response-pol 6
Jambo
ResponsePol-06.docxResponse one pol-06
Note: three or four reference on your response
The war on poverty is one of the biggest domestic battles that the United States has faced. It is unrealistic to help every family get out of poverty, but it is realistic to decrease the amount of individuals and families in poverty. One reason why poverty is still an issue is because some people become reliant on programs. Some people received assistance from assistance from programs and are given resources and are able support themselves, but some people go from program to program seeking assistance and never get out of poverty. People are born in impoverished neighbors and it is hard to get out of poverty without hard work.
The United States has a poverty rate that stays between 10-15 percent with the poverty rate currently being around the 13 percent area (Tanner and Hughes 2014). Poverty exists all over the world and is especially worse in developing countries, but the United States ranks higher on the list for developed countries for poverty rates (Varghese 2016). The child poverty rate is especially high in the United States compared to other developed nations (Pac et all 2013). The government tried to assist citizens that are affected by poverty by using vouchers and grants (Varghese 2016). Vouchers and grants used to assist people in poverty may be short term or long term. If they are short term then people have to get on their feet relatively quickly.
Where I work we assist homeless veterans with finding housing and assist them for a few months with paying rent. We have many veterans who come to us with a fixed income and one of the only affordable options for them is subsidized housing. The problem with subsidizing though is generally there is a waitlist sometimes between 1-2 years and many subsidized housing units will not take veterans with criminal backgrounds. Unfortunately we receive some of veterans who are just looking for a hand out and will try to go to another program to receive rental assistance when we cannot assist anymore. Many just need a little of assistance to get back on their feet because they do want to be able to support themselves.
There are many programs that assist with decreasing poverty, but the key is to help the person be sustainable by themselves. Programs that just enable people and do not give the public a chance to stand on their own should not be funded (Tanner and Hughes 2014). Programs that do not help people become more self-sufficient contribute to the poverty problem. Programs that assist with education are important because education can help people get better jobs (PADM530). Some people in poverty do not even have a high school diploma, so assisting them with getting a GED makes a big difference regarding jobs that they can apply for.
Programs such section 8 and HUD-VASH have really helped families and single households. The government pays a portion of the rent and families pays a portion of the rent, so people still have to be accountable but they also receive much needed assistance (Pac et all 2013). Those programs have really assisted people in poverty, but other programs have not assisted as much. The SNAP program has assisted people, but people have also become dependent on the program and have take advantage of the program longer then they need it for (Varghese 2016). Overall the government tried hard to assist people with poverty and some programs are not efficient as they should be, but motivation and genuine assistance for the public affected by poverty will continue to assist in the war against poverty.
References
PADM530. LESSON 6: WELFARE, SOCIAL SECURITY AND EDUCATION POLICY.
Pac, J; Nam, J; Waldfogel, J; Wimer, C. (2017). Young Child in Poverty: Analyzing Trends in poverty and the Role of Anti-poverty programs using the Supplemental Poverty Measure. Children and Youth Services Review. 74. 35-49.
Tanner, M. D; Hughes, C. (2014).War on Poverty Turning 50: Are we Winning Yet? CATO Institute.
Varghese, S. A. (2016). Poverty in the United States: A Review of Relevant Programs. Poverty and Public Policy. 8(3).
