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The gap between rich and poor in America
Issue of homelessness
Issue of homelessness
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We live in a world of 7.5 billion people or more. Unfortunately, about 13 percent of them are defined as lower class, poor, and homeless. Whereas 1 percent is considered upper class, and wealthy. The question is, is it truly possible that the 1 percent of the population be responsible and take initiative for getting the 13 percent off the streets? The answer is no, the upper class in today’s society should not have to be responsible and be obligated to help the poor or homeless. It is their choice to help the poor if they want to. There isn’t a law that says that we need to be obligated to them. The upper class should not be obligated to help the poor because they have earned and worked for what they received. No, the poor and homeless do not deserve to live in the circumstances they do, but it is all about getting off the streets. They need to stop begging and go out and search for opportunities to make their lives better. The upper class took advantage of their opportunities and got as much as they could out of those opportunity and are still pursing more each day. The poor cannot expect the upper class to give them a certain amount of their income because they will become dependent on that money. They need …show more content…
I occasionally do not feel sorry for them because instead of standing on the streets, they could go out and search for job opportunities if they really wanted to get off the streets. Another reason as to why we shouldn’t be obligated is that, some poor and homeless people on the streets are out there because of drug and alcohol abuse. It is a possibility that they are broke because they have spent all of their money on drugs and alcohol. If we give them our money, there is a big chance that they will just use it towards drugs and
There are over 3.5 million homeless people in the US now. Also, a quarter of people living on the streets are severely mentally ill, and must be admitted to institutions, and have the capability to if they were given or knew they had a chance. The poverty level is constantly rising, and is forcing more and more people onto the streets. We can just sit around and hope someone else does it, or we can take action. Next time you walk by a homeless man or family, and before you make a judgement about them, just take a minute and think about how easy it could be for you.
As the number of people living in poverty increases every year, the need for assistance also increases. According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the national poverty rate reached 13.2% in 2013. This means that one in seven Americans are at risk of suffering from hunger. The increased cost of living and high unemployment rate force about 3.5 million people to make the streets their home (“Overview). Although everyone living in poverty needs assistance, the general public tends to separate the homeless into groups towards whom they should or should not show compassion. In an article for Newsweek magazine, journalist Stuart Bykofsky divided the homeless into three groups: “(1) the economically distressed, who
...th what little they have, however; why is it left to the poor to have to suffer the consequences of these political choices. The persistence of extreme poverty and social ills speak to a situation that bears for a different approach. It is clear that capitalism and free market solutions cannot spread wealth as advocated. American governments have shown their reluctance to admit this discrepancy through the strategic creations of welfare policies and welfare reform coupled with placing blame upon the citizens who possess little power to change market decisions that govern and effect their lives.
At the shelters, I have met some incredible people with amazing stories. Some of these people have three jobs and are trying to get themselves and their families out of their current situation. There have been many individuals that I have spoken to whom have said that they have chosen this type of lifestyle, of living on the streets. Few have even mentioned that they love their lifestyle because they don’t have to pay taxes. For those who actually do this trying to beat the system it is incredibly unfortunate for those who actually pay taxes and do what they can to pay for living costs on this
It is true that some individuals are homeless not because of bad habits one might have, but because of financial reasons. A lot of society that is part of this problem is because they simply do not make enough at their low
In “Brother, Don’t Spare a Dime,” L. Christopher Awalt says that homeless people are homeless on their own accord. He believes “many of them seem to have chosen the lifestyles they lead” (Awalt))).. This article states that most homeless people would prefer to escape responsibility rather than fix their social and economic problems. Awalt uses an example of a man who had been on the streets for about 10 years. He provided this man with resources to improve his life and within four months he was making progress. By the sixth month the man had checked himself out of the hospital and was back on the streets drunk again. Awalt does show a few people are the victims of tragic circumstances and will bounce back in a short period of time. Awalt believes homeless people have become dangerous to the public, and they do not deserve our money to help them out of their predicament. We do not agree with Awalt’s assumption that the majority of the homeless people in the United States are there because of their lack of responsibility. There are many causes of homelessness that cannot be avoided, and the majority of the people that become homeless will not be on the streets for long.
