Sunday, February 14, 2016

Caroline Weber's post- February 14, 2016


What is the central idea or premise of the book thus far?
The central premise of the book, The American Way of Poverty, is that poverty in American is a problem in our country that requires intricate interventions. Many individuals are either ignorant to the current status of poverty or do not consider it to be “their problem.” These beliefs allow poverty to continue to worsen in America. The book’s goal is to educate the audience and provide motivation to improve the status of the poor.

What evidence does Abramsky use to support his ideas?
Abramsky uses historical policies, programs, and events to describe past endeavors against poverty.  He contrasts these examples with moments when poverty lost support. He mentions specific politicians and what he believes Obama needs to achieve. He also uses personal stories to support his topics.

Have any specific passages from the book have struck you so far? If so, which ones?
All of the personal passages have stuck with me. Putting a name to a situation makes it more real than just a statistic. Hearing what some people have gone through makes me realize the magnitude and depth of poverty in the United States. For example, Abramsky shares the story of a 71 year old women living in Louisiana. She has worked minimum wage jobs throughout her life, was affected by Hurricane Katrina, suffered four strokes, and was forced into retirement. She now collects Social Security which does not provide enough for her to live. She drives to food pantries hours before they open so that she can ensure she gets fresh produce and meats. She mentions that she doesn’t mind waiting anymore because many of her friends are waiting there now too.

 On page 51, Abramsky wrote “There is, after all, a reason Swedes…tolerate far higher taxes than Americans do.” What does Abramsky mean by this?
Abramsky’s point to this statement was that the Swedes pay higher taxes and they enjoy high quality services (Abramsky, 2013, p. 51-52). They can see that their money is being put to good use. Meanwhile in America, there is a constant battle over how high taxes should be. We are paying fewer taxes and accordingly, we are receiving poor services. It goes back to the old saying, “you get what you pay for.” If we expect quality services then we need to make the sacrifice when it comes to raising taxes.

What specific steps has the U.S. government taken in the past to combat serious poverty in the twentieth century?
Abramsky uses Johnson’s War on Poverty as an example of a time when our country was actively aiming to reduce poverty. Achieving free food stamps in all states was also a big achievement. I was very surprised to learn that families used to have to pay for the service. It sounds so backwards.

What does Abramsky mean by the heading “Walling off the poor” in Chapter 3?
Abramsky’s statement “walling off the poor” means that we are turning a blind eye to the poor. He says there is a lack of empathy. Like I stated earlier, people either consider poverty to not be their problem, or do not understand the damage that failing to support the poor will lead to.

 Why are most poor individuals and families concentrated in the southern part of the country?
Historically, the south has not supported raising taxes to support programs and resources for the poor. The population has a greater concentration of conservative voters. There is also an overall attitude of antipathy towards welfare (Abramsky, 2013, p. 72). People who live in the south hold more of a stigma against receiving aid, when compared to people in other parts of the country. Probably because many continue to believe that providing welfare leads to indolence, dependency, and social chaos (Abramsky, 2013, p. 70). Therefore the poor feel guilty to receive help, while the well-off continue to keep the poor from receiving programs and services. It is a vicious cycle that is created by stereotyping and lack of education.

References:
Abramsky, S. (2013). The American Way of Poverty. New York, New York: Nation Books. 

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