Immigration and Poverty

Who?
As you may have guessed, the subject of today's post will center around the large influx of immigrants to the United States in recent years. Immigrants are individuals who come to live permanently in another country. As a U.S. citizen I and many others have heard our fair share of "anti-immigrant talk" from the government and even citizens. Before I go any further I would like to confess that when I thought of the words "illegal immigrants," the first thing that popped into my mind were Hispanics. I and many others should realize that any person who comes to the United States without the proper paperwork can be considered an "Illegal Immigrant." Polish, Italians, South Africans, Australians, Chinese, Columbians, etc., can all be considered illegal immigrants if they do not have the proper paperwork. I think it is also important to note that the reason 'illegal immigrants' is thought to be synonymous with 'Hispanics' is because the border between the United States and Mexico is not as secure as it should be and many Hispanics may find it easier to sneak into the U.S. instead of doing it legally. I'm not sure the process of sneaking into the U.S. is as easy for say, a Haitian.
Why?
Although the idea of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is typically thought of in a negative light, there are many people who like to take advantage of these individuals. By this, I mean business owners take advantage of the circumstances that an illegal immigrant may be in and they may offer the person a job, but at a significantly lower rate of pay than they would pay a U.S. citizen. This is definitely a form of discrimination. Although most illegal immigrants are probably offered much less than the "documented workers," they remain some of the hardest working individuals. They pay taxes (or they should) and they help stimulate the economy by making purchases just like we do. On the other hand, illegal immigrants do not have access to public housing, social security, food stamps, welfare, prenatal care, etc. Yet they still pay into the pool of money used to fund the different governmental programs. Doesn't that seem a bit unfair? The point I want to make is that illegal immigrants are also getting the short end of the stick when it comes to obtaining financial assistance from the government. They get paid the lowest wages imaginable. They pay taxes. They pay the same prices for goods that we do. They go through the same health issues that we do, but yet they don't get any of the benefits that we do. That's sad.
What is being done?
There are the immigration laws and reform bills passed to strengthen our choke hold on immigration. There is talk that we should welcome immigrants with open arms. There is talk that we should do a massive raid and ship them all home. The point here is that although the United States government sees illegal immigration as a problem there is no definite plan about how to go about rectifying the issue.
What should be done?
I'm really unsure about what should be done about illegal immigration. I think it's hard to really address an issue if it hasn't directly affected you yet (I don't think it has?). Anyways, I tend to take a "Let's love and be nice to everybody," standpoint when it comes to situations regarding different groups of people (illegal vs. legal). I have a strong belief that people should be able to travel the world and live wherever they please, but I guess that could be easily done if the correct steps are followed to obtain documents. The illegal immigration topic is a hard one to tackle.

--It was nice working with you all this semester and thanks for all of the comments!!!

Poverty, Housing, and Community Development

Who?
Well, once again it seems that low income individuals are getting the short end of the stick. Not only do low income individuals have access to the lowest standard housing, but most individuals benefiting from public housing are also racial or ethnic minorities, too. The statistics of Atlantans living in critical housing conditions is worse. In fact, many of those in critical housing are single mothers, earn less than 50% of median income, and put more than 50% of their income to housing payments. For those that don't know, it is suggested that one put no more than 30% of annual income towards housing needs and contributing anything above 30% would mean that the family is more than likely going without basic necessities, such as food. The children of low income individuals tend to suffer, as well. Children living in low poverty neighborhoods tend to get involved in violent activities less often than those who live in high poverty neighborhoods.

Why?
The answer to this question is quite simple. Housing affordability has decreased over the last three decades, but the working class individuals incomes' aren't enough to meet basic housing needs (30% rule). As stated earlier, a working class individual may find a home to live in, but more than likely they are paying more than 50% of income on housing.

What is being done?
There are many programs in place to help reduce the amount of concentrated poverty stricken areas in the United States. The government offers public housing and vouchers, both designed to supplement the individuals income to pay for housing. Housing vouchers seem to be the most helpful in reducing concentrated poverty areas, because they give individuals the opportunity to move to low-poverty, low-minority neighborhoods where there is wide range of incomes. Those who live in public housing are more likely to live in high-poverty, high-minority areas because of the high concentration of poverty stricken individuals in one area (obviously). The housing act of 1937 was the initial aim at eradicating slums, providing sanitary housing, and decreasing unemployment. Since then The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, The Community Development Block Grant, The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (1976), The Community Reinvestment Act, and The Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 have all been implemented to help, in one way or another, eradicate unsanitary housing, revitalize neighborhoods, and benefit low/moderate income families.

What Should Be Done?
As far as I am concerned, it seems like the government is taking the right steps to provide more affordable and low poverty housing neighborhoods for those in the low/moderate income bracket.

Social Security and Poverty

For the sake of this post I will be addressing the 'What is being done' and 'What should be done'


What is being done??
Established in 1935, the Social Security Act was put in place to develop programs aimed to alleviate fiscal problems during unemployment, retirement, or death of the breadwinner of the family. The Old-age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program (OASDI) is commonly known as "Social Security." One may begin receiving social security once he or she has reached retirement age, the breadwinner of the family has died, or one that has worked at least 40 quarters (10 years) and has recently become unemployed may also begin receiving benefits. This system has proven to be flawed, as now there are far too many retirees and too few workers paying into the fund. Now, we (the working class) face the possibility that we may never see any of the money when we retire. There are many ideas floating around about how we can reform social security to make it withstand such 'wear and tear,' but we have yet to agree on one solution to implement. Some suggest that we raise the cap on salary to make those who earn more than $97, 500 pay more into the fund (larger percentage). Others think we should  raise the payroll tax for everyone. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the Recovery Act of 2009 which was implemented to help stimulate job growth and the economy. The act included the Issuing of a one-time payment of $250 to social security beneficiaries.

What Should be Done?
Although i think i would not be very helpful in the 'coming up with a solution' portion of addressing the fiscal problems of social security, I do agree that something has to be done to make SSI more durable and dependable for future generations. However, I do disagree with those that think SSI benefits should be decreased. I think it would be unfair to us when we retire, as well as those who have worked so very hard to get to retirement. That is not the way to go, for sure.