Simulating Poverty Paper - Personal Statement Example

Simulating Poverty Paper al Affiliation Simulating Poverty Paper Poverty in the United s of America is defined using the money income of a family excluding the taxes, capital gains, and noncash benefits (U.S. Census Bureau). A family and its members are considered in poverty condition when “the total income is less than the family’s thresholds” (U.S. Census Bureau). In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the percentage of people living in poverty has reached 13.3% and swelled into 15.1% in 2010. Conversely, the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that unemployment rate in September 2011 rose to 9.1% compared to 9.0% in April of the same year. Amongst the unemployed, 8.8% were adult men, 8.1% were adult women, and 24.6% were teenagers. The reported increase of unemployment cases exacerbates the poverty condition in the country. Government poverty statistical reports and media releases showing people living in debts and losing their properties, and longer lines for food stamps creates fears in the heart of every American. What better way to prepare and counter the fear of falling into poverty but to live in poverty? The simulated living in poverty condition for four days with just a $12.00 food allowance was a challenge I shall never forget. There was fear before I begun on how I would actualize the ideology but I soon discovered that planning well was one key to survive. Spending $3.00 a day was right away crossed out of the plan as I would never be able to fill my stomach with such amount even if McDonalds is offering a burger for $1.45 only plus tax. The most practical thing to do was spend my 4-day budget buying groceries at one time to save paying multiple sales taxes. However, to decide on grocery was easy but on where to buy and what to buy have been difficult. I looked into the mails for on sale food items in different shopping markets and calculated the cost only to discover that still it is impractical because I would be spending much on bus fares or gasoline to go to the different shopping markets. Although the transportation cost is not included in the simulation activity, I wanted to be as frugal as I could. Thus, I decided to buy my groceries at the cheapest store I knew in town which is the dollar store plus bread at the nearby bakeshop store. I made a 4-day meal plan which I thought would satisfy my stomach and listed the grocery items before I bought them. My grocery included 1item of 3 liter soda, 1 pack pasteurized cheese of 16 slices, half a dozen large white eggs, 2 boxes of 340g oatmeal cookies, a pack of 8pcs fun size chocolate Snickers, 1 pack of 8pcs fun size chocolate Butterfinger, and 1 pack of 6pcs 9oz bottled with a total cost of $8.72 and a pack of 1lb 6oz sandwich bread that cost me $2.45. My total expenditure was $11.17 leaving me with only 83 cents from my $12.00 allowance. In the next four days that I went out of the house, my bag was packed with bottled water, recycled ziploc plastics with egg sandwich bread and cookies, 2 bars each of chocolate snickers and butterfingers, and a recycled water bottle filled with soda. The act of planning on how to spend economically the meager allowance was already the start of my simulation but it was nothing compared to the four days of living it. Even with my packed food within reached hunger was always there as my stomach was not used to eating such food every day most specially in small amounts. The physical stress from a different diet and small quantities of food intake took its toll on my performance at school and in completing household chores. I grew tired easily due to lack of proper nourishment even though I have sugar support from the soda and chocolates. To continue living with the same amount of money for a period of three months would result to my undernourishment which I believe is an issue of the poor people not only in this country. Undernourishment for a long period can lead to severe malnourishment and other health problems, and if poor people don’t have enough resources to buy nourishing food daily they would be unable to seek proper health and medical services. True enough, a statement of Nilsen (2007) on a testimony before the Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, revealed that people living in poverty conditions or those with lower-income have poorer health and are most likely to suffer from chronic illnesses, disabilities, and diseases. Beyond hunger something more difficult emerged within me. The fear of not being able to complete the 4-day simulation was replaced by a sense of loss of morale and self-pity. Eating the same kind of food every day in recycled plastic containers with your usual companions who were unaware of your simulation activity and real life situation was a humiliating experience. There was the surprise looked in their faces and questions afterwards which I was obliged to answer in truth so as to clean myself from the humiliation I felt. But each time I’m done with my explanation, I thought of those who are truly living in poverty without any simulation stories to escape. My simulation activity was centered on food consumption alone, one of the basic human needs, and is just a portion to what the real poor people suffer in this country and in the other countries as well. I have learned though that apart from poverty in financial resources there also co-exist poverty in spirit. Poverty I discovered was beyond the statistical computations of a family’s capacity to earn versus capacity to spend. Its devastating effect lies not in the body alone but more so in the emotional and psychological state of a person. An individual who is not used to living way below his means could suffer much from low morale and self-pity. The same holds true for an individual who grows up in poverty and spends each day longing to taste sumptuous meal with a decent place to live. Poverty can either make or break an individual. In my simulation, I had the choice to end my difficulties before reaching the 3rd or 4th day and cheat in the entire process but I chose to persevere and completed the task. I chose to believe in learning something in the exercise than follow the easy route to complete the paper. People living in poverty condition can also choose to end their difficulties by perseverance in looking for positive and legal opportunities to survive, improve health status, and advance their living conditions with the assistance of government agencies and non-government institutions, or bring quick solution to their poverty by illegal and destructive means. In economic researches, people living in poverty are told to have greater risks such as “poor health, criminal activity, and low participation in the workforce” (Nilsen, 2007, p. 10) compared to those who are in better living condition. The simulation activity enabled me to glimpse the face of poverty, but the most important lesson I learned is not the troubles of poverty itself but on how to help prevent poverty starting from my own home. Lack of resources is the main issue in poverty and to prevent depletion of resources entails living in frugality. Living in frugality though does not mean depriving myself of the basic needs and recreational activities but to spend on these things in moderation. I found out that one can live healthy and well with cheaper products and services but you have to do your research about them. What’s needed are the will to do it and to plan well before spending on food and services. The act of carrying home made food and drink to school and at work is cost efficient compared to buying food in a food chain, canteen, or restaurant. Doing my share to save my earnings and resources will not solve poverty in my country, but it will definitely prevent another person from falling into the poverty statistics. References Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor. The employment situation – April 2011. Economic News Release. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_05062011.pdf. Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor. The employment situation – September 2011. Economic News Release. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm. Information Please, Pearson Education. Percent of people in poverty, by state, 2002-2010. Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104529.html#ixzz1bZN1rv2M). Nilsen, Sigurd. (2007, Jan 24). Consequences for individuals and the economy. Poverty in America. United States Government Accountability Office. Page 10. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07343t.pdf. US Census Bureau. How the Census Bureau Measures poverty. Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/measure.html. Read More