https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/doi/full/10.1002/pop4.148
Response two pol-06
Note: three or four reference on your response
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Cato (2014), indicates, while a plethora of plans and actions have been created to support those in poverty, the ultimate goal was to remove them from poverty. The programs have not reduced poverty, rather sustained it at a level that fails to budge even other work programs, educational resources, providing monetary and food resources. In toll, there were 810 Billion dollars were utilized to pay Social Security benefits, wherein the costs for SNAP benefits were a fraction of that at 75 Billion dollars. Social Security benefits have increased the likelihood that those of retirement age and those who have lost a spouse or have a family member who is disabled do not fall into poverty and has been the most successful program for keeping people above the poverty line (Carrier, 2016). In 1973 the total amount spent on welfare was just under 200 Billion dollars, the level in 2014 was just under 1 trillion dollars. The rate of poverty now sits just 2 percent lower than when the program was initiated in 1966 (Cato, 2014). US poverty and welfare status: The rate of poverty currently is equal to the rate of poverty in 2007; this is after a recession and market crash in the United States (Semega, Fontenot & Kollar, 2017. The rate of poverty stands at 12.7 percent which equates to almost 61 million people (Semega, Fontenot & Kollar, 2017). Educational resources are lacking in the system as a whole, while there are systems in place, opportunities to go to school to obtain a GED, trade or higher education, the system fails in applying supplemental support such as quality child care, after-school care and child pick-up from school to after-school care. These coupled with the problems of students with disabilities and the need for their parent to pick them up from school at a moments’ notice, limit the ability of the parent (especially in a single parent household) to gain a greater education or work a full-time job. Evaluate the welfare/social service issue utilizing our policy framework. The effectiveness of the policies can be seen in the level of support to the elderly and disabled where systems have been in place since inception with little changes over time. Inefficiencies can be found in the level of poverty as it pertains to those whocan work physically or are of working age but for whatever reason are not able to financially support themselves and their family (Sheely, 2012). Many of the programs for the latter have been hand tied in over legislation, programs with extensive restrictions and efforts which create greater strains on personnel resources without the ability to hire more personnel. The costs are relative to the expected benefits. However, the actual outcomes do not meet the cost-benefit analysis expectations of tax-payers and government oversite and the equity of providing resources over the greater of the populous, to the greater benefit of the United States is a failure (APUS Lesson 4, 2018). An additional option which would be politically feasible would be a correction of systems of control over the collections of child support payments. The technical feasibility of such would require a great deal of research and mechanisms in place to collect and establish accurate databases which may be costly to smaller locations and cash-strapped cities and states. However, by addressing the lowering of public assistance when the systems were in place versus the status quo, the cost benefits over time would be realized. Kosk, Meyer, Corbett & Brown (1996), discuss the issue of the absentee parent in the causation of the continued reliance on welfare and the continued occurrence of poverty. By increasing the amount and level of compliance with child support orders, more income will be available to support the children in the household, limiting the need for additional welfare support. Often money is the greatest incentive for individuals to follow a rule or mandate. Penalties or benefits can create a reason to comply. Mombrun (2008), indicates if there were tax credits available for non-custodial parents, they might be more inclined to comply. Currently, the non-custodial parent is not entitled to a child tax credit nor any deduction for the money they have provided for the care of their child. By incentivizing these actions, there would be a lessening of poverty, support for children and the ability of the non-custodial parent to engage in benefits for supporting their child, which is often left to social systems. The tax code would need to be revised, to allow for deductions and a records keeping mechanism would need to be established to ensure over-reporting of actual payments.
Carrier, S. (2016). Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts. Retrieved May 7, 2018, from https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=CE5E57908B8F48D19EDAF155C757D092&CID=0ACD89D1435E6B8422CE823842536A6B&rd=1&h=1bsC8xvBvN0ErW_48x0efVwA0xB2sBeU2mZ1nhdOlAY&v=1&r=https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10101.pdf&p=DevEx.LB.1,5542.1 Kost, K. A., Meyer, D. R., Corbett, T., & Brown, P. R. (1996). Revising child support orders: The Wisconsin experience. Family Relations, 45(1), 19. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/213935759?accountid=8289 Mombrun, R. (2008). AN END TO THE DEADBEAT DAD DILEMMA?-PUNCTURING THE PARADIGM BY ALLOWING A DEDUCTION FOR CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS. Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law, 13(2), 211-256. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/89068355?accountid=8289 Semega, J. L., Fontenot, K., & Kollar, M. (2017, September 12). Income and Poverty in the United States: 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2018, from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2017/demo/p60-259.html Sheely, A. (2012). Devolution and welfare reform: Re-evaluating "success". Social Work, 57(4), 321-31. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/docview/1264493252?accountid=8289 |
Response three pol-06
Note: three or four reference on your response
Our focus on the need for social welfare programs began around the time of the Great Depression (circa 1929 – 1934) when the U.S. Treasury did not have enough money available to pay our government workers. At that time, approximately 15 million people were unemployed. This added up to almost 20 percent of the total American population. In 1935, President Roosevelt started the lynchpin of today’s American welfare policy, Social Security (Dobelstein, 2017). In 2014 more than one in seven Americans lived in poverty with almost half of Americans expected to experience near-poverty during their working years (West, 2014).
