The first topic I chose to write about was the section "Running Uphill", this stood out to me because I feel that poverty is a constant, never-ending battle. Even if you start a life of your own and do better for yourself than you previously had growing up, it is nearly unheard of that people are very wealthy if they grew up in poverty. I think Abramsky explained this side of poverty very well when he said, "This is not merely a kink in the system, but a fundamental flaw in the design of modern-day American safety net." To me, this means that not only does he put America to blame for our economic malfunction as a whole, but he recognizes that it is a bigger problem than some realize. Abramsky talks about how living in deep poverty as a child affects your life long-term in more ways than one. For example, children in deep poverty have a short life expectancy than their wealthier peers. I had never thought that poverty would have any impact on life expectancy, if you take illness out of the equation. When it comes to illness, it is a well known fact that healthcare is lacking when poverty is present but up until know, I had never connected the fact that there may be other outside factors to the shortness of life expectancy of the impoverished.
Next I chose to talk about the first two pages of chapter 5, The Wrong Side of the Tracks. Abramsky lays out some financial statistics that absolutely blew me away. In 2011 the medium household income was $37,000 in Philadelphia. I was so shocked my this number only because when I was trying to get an idea of what my potential future career would bring in at its maximum, it was right around this number. In Philadelphia, this is what a household is bringing in! This is what parents are trying to raise a family on! I read over this section multiple times and I just couldn't believe that I was worried that I would struggle with that just me and my boyfriend if something as to ever go wrong with his job. I think this is a perfect example of how well some of us have it, and unless you are introduced to the opposing side, you are oblivious. Then there is a section where Vincenta Delgado talks about how she is struggling with cancer and undergoes chemo treatments, but if she can't afford her medication each month she just goes without it. This is a topic that will forever infuriate me! I wish there was something we could do as a nation to help our wounded warriors, veterans, mentally ill, and average American's attain the medication they need no matter the circumstances.
The next topic I chose to touch on was the section Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Some Awfully Big Bills. This section really opened my eyes to the disasters brought on by Hurricane Katrina. I have learned so much about Hurricane Katrina but it never ceases to amaze me how much devastation this caused even years later. I was amazed that the unemployment rate has gone down, but what really shocked me was that the amount of abandoned houses were still in the thousands. This section really made me think about the amount of strength it would take to be able to look at your neighborhood or town and reminisce on what used to be. For families that had personal businesses, or grew up and started their own families in that area of New Orleans I couldn't even bear the devastation. I was also sickened by the percentage of African American children under the age of five that are at or below the poverty line. It never fails to amaze me that the "greatest country in the world" has so much devastation around every corner, I wish we could help our nation!
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