World Poverty: 2011

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Introduction

Welcome to my blog! World poverty has long been an issue that seems to have been put on the back burner; there doesn't seem to be a lot of money to be made in eradicating poverty. Through my posts here I hope to reveal what has been done so far through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and also through individual efforts. More accurately I aim to show you the shortcomings that governments and the MDGs have experienced in their efforts to aid poverty and hunger. It is not with a entirely pessimistic attitude that I approached the subject but I hope that the negatives that are pointed out will inspire you to search for your own ways to help. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Local Research Essay

Abstract

In researching hunger and poverty in America I predominantly found a large sum of propositions and goals that were created by national government or global organizations but with no statistics that backed up any achievements created by these goals. I had really hoped to find progress or a system that proved to be working in eradicating poverty and hunger but I could not. I chose to take a stance against all government involvement in the issue and set out to show some of the flaws in their programs and also to recommend that we attack the issue on an individual level. Many of the sources I found discussing poverty in particular, agreed that government involvement has done nothing to reduce the poverty in America and does not seem to have a backup plan for when the programs we have in place fail. My focus is on the attainability of the goals as well as the program failures that need to be addressed.

Ending Poverty in America: Hope Is All We Have

America is no stranger to poverty and will continue to become more familiar with the hunger and helplessness that comes along with poverty. America is not the first country to experience poverty’s grasp on a nation but America has perfected it; choosing not to take action when fully capable, when other nations did not have options. Poverty and hunger are not choices for a laid off worker, the disabled or the single mother. Lack of education, a government that does not help the people, mental illness and greedy corporations are some of the contributing factors that will continue to keep the people of America hungry, poor and tired. The fight about who is right or wrong between government parties reflect the same social fight that continues to push America to separate sides instead of coming together. Focusing on the war on drugs, the war in Iraq and the war for Capitalist personal gains have outshined the war on poverty for the last thirty years, and now it is time for real change we can believe in. Should we believe in change at all? Ronald Reagan declared in his 1988 address to the Union, “Some years ago, the federal government declared War on Poverty, and poverty won” (Billitteri).

When the history of poverty in America is brought to mind, thoughts of old west times or slave trade are imagined; times when there were only the rich and the poor with no trace of middleclass emergence. The cotton farmers of the 19^th century were the privileged and collected their riches; the black slaves did the work and were not paid at all. The same plight was carried on for generations, even after slavery ended, after new rights were conceived and after equality was gained. The United Nations states, “The gap between the richest and the poorest households remains enormous.”

The government has done very little recently to aid the fight against hunger and poverty, and the stance on what should be done varies from representative to representative. During the 2008 presidential election Republican candidates, like Mike Huckabee, presented that poverty and hunger are related to an individual’s lifestyle (Billitteri); the person is responsible for being poor. Additionally, candidates Sam Brownback, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson voted against raising minimum wage, instead proposing tax cuts and benefits for married couples (Billitteri). The government involvement in the lives of the American people is misplaced; the goal is not to relieve poverty but to incorporate a set of beliefs into the population. People that don’t fit a mold for what the government sees as candidates for a better life are not given the help they need, as seen by the program proposals that aim to reward rather than relieve. The proposals made by these Representatives elude that the American people are lazy and the change needs to come, not from the governments and agencies in charge, but from the people themselves.

The millennium development goals report state, “Progress is being made, but not fast enough to reach the MDG target.” The biggest threat to achieving the millennium goals is that the pace of the population growth is greater than the aid that can be given (United Nations). The population growth rate will only increase as time goes by, so the amount of food supplied needs to be the estimated amount the population in the future. While the United Nations relates these issues on a global level, the United States suffers similarly by never having a surplus for those that may need aid in the future.

To successfully achieve the goals that the United Nations and the American government would like to achieve the following would have to be included in the efforts:

Ÿ Eliminate all natural disasters: Without hurricanes, fire, global warming or tornados the American people will never again have to lose all that they have and begin all over again.

Ÿ Establish Equal Pay: Under the Equal Pay proposition every single person in America will make the same amount, regardless of their job or title or education.

Ÿ End War: Since the start of the Iraq and Afghanistan war in 2001, America has spent $1,153,718,800,000 (costofwar.com) and counting. This is enough money to give all 308,745,538 Americans almost $4,000 per person.

