Alternative Strategies to Combating Poverty - Essay Example

Alternative Strategies to Combating Poverty Poverty in its abject form is still a major problem among many American households. According to the latest report given by the United States of America’s Census Bureau, the number of Americans living in poverty currently has never been witnessed since the 1960s. The war against poverty is expected to become even tougher. It is because of the recent slashing of about $85 billion of the federal government expenditure originally meant for poverty eradication.

Greg Kaufmann’s observes that the American ‘do-nothing’ Congress is certainly not expected to respond swiftly to the issue of poverty if pressure does not come from the grassroots (billmoyers.com). As per the Census Bureau figures, in every 3 Americans today, more than 1 are living way below twice the poverty line. A number of ways have been advanced to eliminate the problem of poverty in America. Below are the suggested four key solutions that can be implemented to attain real change in the fight against poverty in the country The minimum wage should be raised to over $11 per hour.

The majority of poor Americans are workers that sustain their households on very small salaries. The senate should pass a minimum wage, which guarantees the dignity desired by all households (billmoyers.com). Every worker needs to make wages that enable them to have decent lives. A minimum wage that is more than $11 an hour can guarantee the dignity desired by all people. It is because no employer will be allowed to pay miserable wages to workers, regardless of their efficiency situations. There should be a minimum wage and overtime protections for the care workers.

The income of most home care workers is way below the minimum wage, yet they are among the biggest occupations in the US today. The Obama administration had in December 2011 promised to liberate 2.5 million care workers from poverty, but this has remained a long-awaited promise (billmoyers.com). Projections show that in the next decade, the demand for care workers will rise by 1.3 million. A new set of regulations should be devised and implemented by the government to provide a federal minimum wage and overtime protections for most home care aides.

The government should invest more in the subsidized and transitional jobs. Many jobless people have little education and skills to cope with the stiff job market. Despite the recovery of the economy in America, about two in every five jobless people have been unemployed for at least six months. About 6.7 million young people are out of school and are not of working (billmoyers.com). These investments can guarantee better wages for many jobless people, build their skills and enable them to connect to the labor market.

Firms will also be able to hire more workers. The US congress should put an immediate end to the automatic reductions (cuts) on anti-poverty programs. A number of federal “sequestration” cuts have been implemented over the recent years, for example, the recent slashing of the summer programs meant for poor children aged between 3 and 5 years. These mindless deductions are detrimental and uncalled for (billmoyers.com). They increase poverty levels, cost jobs and stall economic growth for everyone.

They have also led to the closing of some of the anti-poverty programs. A number of Head Start centers are getting shut or dropping children altogether. Works Cited Kaufmann, G. (2013). 12 Things You Can Do to Fight Poverty Right Now. Activism, 1. Retrieved from http://billmoyers.com/2013/05/12/twelve-things-you-can-do-to-fight-poverty-now/