Free Essays on Poverty

The existence of poverty ensures that society’s â€Å"dirty work† will be done. Every society has such work: physically dirty or dangerous, temporary, dead-end and underpaid, undignified, and menial jobs. Society can fill these jobs by paying higher wages than for â€Å"clean† work, or it can force people who have no other choice to do the dirty work and at blow wages. In America, poverty functions to provide a low-wage labor pool that is willing or, rather, unable to be unwilling to perform dirty work at low cost. Indeed, this function of the poor is so important that in some Southern states, welfare payments have been cut off during the summer months when the poor are needed to work in the field. Moreover, much of the debate about the Negative Income Tax and family Assistance Plan has concerned their impact on the work incentive, by which is actually meant the incentive of the poor to do the needed dirty work if the wages there from are no larger than the income grant. Many economic activities that involve dirty work depend on the poor for their existence: restaurants, hospitals, parts of the garment industry, and â€Å"truck farming† among others, could not persist in their present form without the poor. In history during the great depression one key reason for the great crash of 1929 was that, the Harding-Coolidge-Hoover administrations followed laissez faire policies. They refused to â€Å"tamper† with income taxes, interest rates, or use economic regulation powers. This example supports the first functions of poverty. Because the poor are required to work at low wages, they subsidize a variety of economic activities that benefit the affluent. For example, domestics subsidize the upper-middle and upper classes, making life easier for their employers and freeing affluent women for a variety of professional, cultural, civic, and partying activities. Similarly, because the poor pay a higher proportion of their income in property and... Free Essays on Poverty Free Essays on Poverty â€Å"The war on poverty is not a struggle simply to support people, to make them dependent on the generosity of others,† was said in President Johnson’s State of the Union address on Jan. 8, 1964 (Johnson). Lyndon B. Johnson wanted to continue the unfinished work of President John F. Kennedy’s proposals on civil rights and taxes before his assassination on November 22, 1963 (Rulon). The War on Poverty was to break the cycle of poverty that affected nearly 35 million Americans (Greenbaum). After the Vietnam War, the government had over spent for the war and was unable to compensate the soldiers. There were many programs developed to help the Americans who suffered from this war on poverty and to bring the employment rate back up. Welfare was a program developed in Chicago to help support the poor families, and funds were given to help improve Chicago schools. War on Poverty was a success on some counts; a lot had changed from the beginning. From the recent increases of America economy and social lives, one can tell that America had changed since the Vietnam War, riots, and racial issues. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty influenced many American lives. America had turned over since the Vietnam War, riots, and racial issues. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty influenced many American lives. What was the War on Poverty? A cycle of poverty that affected nearly 35 million Americans after the Vietnam War (Greenbaum). A name given by President Johnson which meant America had to strive for a rebuilding in the economy and social lives after the war. Johnson was next in line for presidency after John F. Kennedy was fatally shot. He pushed through Congress many laws designed to help the poor and to add to the economic security of other Americans. Many social programs was established from this depression stage. Programs included the Job Crops, furnished job training fo... Free Essays on Poverty The existence of poverty ensures that society’s â€Å"dirty work† will be done. Every society has such work: physically dirty or dangerous, temporary, dead-end and underpaid, undignified, and menial jobs. Society can fill these jobs by paying higher wages than for â€Å"clean† work, or it can force people who have no other choice to do the dirty work and at blow wages. In America, poverty functions to provide a low-wage labor pool that is willing or, rather, unable to be unwilling to perform dirty work at low cost. Indeed, this function of the poor is so important that in some Southern states, welfare payments have been cut off during the summer months when the poor are needed to work in the field. Moreover, much of the debate about the Negative Income Tax and family Assistance Plan has concerned their impact on the work incentive, by which is actually meant the incentive of the poor to do the needed dirty work if the wages there from are no larger than the income grant. Many economic activities that involve dirty work depend on the poor for their existence: restaurants, hospitals, parts of the garment industry, and â€Å"truck farming† among others, could not persist in their present form without the poor. In history during the great depression one key reason for the great crash of 1929 was that, the Harding-Coolidge-Hoover administrations followed laissez faire policies. They refused to â€Å"tamper† with income taxes, interest rates, or use economic regulation powers. This example supports the first functions of poverty. Because the poor are required to work at low wages, they subsidize a variety of economic activities that benefit the affluent. For example, domestics subsidize the upper-middle and upper classes, making life easier for their employers and freeing affluent women for a variety of professional, cultural, civic, and partying activities. Similarly, because the poor pay a higher proportion of their income in property and...