Poverty in the U.S.
Poverty is a huge problem worldwide and we have to stop it. Let's start with our country.
Dear Future President,
The Center for Poverty Research says that in 2015 more than 43.1 million people, or 13.5% of people, in the United States live in poverty. According to CareerTrends, it costs an adult living alone in the United States $28,464 a year to live. According to Office Of Personnel Management, the average person works 260 days in a year. If someone works 10 hours a day $7.25 an hour (minimum wage) for 260 days a year that's $18,850. 19 Thousand dollars is not enough money to live on. Poverty in the US is a big issue and we need to fix it.
With this problem, we have three obvious solutions. 1) Raise minimum wage 2) Decrease cost of living 3) Job creation.
Raising minimum wage will cause the economy to go up and give people a lot more spending money. Giving workers a higher wage gives them more motives to stay with the company, also raising wage will help companies ensure their workers a decent way of life. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that 3 million people 16 or older work at or below minimum wage. President Obama supported Raise the Wage Act which would increase the minimum wage to $12 by 2020. You should do the same.
It's important to acknowledge that raising the minimum wage will cost a lot for employers and may cause some loss of jobs or raise prices.But, think about all the benefits.
Another solution is to decrease cost of living. According to MyApartmentMap, right now in the US the average monthly price for a one bedroom apartment is $1021 the average monthly price for a 2 bedroom is $1271 and a 3 bedroom is $1607. If we decrease that by 200$ each it would be much more affordable for people who are struggling to pay bills.
The third and in my opinion, the best solution, is job creation. In early September of 2016 7.9 million people in the US were unemployed, almost 8 million people without a job making no money to support them and their families. As our new President, it's your job to show us what you can do. Building and upgrading bridges, roads, sewage, railroads could make millions of jobs for lots of people.
As a country, we need to work together to help but you, as President, are needed the most. We shouldn't be thought of as a country with people who don't have enough money to put food on our table, we should be thought of as a country who helps each other out. Poverty is a big issue that millions of people are facing and just because not all of us are facing it doesn't mean it doesn't affect us as a nation every day.
Sincerely,
Joseph
Career Trends
"The United States." Cost of Living in the United States. Graphiq, 2016. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Center for Poverty Research
"UC Davis Center for Poverty Research." What Is the Current Poverty Rate in the United States? -. N.p., 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
Office of Personnel Management
"Pay & Leave Pay Administration." U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Opm.gov, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
"Ratio of Minimum Wage to Average Wage, circa 2011." (2014): n. pag.Bls.gov. Bls, Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
MyApartmentMap
"Apartment Rental Data." MyApartmentMap. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.