At the Edge of Poverty

In this essay, Shipler argues that poverty in America is not easy to define. He says this because there are so many factors that go into determining the poverty line, such as income, number of people to support, etc. For example, if one makes $30,000 per year, one might say that the amount is living in poverty, or not well off. However, if this person is just supporting their own being, then they are actually able to provide for themselves, while also getting certain wants as well. Another way people may be considered in poverty is due to their frame of mind or self-confidence. If an individual always wants more than what they have, they may consider themselves poor, even though others may not have as much as they do.
It is a proven fact that once a family hits poverty or rock bottom, it is very difficult if not next to impossible to come out into the middle or upper class. I believe this is because of the "snowball effect". Once one thing goes wrong in life, it costs money which causes something else to go wrong and more money to be spent, and so on. It is extremely challenging to reverse this effect unless family or close friends help out with the situation.
Despite the national War on Poverty that occured in 1962, the financial gap between the 'rich' and the 'poor' is constantly growing. In 1962, the poverty line was based on food. In the 1960's, this may have been a legitimate way of measuring the poverty in America. In modern day America, however, this is not an accurate measuring tool. The price of food has lowered, and the number of families are increasing.
It is more difficult to be poor in America than a developing nation, Shipler argues. This is due to the fact that "the skills of surviving in poverty have largely been lost in America." I very much agree with this statement. When visiting a third world country, you will find people or tribes with not a lot to their name, but a smile on their faces. Also, they work long, hard, laboring days with little or no income, just to survive. In America, the electricity would go out for a few hours and we would all go crazy. To them, our less important items mean the world. It is astonishing at how little they NEED, and how much we WANT. This is a troubling issue that must be fixed, or America is going to get itself into more problems than it's ready for.