A Moral Issue Of Poverty - 1602 Words

A Moral Issue Poverty has been evident since The Great Depression in the 1930’s. Since then, there has been an attempt to lower poverty level, though only a 2.5% decrease has been seen since 1965. It is argued that we do not need another war on poverty since nothing has seemed to help, but this is an issue that affects everyone. As Mark Bittman stated in his article â€Å"Why We’re Fasting† â€Å"This is a moral issue; the budget is a moral document.† Poverty can be improved if more emphasis is added to helping individuals or families out of poverty, instead of assisting them through their lives, by improving existing laws or implementing new laws centering around the idea of a fixed income. Poverty has been on a incline since the economic downturn in 2007. Poverty is defined as â€Å"the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount†, but a more modern definition used today is â€Å"in state of being extremely poor†. According to â€Å"Poverty in the United States† a report done by Congressional Digest, the poverty line in 2012 was 15.0 percent, which represents 46.5 million people living at or below the poverty line, and was 2.7 points higher in this year than in 2007. The article also stated that in 2012, the family poverty rate and the number of families in poverty was 11.8 percent and 9.5 million and the median income for households was $51,017, which means many of these households have students who become eligible for free lunches. In Lindsey Layton’s article â€Å"Most PublicShow MoreRelatedThe Different Dimensions of Poverty829 Words   |  3 PagesPoverty affects if most and not all of the society in the world, the pr oblem of poverty has been is almost as old as the history of mankind, this is evident from the period in humanity when the dwellings had no adequate sanitary arrangements- above all there was hunger and famine which was so chronic that only the worst examples were recorded. Hazzilt (1996) remarks that war, droughts, scarcities, famines, crimes, violence, diseases were prevalent to a degree and if empirical research is done onRead MoreTrying to Erradicate Poverty and Extreme Poverty1351 Words   |  5 Pages Almost half of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day. The very poor suffer from lack of access to safe food and water, basic education, and medicine. For many of the world’s countries, poverty is prevalent. While almost half of the world lives in poverty, the rich continue to get richer. In 2005, the poorer 10% only accounted for 0.5% of the world’s share of private consumption, while the richest 10% accounted for 59% of consumption (Shah 1-4). There is an incr easing inequality gap. The worldRead MoreRobbing the Rich to Give to the Poor Essay917 Words   |  4 PagesPoor Poverty has conquered nations around the world, striking the populations down through disease and starvation. Small children with sunken eyes are displayed on national television to remind those sitting in warm, luxiourious houses that living conditions are less than tolerable around the world. Though it is easy to empathize for the poor, it is sometimes harder to reach into our pocketbooks and support them. No one desires people to suffer, but do wealthy nations have a moral obligationRead MorePeter Singer s And Onora O Neill s Essay1566 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosophers, Peter Singer’s and Onora O’Neill’s attempt to draw connection between poverty and moral philosophy and how aid should be directed towards groups in absolute poverty. The aim of this paper is to provide an extensive analysis on the work of both the philosophers’ while outlining some of the limitations each of the theories has. Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher who has written extensively on poverty and social issues. Peter Singer states that â€Å"giving to charity† or neither charitable norRead MoreTreatment of the Concept of Poverty707 Words   |  3 Pagesage-old moral adjective of sympathy into a noun of disgust and disgrace; poverty then has been ascribed to living in ‘slums, ghettos, tenements’. Sen (1981) treatment of the concept of poverty relegates the concept to an existential situation; he describes poverty as thus:†to live in poverty may be said, but to offend or be hurtful to a society which creates problems for those who are not poor† (p, 2). In the quote, Sen asserts that there are requirements to be used in any concept of poverty; theRead MoreHunger And Poverty In Jessica Jackley And Josette Sheerans Speech1313 Words   |  6 PagesOur Power to Change Hunger and Poverty Hunger and Poverty are two major issues in today’s world. Jessica Jackley and Josette Sheeran argued respectively these two topics in two TED talk videos. In 2010, Jessica speech focused on poverty, money and love, as her title mentions. In 2011, Josette talked about ending hunger now, as mention in her speech title as well. Both talks focused on strategies to assist the less fortunate. Even though they both approach their audience with rhetorical strategiesRead MoreSocial And Economic Factors Of The American Youth889 Words   |  4 Pagesgeneration where privilege is always handed to them. However, this need to be privileged has created a negative impact on the American youth. Many are becoming ignorant toward the ongoing challenges that other adolescents face such as hunger and poverty. Living in a privileged environment protects these ignorant adolescents from these prevailing challenges. Nowadays the American youth is more concerned about the social life of famous pe ople, who serve as the allegorical figures of our age givingRead MoreThe Problem of Poverty in Famine, Affluence, and Morality by Peter Singer1112 Words   |  5 PagesPeter Singer is often regarded as one of the most productive and influential philosophers of modern times. He is well-known for his discussions of the acute social, economic, and political issues, including poverty and famines. In his â€Å"Famine, Affluence, and Morality†, Singer (1972) discusses the problem of poverty and hunger, as well as the way this problem is treated in the developed world. Singer believes that charity is inseparable from morality, and no distinction can be drawn between charity andRead MoreThe Brown Vs. Board Of Education Essay1195 Words   |  5 Pagestherefore economic segregation. Literature Review: Facing the Poverty System Kapstein (2010), author of Economic Justice in an Unfair World: Toward a Level Playing Field, suggests that politics comes from power, and as fair as most want it to be, the ones with the power have the final say. The author also explains how there should not be an unjust system in a developed country towards its poor people. He also gives a firm example of how poverty could be ended. James Wolfensohn, a former President of theRead MorePeter Singer : The Problem Of World Poverty And How We Can Effectively End It996 Words   |  4 PagesEuropean Graduate School, 1). Recently, Singer tackled the issue of world poverty and how we can effectively end it. In his theory, Singer Utilizes a Utilitarian ideology to explain why those with excess are obligated to sacrifice luxuries in order to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves since this will cause the most happiness for the greatest number of people (Cahn, 244). I intend to summarize â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Pover ty,† demonstrate his theory via relevant examples, and assess