Poverty has many dimensions. Usually, it is associated with inadequate health resources. Poverty, which could be classified into two types — absolute and relative, can also be affected by various other factors such as social, economic and political elements.
Relative poverty is a phenomenon in which people are unable to achieve the minimum standards of living set by the government, which could be different in every country. Absolute poverty, on the other hand, can be described as the lack of basic necessities.
According to The Epoch Times, poverty has affected the country in many ways, especially the children. UNICEF revealed that the United States had the "second highest relative child poverty rate in the developed world" in 2013, where 16.7 million children were living in "food insecure households."
Aside from the children, poverty has also affected the teenagers in low-income families. That's why a 2016 survey by the Washington, D.C.-based research organization Urban Institute revealed youngsters away from home are more prone to engage in activities like drug trafficking, street gang fights and exchanging sexual favors just to get food and shelter.
Quality education is also just a mere dream for poverty-stricken communities. The U.S. education system depends upon local community funding and poor education creates inequality in society.
Brown Political Review shared a 2014 UNICEF report that states America has the sixth highest relative child poverty rate in the developed world. The stats, however, doesn't seem to reach the priority list of U.S. politicians and the major reason for this is media neglect.
According to the research, less than one percent of the media coverage addressed poverty. Moreover, no legislation has been done to reduce poverty.
Politicians are also reportedly reluctant to help the poor because the word "Middle Class" seems to be more appealing to people. The politicians talk about their policies that could benefit the middle class and people assume that it's about them.
Another reason is that the poor are the least interested in voting and politicians remain reluctant in addressing poverty. There might also be other reasons why they choose to ignore this phenomenon but justice and equality can't be acquired without looking into the issue and giving every citizen their due share in all aspects.
Do you think U.S. politicians are really ignoring to address the poverty issues in the country? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
