Running head: WORKING AND STILL POOR
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Working and Still Poor
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Sekia Dalton
Zane State College
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2 Working and Still Poor
Why is it that we the people of America work hard and are still poor? One can see that
America is the land of the free, yet we do suffer from great links of poverty. Poverty is a major
problem here in America and it goes beyond welfare reform. If we are right about how poverty is
on the rise here in America, then major consequences follow for the working poor. These
problems are related to the decline of high paying jobs, the cycle of debt that can occur, and the
difficulties families and individuals face when working in poverty.
According to Cynthia Duncan (1999), economists attribute growing inequality
nationwide to declining employment in the goods-producing sector (p. 188). Jobs are being lost
making the working poor even more poor here in America. In Duncan’s view “the poor,
discouraged by their own failures, do not teach their children the values they need to succeed” (p.
188). Duncan is obviously mistaken because she overlooks the fact that jobs are being lost. It is
This an
example of simply not true that the working poor “do not teach their children” (Duncan, 1999, p. 188).
an in-text
Anybody familiar with poverty should agree that everybody wants his/her children to do better
citation
within the
than he/she has done. American jobs are being moved overseas giving Americans very little
sentence
limited resources to income. Duncan’s (1999) theory that “nearly a third of all rural Americans
live in poverty” is extremely useful because it sheds insight of the difficult problem of poverty
(p. 201). Duncan (1999) emphasizes that “minorities are especially hurt, in part because racism
and segregation over the years have ensured that minorities are more likely to have few skills and
low educational attainment” (p. 188). It will take time to reverse this trend.
Indeed, it is clear to see much of America is working below poverty levels. Howard
Karger (2005) himself writes, “Almost one in four American workers lives in poverty or close to
it” (p. 21). Basically, Karger is saying employers are underpaying their workers. Therefore,
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WORKING AND STILL POOR 3 Americans are turning to the credit card industry. Karger (2005) reports, “The average American
credit card holder has almost seven cards” (p. 44). Credit cards are the quick and easy way to pay
for what one wants or needs. So, when looking at the facts, it is evident that Americans are
spending more than they make. With all that in mind, Karger (2005) acknowledges that “the
number of older Americans filing for bankruptcy has tripled, making them the fastest-growing
age group in bankruptcy courts” (p. 45). Karger is right in that senior citizens and young college
students have high credit card debt.
Furthermore, the problem is exacerbated when those who are struggling have an even
more difficult time paying back the debt that accrues. For example, there is no argument that
“pawnshops are traditionally located in low-income minority neighborhoods” (Karger, 2005. p.
67). Pawnshops allow the poor to borrow money against their property. Karger (2005) states,
“We all need cash at one time or another” (p. 66). Pawnshops are a way people can get money
without going into debt. An interesting fact is “when African Americans were refused loans,
pawnbrokers crossed the color line and lent money to any customer willing to pay the interest
rate” (p. 66). Pawnshops were the start of a debt chain of more debt. People had to borrow to pay
for their property before it went up for sell. Next came the payday loans. Whereas pawnshops
do not “require a bank account,” the payday loan does (Karger, 2005, p. 72). As an illustration
Karger (2005) states, “Where pawnshops lend to the poorest of the poor, payday lenders serve
those one rung up on the economic ladder or better known as the working poor” (p. 72). Payday
loans are very difficult to escape. Several people live from paycheck to paycheck just so they
can pay back their loans. The interest rates on the loans are extremely high.
These problems are difficult for individuals, but impact families as well. Another good
piece of evidence is child poverty is on the rise, especially for single families. Research
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WORKING AND STILL POOR 4 demonstrates that “single people with children are more likely to be living in poverty” (Duncan,
1999. p. 201). Making a stronger example is the life of a woman I interviewed. Betty Nettle, a
young single black woman, works everyday to try and make a living for her family. Norris states,
“I work every day just to pay for health insurance, and still cannot afford insurance for my young
children.” Nettle falls through the cracks of where the poverty line falls. It is sad she makes just
fifty dollars too much a month to be entitled to any kind of help. The welfare reform system
changed all their guidelines, which make it very difficult for the working poor like Nettle to get
any help. Nettle admits she lives her life in poverty. Nettle explains, “I want a better life for my
children than I had for myself; I hope they make something worthwhile with their life” (n.p.).
Nettle is one of many women who want a better life for her children.
Adding to that, several Americans who work hard every day are still poor and living in
poverty. In his book, The Working Poor, Shipler (2005) maintains that “nobody who
works hard should be poor in America” (p. ix). In other words, Shipler believes that if
American people work every day, then they should not have to deal with living in poverty.
Shipler himself writes “the people here in America know no ethnic or racial boundaries” (p. xi).
Shipler’s point is that poverty is a major issue; it is not only of one race, nor is poverty of only
one ethnic group.
When it comes to the topic of the working poor and poverty, most will readily agree that
it is of great concern here in America. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the
question of who is to blame. Whereas some are convinced that the government is at fault, others
maintain that the poor are. The evidence clearly points that many citizens suffer from great
poverty levels, and the working poor feel these effects even while they seek to advance out of
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WORKING AND STILL POOR those circumstances with a job. American people are working for America, but America does
not seem to be working for the poor.
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5 WORKING AND STILL POOR Notice the hanging indent for
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References
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6 Duncan, C. (1999). Worlds apart: Why poverty persists in rural America. New Haven: Yale
The reference page,
like the entire
Karger, H. (2005). Short changed: Life and debt in the fringe economy. San Francisco: research paper and
cover page, is
formatted
with
Berrett-Doehler Publishers, Inc.
double spacing.
University Press.
Shipler, D. K. (2004). The working poor: Invisible in America. New York: Random House, Inc.
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