The Pros And Cons Of Poverty Programs

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty and make it possible for all of God’s children to have basic necessities, she too will go to hell.” According to the U.S. Census Bureau of 2015, 43.1 million Americans lived in poverty, a poverty rate of 13.5%. How does America close this gap and show that the poverty rate be lowered? The government should act on poverty prevention programs before poverty alleviation programs because prevention is less expensive and more effective at getting to the root of the issue. Poverty prevention programs keep people from becoming or staying poor, while alleviation programs simply work to make poverty more bearable. Poverty prevention programs are

Education can help Americans receive a well paying job and lead to less low income families. A quality education allows people to feel accomplished and empowered to get a job that could help their family and their financial needs. According to an article by the Global Partnership, education reduces economic inequality and “If each [employee] from poor and rich backgrounds receive the same education, the disparity between poverty would decrease by 39 percent” (“5 Ways Education Can Help End Extreme Poverty”). In an article by William Bennett, states that American companies estimate that currently there are 3 million jobs available. The downside is that the children are poor and lack the education to fulfill those jobs. The government needs to provide more affordable schooling so that young adults can obtain a higher education to earn a higher salary. Currently, The U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2014 the poverty rate of people twenty-five and older was 12 percent. Figure 1 demonstrates the statistic provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. It clearly displays that Americans who obtain more years of schooling and further their education, display a lower poverty rate. In 2014, those who have obtained no high school diploma show a greater poverty rate in relation to those who do have a bachelor degree. For example, Americans who have no high school diploma have the highest poverty rate at 29 percent. In contrast, Americans who have Bachelor’s degrees or higher, have the lowest poverty rate at 5 percent (“How does level of Education Relate to