A student feels radicalized by the policy class

The number of things I have learned in this class so far is immense. I have come to an understanding, especially during our Wednesday nights class discussions, that various ways of taking in information can lead to multiple perspectives,. Articles, class discussions, and documentaries in this course are a great source of information and have helped me analyze poverty. Poverty, in my eyes, is America's number one enemy. Drugs, violence, prostitution, homeless, and welfare problems all correlate with poverty. Deep down inside, I don't think America can ever beat poverty. However, we can put bandages on the problems it exacerbates. After learning some of the challenges of poverty in this course, it’s clear that our country isn’t waging a serious war on poverty.

Consequently, poverty itself is a tool used in a war on the people who are surviving on the. margins. The welfare system, according to $2.00 A Day, is designed to blame those in poverty for their unfortunate circumstances. The people who write the welfare policies also believe in welfare dependency as a large problem and a general characteristic of those who seek assistance. That is why so little is given to help anyone truly rise out of poverty; just enough is given to prevent starvation or help a person continue through life making just enough to move slightly above or fall slightly below the poverty line. I look at poverty like millions of people stuck in narrow and deep pit grave trying to figure a way out. Meanwhile, the government throws shovels down to them expecting the people to find their way out the grave holes they are in. This is to say, our policies offer tools and opportunities, but they are inadequate and not even always useful given the actual circumstances that condemn people to the situation in which they are trapped.  I'm quite upset at how the governments' welfare to work program has failed millions of Americans in poverty. I am even more upset at having to watch my relatives, coworkers, strangers, and children live on almost nothing in America, and the government stands by, doing the bare minimum with public policy that will help those in poverty rise out of it. 

This course has been an eye opener for many. I would like to see a welfare system that works for single mothers, that works for the homeless, that works for any and everyone struggling and living on almost nothing in America. Persons with chronic health problems or mental health problems or developmental disabilities need a reasonable degree of material security and reasonable access to helpful services. Persons with few skills and poor job prospects need training and employment where they can work in a respectful environment and become productive, and win a decent quality of living if they are honest and hard-working. Persons facing temporary set-backs in life or downturns in the business cycle need support to get them back on their way to achieving material security and some sort of rewarding occupation. The perpetuation of poverty and precarious life is unnecessary, and it only gives advantages to a small segment of the population, while the majority of us suffer. This class has convinced me to advocate for change, so we have better welfare programs and increased access to effective services.