After watching the film "American Dream," it is clear to me that welfare reform does not help families to get out of poverty. Single mother Angie was on welfare for 12 years working two jobs as well as working overtime. She lost her electricity, healthcare, and sometimes ran out of food. She began to go deeper in debt. Welfare reform seems to not make any significant difference because women are working jobs that cannot provide for themselves or their family. If someone does not have proper education or is well prepared for the work field, then they will not be able to make ends meet. I thought that it was crazy for Angie to be so against quitting her job and returning to school. The woman that she met got out of poverty, due to her furthering her education. I believe that if the poor population were given the chance to return to school, they should be aware of the benefits that will greatly pay off in the long run.
The article Welfare Aid Isn't Growing as Economy Drops Off was very interesting when it adressed that the welfare system is not working the way it was designed to work. With unemployment skyrocketing, we need to be focusing on creating new jobs rather than handing out food and money assistance. Food stamps are increasing in states which seems to be a help for poor families. However, critics state that food stamps as well as cash aid only increase dependency on the government. Families should learn how to be self dependent. In my opinion, this can be found in education and awareness of the opportunities that people have.
Returning to the question "How well do you think poverty is being addressed?"
I have changing my previous answer. I was unaware of Bill Clinton's "end welfare as we know it," and I was unaware that many families recieve food stamps as well as financial aid. I beleive this is a good start for aiding the poor, but if it is not helping families to stand on two feet, then we need to fix it. It is a great idea in my opiniom, however we just need to twerk it into be 100% beneficial.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Session 7
It costs an adult $1,449 a month to live a comfortable lifestyle in Atlanta. This seems to be relatively high in my eyes. After doing the Budget Exercise, I feel way more informed on how things cost. Since I am still a college student, I was misinformed on all the extra expenses such as insurance and taxes that take a large chunk out of adult's paychecks. After learning that 63% of all hourly job in Atlanta pay a staggering $5.15 to $7.25/ hr , I was shocked. Minimum wage is not a suffient income for a family with two parents to live off of. It forces people to have to work up to 2 or even 3 jobs to be able to make ends meet. While parents are juggling their multiple jobs, they also have to pay for childcare if they have children. With childcare so expensive, they are lucky if they can save a small percentage of their paycheck.
Georgia needs to raise minimum wage to AT LEAST $10/hr to help poor families get out of poverty and be able to manage their time. While many people believe that this pay raise of minimum wage has helped over 672,000 workers, it still is not an adequate pay. According to Georgia Policy and Budget Institute, a common myth is that teenagers are the main workers who recieve minimum wage pay. With this economy, many of my teenage friends cannot even find a job due to them compeating with adults that are out of work. Many adults who have lost there 6 figure paying jobs are now working as cashiers earning minimum wage. I believe that if the government raised minimum wage even higher to $10/hr, we could cut poverty percentages in half as well as boosting our economy back up.
After watching the video clip of 9 to 5 Tip Workers, I felt sympathy for restaurant servers and tip workers. I personally have avoided working at a restaurant because I feel that many people are cheap. Plus, it is hard being a server and standing on your feet all day. My friends that are servers have told me that some days when no one comes in, their earning around $3/hr. This is ridiculously low and a complete waste of time. I feel that restaurants need to pay their workers triple this amount. A server can be a deciding factor of whether customers come back or not. Wouldn't a restaurant owner want to make their workers happy but providing them with an adequate pay?
Georgia needs to raise minimum wage to AT LEAST $10/hr to help poor families get out of poverty and be able to manage their time. While many people believe that this pay raise of minimum wage has helped over 672,000 workers, it still is not an adequate pay. According to Georgia Policy and Budget Institute, a common myth is that teenagers are the main workers who recieve minimum wage pay. With this economy, many of my teenage friends cannot even find a job due to them compeating with adults that are out of work. Many adults who have lost there 6 figure paying jobs are now working as cashiers earning minimum wage. I believe that if the government raised minimum wage even higher to $10/hr, we could cut poverty percentages in half as well as boosting our economy back up.
After watching the video clip of 9 to 5 Tip Workers, I felt sympathy for restaurant servers and tip workers. I personally have avoided working at a restaurant because I feel that many people are cheap. Plus, it is hard being a server and standing on your feet all day. My friends that are servers have told me that some days when no one comes in, their earning around $3/hr. This is ridiculously low and a complete waste of time. I feel that restaurants need to pay their workers triple this amount. A server can be a deciding factor of whether customers come back or not. Wouldn't a restaurant owner want to make their workers happy but providing them with an adequate pay?
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