Poverty in America
Despite being the world's dominant economy and the only remaining world superpower, it is surprising to note that poverty still exists in the United States. The US Census Bureau places the official poverty rate at 12.7 percent, an increase from the 2003 figures. This translates to 37 million people living in poverty in the United States. More disturbing, the median poverty rate rises to 17.8 percent for children under the age of 18 (US Census Bureau).It is shameful that such poverty continues in the United States. This letter therefore examines the factors behind poverty in the United States and how this poverty is distributed across the population. Towards the end, this letter then looks at how your predecessors President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and President Lyndon B. Johnson have created anti-poverty programs. The lessons from these programs have significant implications on how to address present-day poverty in the United States.A historical study of poverty in the United States should include the programs instituted by Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt, after all, took office at a time of massive domestic poverty. The stock market crash had ushered in the Great Depression. In the United States,
Furthermore, when confronted with unfamiliar issues, Roosevelt was able to seek advice from a group of trusted intellectuals. To address these concerns, President Johnson allocated federal funding for skills building and job training programs for potential workers. Roosevelt immediately recognized the potential of radio as a mass medium, and gave regular "fireside chats" designed to restore public confidence and to explain his programs for poverty-stricken Americans (Maney, 72 - 73). These techniques would certainly work as well for any president who is committed to addressing domestic poverty. The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created to take charge of these myriad policies and projects. This meant prioritizing growth-oriented industries such as manufacturing and construction. As a citizen and a taxpayer, I eagerly await to see where you will build your own legacy in addressing poverty in America. In the beginning, in 1965, Medicare was created as a program to provide federal aid to all elderly Americans, regardless of need (Brinkley 58-77). The mood of the general public was permeated with widespread despair and hopelessness. President, Roosevelt thus put together an umbrella program, a "New Deal" that would address the disjointed needs of displaced farmers, unemployed workers, create jobs for the young and provide security for the elderly. " These reform programs were supposed to carry the seeds of the New Deal to the next level. Combined with the government's efforts to increase the ratio of social to defense spending and to rein in the budget deficit, it was hoped that the economic platform of the War on Poverty would promote economic growth. During his campaign, Roosevelt pledged to usher in "a new deal" for the American people. It was thus a period where the domestic economy lay in shambles and democratic institutions abroad were being torn down.
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Acceptance Essays
