get resources to survive, we are damaging America's future. Children are our countries future and it is absurd that our country does not do more to make sure every child is living above the poverty line. One problem that America has according to the book is how much politics plays a role in where the tax money goes and where taxes can be taken from. It seemed that whenever someone came up with an idea of a new program or new policy that would help impoverished families, the issue was always money. The analogy that I really loved was buying a hybrid car. The price of a hybrid car is higher than a non hybrid car, however, in the long run you will save money because you will have to spend less on gas. If politicians and other Americans can see the future savings of investing in a more expensive car, why do they not feel the same way about investing in human lives? The idea of micro-lending to help people start business or even just another alternative to bankruptcy intrigued me. What I did not like was how the author stated they are almost secretive. It boggles my mind that people who know about such resources try to hid them from the poor. I truly loved the bank in North Dakota. I think that each state should be required to have banks like this. Investing in your state and in your community will only benefit everyone's future. Investing in a home, personal business, and/or education will only benefit our country's future. To have a bank that will help people with student loans is amazing. It is also amazing that they will lend money to people to start their own business or to expand their business. This creates jobs and helps sustain current jobs. I think the reason it did not work in other states is because the people who control the money are too selfish to let other people have just even a little small bit. Many people are not asking to make a million dollars a year, but rather to just be able to not have to pick between paying the heat bill or buying food. Raul Grijalva had a great idea with the People's Budget. It is sad to me that people think some of his ideas are too big to start. People are too afraid of change. If we want to help people get our of poverty and stay out of poverty, we have to invest in the people who are in poverty. Instead of looking at them as poor and lazy, asking them what services they need and providing those service can give people the skill they need to thrive as adults.
Test Question:
Why do you think many politicians are quick to shut down ideas and programs to help people get out of poverty when they have seen positive results in other countries and in some states here in the United States?

Candace Williams Discussion 3

          The story on page 237 “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals” talks about a woman named JoAnne Page who worked with clients who are impoverished. She shares her definition of poverty stating, “Poverty is when the money that you need isn’t there, and you have to make choices that compromise your health or your future or your ability to care for your family” (Abramsky, 2013). In class, we learn about three general “causes” for poverty; structural, individualistic, and situational. When looking at the factors in each of these causes of poverty, the definition that Page provides nicely ties all of it together in a simple way. One thing I took away from this story in the book is that we must actively do something about poverty. Instead of Page providing us with a definition of what poverty is like, she worked to provide affordable public housing for venerable individuals. As FCS professionals, we need to continue to think outside of the box to reach out and help individuals in the community. Page’s life philosophy is to “make things happen”. Ultimately, that is her goal and should be the goal of FCS professionals.

 

          Another story that stood out to me in the Abramsky book is on page 306 “Mission Do Right”. This story was mostly about a job-training program that helped young adults (specifically young, unemployed women). One thing I found interesting about the program is how the curriculum’s design is to help the individuals climb the economic ladder of success. Another thing I found interesting are the components in the job training program (i.e. education, finance, leadership, work ethics, computer literacy, and conflict resolution). I thought the components in the job-training program are topics we should learn in high school/college. It is interesting that some of those components slide under the radar in schools and these topics are actual life skills individuals should have. As an FCS professional, we can educate individuals and provide them with these necessary resources.

Test question: What can you do to help stop poverty as an FCS professional?

Taylor Lyman Discussion 3

“Poverty is when the money that you need isn’t there, and you have to make choices that compromise your health or your future or your ability to care for you family.” The final section of “The American Way of Poverty” was all about breaking the cycle of poverty that our society has been going through. Abramsky discusses ideas and solutions that he believes will end poverty permanently. He begins the chapter by saying that by simply improving a dysfunctional welfare system might, however, be the easiest part of the anti-poverty equation. He states that being both relatively affordable and also building mainly on existing institutions and programs will help this a great deal. He discusses issues with the criminal justice systems, childhood development account program (CDA), and even hospital visits. He believes that many countries already have related programs such as these, and function properly. I enjoyed the third section the most because it was very easy to follow along with, and talked about the things that we need to do to possibly end poverty once and for all.

Test question: What does CDA stand for, and what is it all about?

Brooke Kimball Final Abramsky Reading

Brooke Kimball

I felt that as an FCS professional the third section of Abramsky's book was most helpful in understanding how to fix poverty. The focus was on poverty and how issues in the system can be fixed to better the lives of people living in poverty and pull people out of the hole poverty creates. The quote, "When the going gets tough...the tough take it out on the vulnerable", this quote has so much truth behind it. It seems like every time our government is in a pinch with funds the needy are instantly at loss and shoved further in to poverty. Abramsky discusses that if the government could just work on fixing issues in our system that affect our working poor and people in deep poverty then not only would it help the citizens in need it could also greatly boost our economy. Joanne Page's definition of poverty is simple and to the point. She gives a definition that I think would make people more sensitive to people in poverty. I think by bringing up the fact that poverty is about choices and sacrifice that's something everyone can understand or sympathize with. I think that the CDA program in San Francisco needs to be the standard for all states in the US. The program is literally trying to lower the future rates of poverty by giving children who are more vulnerable to staying in poverty a chance to get out. Although 500 dollars won't do a lot for college bills it is a start and a statement that someone in our society wants you to do better for yourself. With improvements to this a child could turn 18 and with interest over the 18 years be granted over 2,000 dollars to their college education. Like Abramsky stresses throughout the entire book change is possible and poverty can be greatly diminished but it won't be easy. America would have to be willing to spend the necessary money to get people out of poverty. Although copious amounts of money for the poverty stricken may seem unappealing to many people in the long run if we can help people before they even get in to poverty then we will be saving money. As with every reading I got a lot from the personal stories in the book, it's difficult to read about these people's lives and all the struggle they are trying to push away from. Overall, I felt this book was incredibly informational and useful, it should be read by everyone in this country.
Potential Test Question: After reading this book, how are you going to use your FCS background to better the lives of those living in poverty?

Brittany Davis FCS 4840: 3rd Book Discussion

The third part of Abramsky's The American Way of Poverty was interesting to me. I thought the third part of Abramky's book was easier to read because of the personal experiences that people went through while being in poverty. It also talked about how the government could go about solving the poverty issue in a more successful way.One thing that caught my attention was when the book stated that United States' tax system is horrible and there needs to be something that will make our tax system better for everyone instead of making the poor "poorer" and the rich "richer". The book also stated " Absent living wage ordinances and related pay increases for vulnerable workers in the fields, in home healthcare, and the like-or acting in tendem with such reforms-legislators could also put state and federal tax codes to work on the side of the poor" (Abramsky, 2013).I think that strategy could help the poverty rate decrease. The third part made me able to apply everything that we have learned in class by reading this book.

Test Question: What are some ways the government could improve public policies regarding to poverty?