VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

01/05/12

POVERTY BECOMES A PROBLEM IN AUSTIN

ROUND ROCK ISD

BY: Simran Ali

Every one in five people in Austin are poor. 27% of children under 18, in Austins population are poor. Texas is ranked the sixth poorest state in the U.S. Shocking, right? According to American-Statesman writer, Juan Castillo, these stats are true. More than 18% of Austins population is poor. That doesnt seem like a lot, but it means about 352,000 people are living under the poverty line. Out of that, 112,000 are kids just like me. Wow! I am shocked! I think thats bad! I feel bad for the poor people because I have everything and they dont, responded Soha Shaikh, after reading these stats. I was shocked, too, but at least I know there are things I can do to help.
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POVERTY BECOMES A PROBLEM IN AUSTIN

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They cant afford buying all the new school

What exactly is Poverty? How do the Poor Feel?

Poverty. What does that mean to you? According to Dictionary.com, poverty means the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. Similarly, my definition is the condition in which one has little or no food, shelter, or money. This defines the condition of many people in this generation. So, what problems are they facing? Well, think about the things around us, the things we want, and our essential needs. Imagine not having food, a home, our phones, our electronics, clothes of the latest fashion, nothing. I know I wouldnt be able to live without any of that. These people dont have nearly as many things as we do. Their children have dreams of having the things we have, but they have none of that. They can barely afford food.

supplies, something I know I get every year. They cant even stay home with their child for a day if the child is sick. They cant afford healthcare or insurance. They have to think twice about spending even a dollar! Vakeyia Dulaney, a girl facing poverty, she said, I feel stressed because of the problems my parents face every day. I am scared to get sick because we cant afford it. We have to think twice about things others buy in seconds. Wow! I would never be able to live like that. Now, I realize how these people feel and what they go through every day.

What are we doing? What can we do?

Lets start with the big picture the controllers, the government. What exactly are they doing to help or possibly even worsen the situation? Well, there isnt much the government is doing. First off, job cuts. Which I personally things is the whole cause of poverty. I think this because, according to Star- Tele-

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lately many people have been laid off from the government, school boards, and other big company jobs. Yes, I know that doesnt seem like something that helped improve the poverty line, but besides that the only other thing that the government has done is set up Medicaid, CHIP, and WIC; which are healthcare programs, and one food program. They havent really set up any housing systems. What about us? What can we can we do? Many people said that they can do donations of different kinds. Thats true, many people make donations, but not everyone takes actions, & the ones that do take action can only do so much. They cant supply everyone with only a few donations. Its not as easy as it looks to help. Its done with hard work and unconditional love for others, like those whom have nothing. So, why dont they have what we have? What is the cause of poverty? I believe there are many causes of the high poverty rate. Some of the causes are immigration, education, job cuts, divorces, and people who choose not to work. If I was told to choose the top cause I would be unable to, but if I was told to choose the least likely cause out of these five, it would most likely be education. This is because most people these days are educated. If they arent educated then that is most likely because they chose not to be educated in which case they would fall under the people who chose not to work category. Another reason they wouldnt be educated is because they are immigrants, and were unable to get education. So, I guess its not their fault. Im not saying Im right, but thats what I think. So, as you read there are many people in poverty, there are many causes of poverty, and there is only so little we can do.

Cause of Poverty

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