A little boy tugs at his mother's coat and exclaims, “Mommy! Mom! This is the fire truck I wanted! » as he looks through the glass window at the toy store. The mother looks at the toy and sees the price, she pulls her son away and walks him in the opposite direction. Calmly, she spoke, "I know, darling, but not today." Maybe when mom has more money to spend.” The truth is, they didn't have any extra money. The two men shared a one-bedroom apartment with six other people and split the rent between them. This was where their money went each month. This scenario is not uncommon; In the United States, poverty is a serious problem that is growing across the country. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay In “Rural Poverty in America,” published in The Nation Forum, Wayne Flynt explains how people think about “rural poverty” and try to change their perspective. He says: “Around each crater is a high rim. Stretching out from the edges is a vast plain. The craters represent the country's city centers. The plain represents rural America and, in many ways, the most complex view. The rims represent the suburbs of the country” (1). It includes the number of people in America who believe that their country's poor are in highly populated areas such as cities, while the areas where poverty is most concentrated are rural areas. Flynt explains that rural poverty is not caused by laziness or lack of motivation. Additionally, he explains that most poor rural families have at least two working members. The lack of high-paying jobs available in these regions is the main cause of rural poverty. However, it describes how many families or individuals decide to stay in rural areas because of traditional ties, churches or communities. Flynt says the poor quality of the education system in rural areas is another contributing factor to this situation, as it perpetuates the cycle of low income. Additionally, it discusses health factors in rural poverty. He says that due to the low income of many families, they tend to buy unhealthy and cheap foods, which leads to obesity and excessive health problems. Finally, Flynt explains that people who suffer from rural poverty will lack health care because most are uninsured. He adds how many facilities are not available to them due to changes in Medicaid and Medicare payments. Overall, Flynt concludes that Americans need to better understand rural poverty, end "American cultural stereotypes" (3) on the topic of poverty, and become more informed on the issue. On the other hand, in “Public Welfare in America,” published in the Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, Dick Armey discusses the state of the social system in the United States and its reform efforts. Armey begins his article by stating that an attempt at welfare reform must begin by recognizing that the current system is unreasonable. It describes how the current system supports poverty because it has created a cycle from generation to generation locking beneficiaries into poverty by taking advantage of the system. Armey characterizes the lack of educational aspiration, the increase in the number of single parents and illegitimacy as “behavioral poverty” (1). Furthermore, Armey argues that the higher the welfare benefits, the lower the work effort and individuals become dependent on welfare. It expandshis thinking by explaining that it would be a bad example for children because it would affect their life prospects. Additionally, Armey goes on to describe how children raised on welfare will be more likely to fail in school, commit crimes, etc. However, he states that for social assistance to have positive results in these situations, it should be reevaluated to avoid negative effects. effects in society. Armey concludes that social assistance promotes unemployment and encourages single parenthood; therefore, forcing policymakers to fix social programs to avoid attracting families deeper into poverty when they find the solution. I wonder how difficult it is to make enough meaningful changes in one's life to overcome poverty. Some people may think that if you try, moving out of poverty is an easy transition, but making changes to overcome poverty can be difficult for a number of reasons. People believe that poverty is caused by an individual's own actions. Yet many live in poverty due to uncontrollable circumstances. Flynt's article is aimed at the more educated audience because it is published in The National Forum, a center for the study of universities. It includes a high vocabulary and uses a formal way of writing. Its goal is to change the public's cultural stereotype of specifically rural poverty. Flynt includes statistics and percentages that support his thoughts on the subject. He alludes to personal human values ​​by saying that others need to move away from popular American cultural stereotypes and "need a restoration of this traditional American idea of ​​the common good, the general good" (3). Flynt thereby expresses that Americans must come together, have a different perspective on social issues and a "renewed commitment to biblical notions of justice and democratic ideas of equal opportunity for all" (3). Flynt is an honorable author as he is a professor at Auburn University and a lifelong resident of Alabama, which has many rural areas. This makes him knowledgeable about rural poverty because he has witnessed it firsthand. Flynt is open-minded in his depiction of where, why, and how poverty exists in the United States. His article breaks the stereotype of poverty and changes one's perspective on the overall situation people face. It explains how low-income areas will be affected at the community level. After reading Flynt's article, people will realize the severity of poverty and how common it is becoming in the United States. Armey's article is aimed at people knowledgeable or interested in economic, social or political events, related to the place where his article is published: Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies. Because of his educated audience, Armey uses formal language by not including "you" or "I". Its purpose is to discuss the state of social welfare in America and its potential negative effects. Armey supports his ideas with studies and statistics: “More than 20 percent of children born in the late 1960s spent at least a year on welfare” (1). In this quote he explains how the welfare system teaches children to become more dependent so that they can follow in their parents' footsteps and receive welfare. Armey is a credible author because he cites his work correctly and is a verified author in many publications such as the Wall Street Journal. Although Armey provides studies supporting his view that welfareis not a functioning system to help people get out of poverty, it is not. Classifying everyone who receives DSHS assistance into one group is an ignorant thing to do. Many people find themselves in these situations due to uncontrollable circumstances, such as sudden layoff or disability. Armey believes it's easy to get out of poverty: "The federal government spends more than $240 billion on welfare each year, more than double the money needed to lift every person on welfare out of poverty." poverty” (3). Instead of blaming people for the reasons for their poverty, Armey should look to what the government is currently doing. As he said in the previous statement, the money the government spends on welfare could lift everyone on welfare out of poverty. Why is this not yet the case? Some people enjoy the benefits, but many people are trying to get back on their feet. The lack of available, well-paying jobs to support a family is difficult to find without a degree. Therefore, Armey's argument that recipients abuse welfare benefits is irrelevant to include everyone who receives aid. Although it is difficult to completely eliminate poverty in the United States, one step closer to eliminating poverty would be to improve the economy and create more available jobs in America. It is difficult to make enough meaningful changes in one's life to overcome poverty, because to have a well-paying job, additional education is necessary. Flynt explains that rural poverty is not caused by laziness or lack of personal motivation. In fact, the average household has at least two family members who work full time and continue to live in poverty. It's almost rare to find a well-paying job without a college degree, and in this economy, college isn't affordable for many. Unless a person is extremely wealthy or receives a full scholarship, they will most likely be in student loan debt. After all that work in college to get a decent job, many find themselves facing hefty tuition fines. Worse yet, unless you choose certain degrees, there is no guarantee that there will be a job available immediately. Bills are piling up and more and more people are falling into debt. Additionally, in recent decades, many jobs did not require specific certifications or degrees. As long as a person knew certain skills such as farming, mechanics, or simply owning a small business, they were successful and could find employment. Nonetheless, this poses a challenge today, with additional tuition costs and large corporations making it extremely difficult for local small businesses to grow. Shopping from a local business may cost more and have limited inventory, but doing so ensures that more money stays in the community, supporting the local economy. The number of available jobs is slowly decreasing. Companies moving factories to different countries and corporations making billions paying only the minimum wage have fueled a weak economy and poverty rates. There is evidence that the minimum wage cannot afford the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, so people continue to struggle with poverty. Therefore, a higher minimum wage can help support more people in need..