Food for Thought: Money, Money, Money

        I was born into a less than wealthy family. Money was definitely not the easiest thing in the world for us (it isn't for anybody.) Fortunately, a few years into my life, things took a turn for the better. I myself am in a financially stable situation, but I know it definitely isn't that way for everyone- and I know it won't always be that way for me. When I live on my own, the money situation probably won't be quite as cozy. And it's true: the overall U.S. poverty rate in 2011 was 15.0 (27.5 for blacks, 25.3 for Hispanics, and 9.8 for non-Hispanic whites). It looks like this country has a serious opportunity gap, as well as financial gap. But what exactly do we define as "poverty"?

Absolute Poverty:

          Absolute poverty is defined as a condition in which a person doesn't have the necessary resources for survival. Absolute poverty could, in theory, be defeated, if the necessary survival resources were provided to the poor. Poverty is usually measured in absolute terms in developing countries, where it is most common, but also can exist in wealthy countries if the vast majority of wealth is owned by a small minority. 

Relative Poverty:

          Relative poverty occurs when people are "poor" in relation to those around them. For example, in a first world country, poverty might be when a person is unable to afford what is widely available to other people, such as a telephone or electricity. However, in poorer countries, relative poverty could fall under the category of absolute poverty. The U.S. poverty guideline is $11,670 for households of one person. As I said before- 15% of Americans are under the poverty line. That's 46,000,000 people. Unlike absolute poverty, relative poverty cannot be eradicated, as destroying it would require equal distribution of wealth. 

More Info:

          Here's a video with more information about wealth inequality in the U.S, and why it's such a serious problem. But don't take it from me- do your own research and develop your own opinion. Or, if you live outside the United States, find out more about poverty and wealth distribution in your own county.

• Official statistics on poverty in the U.S.
• Article about the history of the fight against poverty in America from the New York Times
• The official Poverty USA website

What do You Think?

          Is poverty as severe of an issue as I made it out to be? More severe? What's the best way for dealing with poverty? If it affects so many people, why hasn't a good solution been discovered/put in place yet? No political party claims poverty to be a good thing. But relative poverty, at least, is an unavoidable part of our capitalist system. How can this problem ever be solved? Please, tell me (respectfully) your opinions and ideas in the comments! Do you plan to take any action against poverty? 

SOURCES: HTTP://ASPE.HHS.GOV