The War on Poverty

Quang Mai

Argument Essay

April 23, 2012

The War on Poverty

The War on Poverty in the United States of America has been an unsuccessful, unbalanced, and unstable which caused many Americans to suffer in many ways. State and government agencies as well as private agencies have attempted to provide multiple programs to support those in needs; unfortunately, only a few programs succeeded which stood out like a rising star. However, although certain agencies are funded by tax payers and anti-poverty programs, the War on Poverty have been a battle for the U.S. since 1965. There is no one size fits all definition of poverty, but if the U.S. loses the battle, the U.S. can overcome the war by pushing forward with positive actions.

According to the United Nations’ Human Development Report 1996, the average per capita income of the poorest one-fifth of Americans was $ 5,814 in 1993. Moreover, the poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of family of four was at $ 16,450 in 1998. An American in the bottom 20 percent may seem quite well-off; however, by U.S. standards, they are not.   Although these figure may seem straightforward, experts disagree as to whether they are accurate measurements of poverty (Egandorf 12.)   Most Americans may define poverty as overestimated, but many other Americans may feel that poverty is underestimated. The question many American should ask is: Is poverty a serious problem?

Poverty in the United States of America deals with millions of children, disable and elderly people. In the fight to help benefit these particular people, the government provides children and the elderly greatly from safety net programs. However, according to Bob Herbert (a syndicated columnist) the welfare bill signed by President Bill Clinton in August in 1996 would cut many benefits provided by these programs, which will increase poverty. However, rich politicians’ believes that Clinton’s anti-poverty programs do not work. Politicians also...