These proposals are obviously ridiculous and completely unattainable but they are no more ridiculous than saying that there ever could be an end to poverty. The ideas of ending war, eliminating natural disasters and equality of American workers are just as feasible as relying on the American Government to put an end to hunger.

Some of the most recent contributions from state and federal agencies include introducing welfare reform, the food stamp program and the Earned Income Tax Credit (Koch). Welfare was at one time available for all who needed the assistance, but the welfare reform that took place in 1996 made welfare an incentive based program, requiring recipients to work more to receive the aid they need (Koch). While the incentive basis gives those receiving the aid the sense they are earning what they are receiving, the reformed program also gives the recipients the sense that they are not already doing as much as they can to stay afloat with the cost of living (Koch). With the welfare reform, the food stamp program has taken on major reform as well, only allowing those that have established themselves in the workforce to receive the benefits, leaving out those that are most in need. The Earned Income Credit has been the most promising of the programs set out to help the poverty stricken; allowing those that have managed to gain employment the ability to receive less tax deduction on each paycheck, but the amount given is trivial in the long run. The earned Income Credit is certainly not going to pull any single person out of poverty for an extended period of time.

Trisha Anderson, a pediatric therapist for St. Luke’s in Nampa, Idaho has seen firsthand the effects of poverty; not just the effects on the patients but on the clinic where she works as well. St. Luke’s is a non-profit organization, meaning the patient can still get aid even without insurance. “My typical case load is 90 percent non-insured and Medicaid has severely lowered what or who they will cover,” Anderson reveals. “Being non-profit, the patient gets the treatment they need but the hospital still has to write the amount off to absorb the cost, instead of getting paid. The lack of income has caused hiring freezes within the organization and in some cases furloughs at some clinics.” St. Luke’s and other non-profit organizations want to be able to provide the best services possible, regardless of the ability to pay. However, programs like Medicaid and Medicare are in trouble, soon they will not be able to cover any amount at all. “We would hate to turn patients away,” Anderson laments, “but the money won’t last forever.”

The programs that have been set up by the government to help eradicate poverty have not worked, at least in the long term. America’s entire frame of mind on work, education and food production has to change. New thinking has emerged but it seems controversial and contradicts what America thinks of as the way of life.

The way in which America feeds the people of America needs to change. On the other side of the poverty spectrum are parents that are forced to feed their children processed and unhealthy foods. Obesity plagues the poor of America because fast foods and packaged meals are much more affordable and easier for a single working parent to prepare. The parents are not totally to blame because our public schools are serving the same things.

America’s Capitalist economy has succeeded in making the rich more secure, but has left no room for those who cannot afford an education or the ability to start a business to succeed. The Socialist Equality Party says that our rights need to be revised to include the right to a job, a livable income, affordable housing, education, health care and protection from corporate greed. Creating more rights is where the interjection of government is necessary, not in telling us how to live our lives, as the government is constantly trying to do.

Poverty is here to stay; efforts can be made to alleviate the issue but hunger and class issues are a burden of life. All the money in the world can be thrown at resolving the issue but it hasn’t worked in the last hundred years and it certainly won’t work in the next century. The only hope that we have for the future is coming together as a nation and adopting goals that include helping each other on a personal level. America is built upon tiers of society; there will always be rich and there will always be poor and there will always be struggles. Since we know we can’t rely on the government, all we have is each other.

Works Cited

Billitteri, T.J. Domestic Poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 17, Issue 31, pp. 721-744, 2007. From http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/. Web.

National Priorities Project. Cost of War. Costofwar.com. 2011. Web

Koch, Kathy. Child Poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 10, Issue 13, pp. 281-304. 2000. Web.

Koch, K. Hunger in America. CQ Researcher, Volume 10, Issue 44, pp. 1033-1056. 2000.

Socialist Equality Party. The Breakdown of Capitalism and the Fight for Socialism in the United States. Mehring Books, 2010. Print

United Nations. The Millennium Development Goals Report. DESA, 2010. PDF.

Bibliography

Billitteri, T.J. Domestic Poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 17, Issue 31, pp. 721-744, 2007. From http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/. Web.

Clemmitt, Marcia. Global Food Crisis. CQ Researcher, Volume 18, Issue 24, pp. 553-76. 2008. Web

Hosansky, David. Biotech Foods. CQ Researcher, Volume 11, Issue 12, pp. 249-272. 2001. Web

Katel, P. Ending poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 15, Issue 31, pp. 733-760. 2007. Web.

