Poverty and my opinion.

Essay by goldfish101Junior High, 9th grade September 2005

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Every night, thousands of Americans have no place to call home. Every year, approximately 11 million households say they don't know whether they will have enough to eat. According to the federal governments definition of poverty, the U.S. family of four who's annual income fell below $18,556 in 2002 was considered to be living in poverty. An estimated 3 million Americans are homeless. Experts say that a slow economy combined with high rates and home prices has compounded this problem.

Many working families are unable to make enough money to make ends meet, not because they earn too little, but because they spend so much money on expensive household items. The term poverty should be reserved for those families who's parents cant provide the most basic necessities for their children. Categorizing millions of families as poor and extending them benefits will do nothing to reverse bad habits that put so many households into dept.

The focus to reform should be on reducing poverty, not caseloads. Many former welfare recipients are not being properly trained to remain in the work force. Reduction in caseloads has just shifted the bourdon of low-income Americans to social programs such as Medicaid. In times of state budget crisis, the federal government spends more on TANF grants than any other services.

The government is not doing low-income Americans a favor by providing for them when it weakens civil rights and the constitution. There is no way to separate a religious groups charity efforts from it religious agenda. Funding faith based programs is unconstitutional. By funding organizations that discriminate in their hiring, the federal government is undermining civil rights protections.

In conclusion, I believe that the federal government should take more control of the poverty crisis, I do not believe benefits is the way to go for...