problem-solution

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First and Last Name

Professor Cizek

EGL 1010

07 November 2019

Problem-Solution Essay Part I: Unequal Wealth Distribution

I. Introduction

Cycles are hard for people to break out of, especially if they had nothing to do

with and cannot pinpoint the origin of said cycles. An example of this is shown in

poverty. The chances of someone who was born into poverty getting out of it is only

four percent. This means that, for people in poverty, there is very little chance for

upward mobility. Despite all the measures that have been taken to decrease it, poverty

rates have decreased only by 0.6 percent since the year of 1990. There are many

reasons people might remain in poverty after trying the best to surpass it. One of them

is that they simply need help. The government should provide more resources, in the

form of money and programs, for low-income families to reduce wealth inequality.

II. The Problem

Unequal wealth distribution is the concentration of wealth and capital among

certain groups of people. The richest one percent of Americans own 35 percent of the

nation’s wealth. The bottom 80 percent owns just 11 percent of the nation’s wealth.

Wealth in America is mostly concentrated among white men. This hoarding of wealth

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among the rich makes it harder for people in poverty to come out of it. White

supremacy and racism encourage this wealth gap in many ways. For example, it is

harder for black people to take out loans, get into college, and find jobs than their

white counterparts. And when they do find jobs, they are often paid less. This is

because of racist ideas that black people and people of color are less qualified for

certain jobs and are lazy. A study on “Racial and Ethnic Inequality in Household

Wealth Across the Distribution” it says, “…non-Hispanic black households held

$8,000 less in net worth than non-Hispanic white households at the 10th percentile,

$204,000 less at the median, and $1,055,000 less at the 90th percentile” (Maroto

802). This shows that one of the groups most affected by wealth inequality is black

people.

Capitalistic ideals create the necessity for there to be economic classes: upper,

middle, and lower. This means that some people must remain poor so that the rich can

get richer. The main idea of capitalism is that anyone can make as much money as

they want as long as they try hard enough, which is inaccurate considering how

unlikely it is for someone to break out the cycle of poverty. Poverty has a variety of

negative effects, including food insecurity, physical health problems, and mental

health problems. For example, studies from the article “Poverty and the American

Family: A Decade in Review” show that children in poverty have more problems

with reading comprehension and behavior (Edin and Kissane 464). Studies from that

same article have also shown that “…African American families, about half of whom

were poor, … [had] financial and neighborhood stress, which were associated with

psychological stress. In mm, psychological stress was tied to poorer parent-teen

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relationships and poor adolescent adjustment” (Edin and Kissane 465). This shows a

couple of the many ways living in poverty can negatively affect someone.

Food insecurity means that you do not have a reliable source of food and/or

access to food. This is caused by having a low income. This can cause problems in

behavior, cognition, attitude, and physical health. This is one of the reasons the

children living in poverty have a lower performance level than others. People with

low incomes might not deal with food insecurity, but they may not have access to

healthy food. This is what causes disproportionate rates of obesity, cancer,

hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes among communities in poverty.

III. Overview of Previous or Existing Solutions

Various solutions attempt to combat wealth inequality by providing those with

low incomes, specifically those below the poverty line. For example, the

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to eligible

low-income individuals and families via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card, which

can be used to purchase eligible food at approved stores and locations. These benefits

lessen the burden on low-income families of having to spend money on food, a

necessity, and human right, and can help them put money towards other essentials

like housing and clothes.

According to the article “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Critical

Analysis,” “Some recipients of SNAP benefits still struggle with food insecurity

despite receiving governmental food assistance. When observing these populations

SNAP's ability to decrease food insecurity is higher in white populations than in

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minority groups” (Hollenbach and Yasoda 52). This shows that more needs to be

done to help low-income families, especially people of color. A few reasons why this

program may not be working is that it gives families little to no leeway to be able to

make it out of poverty if they want to continue getting assistance. As soon as a family

starts making even a dime above their maximum income, they no longer receive

assistance. Also, the maximum income for qualification is too high. Someone not

being classified as being in poverty does not mean they are not struggling financially.

There needs to be more assistance for people who fall into this category as well.

Another way government administrations have tried to lower the wealth gap

between the rich and the poor is by lowering income taxes for the upper class. The

logic behind this is that letting wealthy people keep more of their money will

encourage them to willingly redistribute that wealth to their communities. For

example, business owners and/or corporations might choose to pay their workers

more, donate more money to charities. However, as previously mentioned, that rarely

happens. Rich people are not rich because they give their money away. They are rich

because they hoard it among themselves. Because of this, the will rich ultimately get

richer, and the poor will stay where they are or end up in a worse place than they

were in before financially.

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Works Cited

Edin, Kathryn, and Rebecca J. Kissane. "Poverty and the American Family: A Decade in

Review." Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 72, no. 3, 2010, pp. 460-479. ProQuest,

https://ezproxy.pgcc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.pgcc.edu/

docview/618695917?accountid=13315,

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.pgcc.edu/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00713.x.

Hollenbach, McKenzie, and Yasoda Sharma. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program:

Critical Analysis." Social Development Issues, vol. 39, no. 3, 2017, pp. 50-54. ProQuest,

https://ezproxy.pgcc.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.pgcc.edu/

docview/2058577613?accountid=13315.

Maroto, M. (2016). Growing farther apart: Racial and ethnic inequality in household wealth

across the distribution. Sociological Science, 3, 801-824.

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15195/v3.a34