Koch, Kathy. Child Poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 10, Issue 13, pp. 281-304. 2000. Web.

Koch, K. Hunger in America. CQ Researcher, Volume 10, Issue 44, pp. 1033-1056. 2000.

National Priorities Project. Cost of War. Costofwar.com. 2011. Web

Socialist Equality Party. The Breakdown of Capitalism and the Fight for Socialism in the United States. Mehring Books, 2010. Print

Sullivan, Ashley F and Choi, Eunyoung. Hunger and Food Insecurity in the Fifty States. Gert.oregon.gov, 2002. PDF

United Nations. The Millennium Development Goals Report. DESA, 2010. PDF.

Image from polyp.gov.uk

A guy walks into a hurricane...

Some friends of ours, Anna and Josh, are moving from Seattle, Washington to Mississippi. Josh is in a coast guard man and got to choose 40 places he would like to be stationed at including Puerto Rico, maybe it was Puerto Rico, definitely somewhere tropical sounding...but Ole Miss was not on that list but he was apparently "the most qualified" to be stationed there. Cool now we have an excuse to go to Mississippi for whatever reason someone wants to go to Mississippi. That's the background for the upcoming rant.

Mississippi is close enough to the gulf to have been severely effected by hurricane Katrina and Anna and Josh are explaining that if you look their house up on Google maps that there is a FEMA truck right next to their soon to be residence. A FEMA truck. Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. I understand that Google maps is not always super up to date, so I got to researching the aftermath and it turns out that indeed the Gulf cities are still being rebuilt six years after the hurricane. I have a point to this rant; wait for it.

If after six years America, the richest nation in the world, cannot rebuild one coast of the nation, what possible hope is there to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals in a timely fashion? You want to eliminate poverty and hunger ALL AROUND THE WORLD but you can't help the East coast rebuild after almost a decade? The joke is on us I guess. Good one.

Image from polyp.gov.uk

Brochure

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Interview with Pediatric Therapist Trisha Anderson

Me: What are the biggest affects of poverty that you have seen working in a pediatric clinic?

Trisha: Our families that are more impoverished are actually more likely to receive assistance because they qualify for Medicaid but those that are just barely over the income limit do not get assistance for services. These families still need help but the limits that are put on aid leave a lot of our patients having to pay hefty bills because they are not poor enough. It's really quite sad.

Me: So, Medicaid and medical assistance programs are not all they are cracked up to be? How does that affect your clinic?

Trisha: My typical case load is ninety percent non-insured and Medicaid has severely reduced who and what they will cover. Being non-profit, the patient gets the treatment they need but the hospital still has to write the amount off to absorb the cost instead of getting paid. The lack of income has caused hiring freezes within the organization and in some cases furloughs at some clinics. We would hate to turn patients away but the money won't last forever.

Me: With many of these patients not able to afford insurance, what other affects of lack of income do you see in your clinic?

Trisha: We can really only assume what these families struggle with outside of the clinic. We see unhealthy eating habits, many kids come in with snacks like brownies or candy. Many of our families are single parent and low income, it can be easier and cheaper for these parents to buy fast food for their children than to make a nutritious meal. Outside of that there is not a lot that can be revealed for the privacy of our patients.

Interview with Idaho Teacher Allison Villastrigo

Me: First, do you believe that poverty or hunger could ever be eradicated? Why/why not? Even just reading over the United Nation's report, they stated that the population is growing too rapidly to achieve the poverty and hunger goals in the time frame they outlined. This is on a global scale of course, in the most poverty stricken nations, but relates to America as well.

Allison: Although hunger and poverty probably can't be eliminated in a capitalistic society, I believe the problems can be counteracted with the right circumstances. For instance, some districts in with many students on free and reduced lunch serve free meals throughout the summer to anyone who needs one. A program like this could certainly be expanded with the demographic info. obtained from students. It would be easy to document families that need assistance and provide it to families through schools. In good teacher education programs, students are taught about the "culture of poverty" so that we can identify with the special life circumstances they encounter.

Me: What can be done in the school system to help alleviate hunger on a national level? Some people have proposed school run community farming projects, etc.

