Today the country of the Untied States of America grows larger in population, more advanced in technology, and more brilliant in beauty. As the country matures our people continue to remember and pursue "the American Dream". The thoughts of not only economic splendor but the eternal pride, appreciation, liberty, and bravery create a vision for an abundant amount of Americans, whom hold these ideas throughout their endeavors, in hope to reach this marvel of a fantasy. With so people many people looking towards the hope of future dreams it becomes easier to ignore and disregard our countries growing educational and financial dilemmas. These two problems unite primarily in our own youth's education and prove to force Americans away from attaining their own "American Dream".
             Poverty to so many of us in the United States is a subject that we shy away from, taking an indifference to the needs of others. As polled in the Analysis of Census Bureau's Income and Poverty Report for 1999 eleven point eight percent (3) of our families are at or below the poverty line. This means simply that a little over ten percent of our nations families make a minimal amount of money a year to live on – so minimal in fact that many of us on the 'outside world' do not believe people survive on something so insufficient.
             The harsh reality of the poverty threshold for a family of two is 11,610 dollars; where as, a family of three members hits poverty at a deafening 14,630 dollars. These numbers increase approximately 3,020 dollars per next family member, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (4). It becomes important for us all at this moment to stop and pause; begin to think about a family unit, with children, attempting to endure on so little. Despite the unreal notion of survival these ideas persist through twenty-one percent of children and their families enrolled in school today. (3)
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