Trapped in Poverty

    

   

                                                       Trapped in Poverty

       It is often believed that the poor are poor solely because of their own personal laziness, addictions, and bad decisions. In the book, The Working Poor written by David K. Shipler shows the poor in America in a whole new light. Here in America it is believed that if you work hard enough for something, you will get it, but many of the stories found in this book prove that is not the case here in America. There are many factors that Shipler points to being part of the reason why those stuck in poverty remain there, those factors being there is a huge lack of quality jobs, unnecessary fees, government benefits being taken away, and of course a lack of education.

   

                                                             Quality Jobs

It is easy to say just get a job and to think it will solve all the money issues but that is not the case. It is hard enough to find a job let a lone one of quality, that could help support your family and pay for the random fees that come about. For many people whom live in poverty, they just want a job they do not have the time to wait for a quality job to come about and for many they do not have the means to get the job no matter how hardworking they may be. So they must settle for the jobs that are available. Shipler states, “But most available jobs had three unhappy traits. They paid low wages, offered no benefits and led nowhere”. (Page 40 )  When a person has a job and is a hard worker yet they still live paycheck to paycheck, picking and choosing what is most important that week to be paid for, it is easy to see that bouncing back and fourth through jobs with no benefiting qualities can only push a family deeper into poverty, leaving them even more trapped than before.

                                                           Fees

Unnecessary fees are nothing for the rich or someone who is doing relatively well with money, but for the poor it could mean the difference between having food for their children or a roof over their head. Many of the poor in America can not afford to have a bank account because they never have enough to remain in the bank without being subject to ridiculous fees. Many would say just not to have a bank account and there that solves all the problems, but unfortunately there are numerous other fees if you do not have a bank account. As Shipler states,“First there was what she called a 3$ “tax” to cash her check, just one of several fees for money orders and the likes-a penalty for having no checking account”. (Page 42) For someone who is living paycheck to paycheck these random unnecessary fees add up and take a tole on the poor in America entrapping them even more.

                                                     Government Benefits

Only some of the poor in America are aided with benefits such as insurance and food stamps, and many of them strive to get a job or that promotion in order to be better off. Shipler explains, “Many who do find jobs…lose other supports designed to help them, such as food stamps and health insurance, leaving them no better off-and sometimes worse off-then when they were not working”. (Page 40) A lot of the times these people were struggling even with the benefits from the government and it is not hard to see how losing these benefits can impact someone. Many of these families were better off unemployed with the government benefits, so in turn this ends up being a revolving cycle for those in poverty.

                                                            Education

In order to get a decent paying job, a higher education is needed but in order to receive that higher education good prior education and money is needed.  It is found that many students do not get the education they need before college. Cal Thomas states in the book, They Say, I Say, "A monopolistic government school system keeps the poor from achieving their dreams, as many remain locked in failing government schools, producing graduates who lag behind other nations in subjects that matter". (Page 569) This creates an endless cycle of students not learning what is important in order to prepare them to get a higher education and in order to get that good job a higher education is needed. Shipler states, "She loved working with children but now discovered that without a college degree she would have trouble getting hired at a responsible level in the head start program, much less as a teacher in a regular school; she was limited...". (Page 44) This quote helps demonstrates the limits that come across those in poverty who do not have the education to pursue careers that would benefit their family. Not having the means to receive the education needed often leads to someone settling for a dead end job, leaving them trapped.


                                        Trapped In America 

 Many whom strive for the American Dream wind up trapped in the midst of poverty. No matter how hard of a worker they are, they remain stuck behind the bars of poverty due to the huge lack of quality jobs here in America, the relentless fees, the taking away of government aid and of course the lack of education. These are only a few of the factors that force many Americans to remain in poverty.




                                                  Work Cited 

 

Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. They Say I Say. New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

Shipler, David K. The Working Poor. New York: Vintage Books, 2005. Print