In order to be radical about poverty, we need to understand the difference between wealth and income. Income is a transfer of money by working or by gifts. On the other hand, wealth is more of a total of accumulated assets that has been stored for a period of time (Conley, pg. 253). Wealth is not distributed equally among the public. (NCH, 2016, http://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/). Declining wages has also caused a lot of stress and increase people’s inability to pay for their housing or other needs. If there are affordable housing, it’s usually in an unsafe and polluted environment or it’s extremely overcrowded that people have a higher chance of being homeless or inadequate housing arrangements than getting their applications accepted (Why Are People Homeless Research, 2016, NCH). Also, privatizing housing will increase the accumulation of wealth of the power elite or those that own property and lands by their pricing in rents. Most people go through depression because of loss of home, jobs, or a sense of self. Often times, the lack education about health and they don’t receive adequate support for medical care if they are homelessness. Poverty is also treated as a criminal offence and if people were to ask for public assistance, they have to prove their eligibility. If they have a criminal record, they are
In America, society views the homeless as a crutch on the economy. Upper classes alienate the homeless population in order to excel the economy and lessen the burden on society. People who appear to be homeless are ultimately pushed aside and are treated differently. Often avoided, the general populous turns away from the problem that is effecting major cities throughout America. Ignoring a problem that is persistent, is being ignorant towa...
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
In our current time of economic prosperity in the United States, many people are enjoying greater wealth, higher earnings, and profitable investments. Unemployment rates are reported to be low, and wages high. Yet there is still an extraordinary amount of homeless people living in the United States. In an article entitled “The Criminalization of Homelessness” Celine-Marie Pascale tries to convey how the homeless are being treated unfairly by society. Criminalization might be a little too strong a word to apply to the punishment of homeless people, but Pascale is trying to make a statement about the homeless situation in the United States today. I would like to take a closer look at this article and examine the points she is trying to make.
There are currently over 200 million people living on this earth with no place to call their home. England contains a very small percentage of this population, around .002%, while its capital, London, holds an even smaller amount. This small amount is not surprising, because the United Kingdom has a very encompassing Safety Net. This Safety Net is in place to help those who are or are about to become homeless. In fact the United Kingdom’s Safety Net is one of the most comprehensive in the world (“Homelessness Facts and Figures”). Unfortunately many people still end up homeless, over 6,000 in the city of London. Many, more fortunate people, strive to help those sleeping on the streets, whether on their own or through a charity like St. Mungo’s on Broadway. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is an unfortunate amount of people who are not only apathetic, but cruel to the people left in a tough situation. These people, and all other people, are homeless too, searching to find a home in heaven. Humans are not
People should help the homeless by aiding them with healthcare, housing, and childcare. Homelessness is not a new trend and is growing more everyday. Homeless people should not be different from anyone else when it comes to getting a helping hand.
Do the poor in this country have a choice not to be poor? Do the less fortunate have the same access to opportunities as the middle and upper classes? Do government programs designed to help the impoverished actually keep them in the lower ranks? These are all difficult and controversial questions. Conservatives and Liberals constantly battle over these issues in our state and federal governments. Local and national news media provide limited insight to the root causes and effects of the nation’s poor. There is obviously no simple solution to resolve the plight of these often forgotten citizens. Most of us associate poor as being in a class below the poverty line. In fact there are many levels of poverty ranging from those with nothing, to those with enough to survive but too little to move up. I believe many of our nation’s poor are so by their own doing. I will share observations and personal experiences to support the argument that being poor often is a result of individual choice. One needs merely inspiration and perspiration to move up the socio-economic ladder in the United States. We live in the land of opportunity where anyone with the drive and determination to succeed often can.
It is our responsibility as human beings to set our priorities straight and put the needs of our citizens first. According to Homeless is Serious, “homelessness should be a national emergency since it 's affecting many people.” (Orr 24) The United States Government should take a more active approach in eradicating hunger and homelessness and do like Orr states and make homelessness a national emergency. We as a society are not doing enough and the “United States Government is doing the least. We need to put ourselves in their shoes and stop being ignorant. We must take action and treat them with compassion like they 're a part of our family. (Roleff.
When my mother saw beggars standing at the intersection asking for help, my mom would try to help them by giving them the money, but my father would argue that you should not help because this would only encourage them to rely on other people’s help. My father says they should be helped by the government, instead of helped by individuals. It is not our responsibility to take care of them. I disagree with both of them because they do not look at or think about the problem closely enough. I think people are not only facing problems with wealth, but diseases, and war.