PovertyDisappearing American Dream Essays (1075 words)

While you are hanging out with your friends in a luxurious club; or driving your polished car to work, the word ?poverty? has probably never crossed your mind. It is true that most of us do not realize how serious this issue has become, and more effort should be taken. According to the US Census Bureau, the official poverty rate in 2008 for US was 13.2 percent?a statistically significant increase since it was 12.5 percent in 2007. That counts 39.8 million people (19% of them are children under the age of 18) are living under poverty and that number was the highest in past fifty years. The reality hurts. As poverty has become more and more devastating, it makes people wonder what causes the rich to be richer and the poor to be poorer. Amount many theories proposed by so called ?economists?, I think the central idea is that we are neglecting the truth?there is not enough social equality for the poor, and a lacking of social mobility. Although we cannot change the fact that we were born differently and those who were born in rich families took a big advantage in their early life, what we want to pursuit later on in our lives determine what we will end up being. But it seems hopeless for the poor to seek for their American Dreams, which once means that you would success if you work harder. Because of social inequality, the poor has have less opportunity. Angela Locke, a writer for the feminist news journal off our backs, in her article ?Born Poor and Smart (2005)? describes that poor people are treated unequally such as their intelligence is scorned within the ranks of the poor. (Locke, 2008, 2) Locke?s mom is an assiduous, loyal and diligent worker, with years and years hard working in E-Z Bargain Center and assembly line, she finally got a position in the lab of Nestle factory?making coffee for her male coworkers! (Locke, 2008, 3) Was that because she was not smart enough? No, it was because she came from a poor family. At the same time, Herbert J. Gans, a professor of sociology at Columbia University, in his article "The War Against the Poor (1992)" also claims that poverty is not being treated properly. ?Conservatives, often mute about the responsibilities of the rich, stress the responsibilities of the poor,? Gans stated. (Gans, 2008, 26) Lack of education, basic healthcare, job supply, and so forth, poor people rarely have access to experts or to clinical treatment, so how would we expect them to take their responsibilities if we cannot treat them equally? An article named ?Middle of the Class? publicized on in The Economist?a weekly magazine published in England by The Economist Group, emphasizes that ?equality of opportunity is under threat.? (The Economist, 2008, 1) Statistic show that with a 200 percent income increase in the past quarter-century, the rich have been doing dramatically better than the less well off. The middle class had an 18 percent increase, but the bottom fifth only received 4.4 percent of total national income. (The Economist, 2008, 3) It use to be possible if you start at the bottom of a big firm and work your way up, but now facing more and more college graduates, the opportunities for poor to get a decent degree is even less, let alone a well paid job. Increasing tuition and stiffer competition has driven the poor into an impasse. Social inequalities create an invisible barrier for the poor to escape poverty. What makes matter worse is that it also generates a lack of social mobility, which makes it even harder for poor people to breaking away. Our author Gans suggests that there is a drastic scarcity of work for the poor. (Gans, 2008, 27) Ironically, many Americans, including too many economists, have long believed that jobs supplied are always more than jobs demanded, and it is ridiculous to be truly jobless. (Gans, 2008, 27) Sadly the truth is just the opposite. There were no longer decent jobs that are open to the poor, especially to blacks. With the poor?s dropping out of the labor force, their only chance to escape poverty has also vanished. Similarly, The Economist