Our welfare programs assist a good number of those stakeholders who fall below the poverty line. However, it is unfortunate that even over the span of 50 years the U.S. still has 20 percent of its adults and almost 25 percent of its children under five living in poverty (Dobelstein, 2017). This shows that the programs have not worked to reduce poverty enough. As part of our biggest stakeholders, child poverty alone costs our country $672 billion dollars every year equating to 4 percent of our gross domestic product (West, 2014). These stakeholders deserve better.
The overall goal of the combined poverty related programs should be to make sound policy choices that make a positive difference in low-income families lives. Essentially, the end point of the program for people and their families is to help them reach and remain part of the middle class (West, 2014).
Welfare programs often fall short of their goals. Unfortunately, the programs are riddled with issues and these issues often don’t concern the right people. Interest groups that are more concerned with the preservation of their own agendas don’t look to fix the existing issues. Because of structural problems, many welfare programs are well-documented to be mismanaged (Calder, 2018).
One federal social service program that could be revised is the Earned Income Tax Credit. Specifically, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) policy. Beginning in 1997, people were able to earn a nonrefundable credit of $400 per child under 17. This program has gone through many changes in the last 20 years. This credit was very valuable to people filing taxes who had children but did not help individuals who qualified for the Earned Income Credit. Under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Trump, the CTC is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child with the earned income threshold for refundable credit being lowered to $2,500. Previously, joint filers earning $110,000 had decreased CTC. This program has increased for the joint filers to benefit those who make up to $400,000 per year (Charney, 2018). This is one example of how molding and adopting policies can make programs politically feasible.
While there are many programs for poverty and welfare, some of them have almost exact overlapping programs and none of them have even or equal financial distribution.
President Trump and Republican Congressional leaders have an agenda to impose tougher and additional welfare restrictions. Their main goal is to restrict the programs to shorten the time period beneficiaries can remain eligible. Democratic leaders feel these proposals could take away the support people need driving them deeper into poverty (Fifield, 2018).
Socially we want the programs to work. Unfortunately, there are many people taking advantage of the programs. Some feel that the programs create multiple widely publicized behavior incentive issues where people reduce their work hours in order to become or stay eligible for welfare programs and avoid certain penalties (Calder, 2018). It will take a lot more work for all Americans to see our current welfare programs as socially acceptable.
Reference:
Calder, V. B. (2018, January 22). Why Welfare Needs Reform. Washington Times. Retrieved May 7, 2018, from https://www.washingtontimes.com/
Charney, G. (2018, February 08). New Child Tax Credit: Changes For 2018 | H&R Block. Retrieved May 8, 2018, from https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/irs/tax-reform/new-child-tax-credit/
Dobelstein, A. (2017). The Two Legends of American Poverty: Breaking Out of Poverty's Historic Snare. Poverty & Public Policy, 9(4), 402-425. Retrieved May 7, 2018, from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/doi/epdf/10.1002/pop4.198.
Fifield, J. (2018, January 25). Where the Work-for-Welfare Movement is Heading. Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/01/25/where-the-work-for-welfare-movement-is-heading
West, R. (2016, April 14). Yes, America Can Afford to Dramatically Reduce Poverty and Increase Opportunity. Retrieved May 8, 2018, from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2016/04/14/135547/yes-america-can-afford-to-dramatically-reduce-poverty-and-increase-opportunity/
COMMENTS (ONE PAGE)
How can we determine the difference? How can we help people become self-sufficient so their children will have a better chance in life?