Allison: We are taught try to provide social learning experiences and instill middle class concepts and values (at least at CofI, I can't speak for BSU, UofI). It sounds crazy, but many kids are unaware of what is socially acceptable until coming to school. This kind of learning can help them to hopefully break the poverty cycle. Obviously we need to greatly reduce class size in order to have an impact strong enough to reach most or all of these students. Research has proven that for decades, yet class sizes continue to rise.

For example, I have classes of 35, 36, and 35 in the three periods I teach and about half of each class has students of lower SES backgrounds and about half middle class/upper middle. Background is the last thing I am able to consider when planning lessons because I first have to take into consideration special assignments for several special ed, many, many kids who are behind grade level, and providing a challenge for GATE kids. My classes are too big and too varied in skill level to take on poverty issues very well. I try, but certain kids lock themselves into the poverty cycle very early.
One of my sixth grade students is pregnant this year and several of my past students should be in high school, but made other choices. Two have dropped out and three are pregnant/have babies...and those are just my past students. The teachers I work with have mastered teaching and are amazing with kids and their student success ratios are the same. That is just Middleton. We pale in comparison to the stories I hear from friends who teach in Caldwell, Wilder, and Nampa.

Me: I don't remember that being the case when we were that age.
A good friend in Wilder told me they have to show pictures of students babies and kids at high school graduation because MOST are parents. The hispanic culture in the area embraces early parenthood and the poverty problems are severe. I guess on my tangent I have come to realize another change that would make a huge difference is better "family planning" education or more availability to organizations like Planned Parenthood.
I think class size is very important, well-trained teachers who understand poverty and the unique situations these kids face, and better extra-curricular education to prevent teenage pregnancy.

Me: The massive restrictions on Medicare and Medicaid don't help either. Welfare, food stamps, etc. are all being over-reformed. Sure people have to work for what they get but come on...a trillion spent on the war in Iraq...a failed war on drugs...on and on. What about hunger?

Allison: I guess I should mention the back-pack program. I know they do this in Nampa, Middleton, Wilder, Caldwell and I would imagine others. Students take home a backpack filled with food each friday so they don't go hungry over the weekend. Unfortunately, most of the food is garbage, pre-packaged, processed, refined flour sugar, etc. In light of that, I think school run community farms are an excellent idea. One thing they would have to battle is the current culture of poverty and many kids with little experience with fruits and mainly vegetables.

My husband was part of a program run through Terry Reily during college and he went out to rural schools and taught them how to make healthy snacks like veggies with dip, celery and peanut butter, veggies with cheese. The kids were disgusted often and would plug their noses or gag. He said most had never encountered being asked to at least try vegetables and even with a topping like dip or peanut butter many were distressed by it. I guess that means it would need to start early, in head start programs maybe?

Me: Do you think the adaptation of a more socialist type government would help reduce the line between the richest are poorest in America?

Allison: Do I think a more socialist government would help...YES definitely. We need to pay more taxes if we want to do some of these things that will help kids and families and end the inequality we see today.

Me: I'm turning you in for your socialist views! I agree. Thanks Allison.

Letter to Senator Mike Crapo

Jeff McGough

1027 W 12^th St.

Meridian, Idaho 83642

Senator Mike Crapo

251 East Front Street

Boise, Idaho 83702

Dear Senator Crapo,

I am currently a student at College of Western Idaho and I am conducting research for a semester long project on poverty and hunger, both globally and locally. Through the research that I have conducted thus far I have discovered many ways in which the governments of the world are attempting to help aid in the fight against poverty.

I understand your time is very valuable but I would be honored if you would answer a few questions.

The Millennium Development Goals have been developed to bring the world together and to end world poverty by 2015. What are the most successful anti-poverty/anti-hunger programs have been established in Idaho and why have they been so successful? Many of the men and women I have talked to have expressed their concern about the job outlook in Idaho. How is the government working to create new jobs and to aid those who are unable to get jobs? Families all over America constantly struggle to keep up with bills, afford food and provide for their children. What would you say to the mother or father that is experiencing these issues? Finally, panhandling has come under a lot of criticism even though people are choosing to give in this form of donation. What can Idahoans do individually to aid their fellow community members besides food bank donations?

I really appreciate any information that you can provide for me. Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Jeff McGough

Film Analysis Essay

“Slumdog Millionaire” and the Exploitation of the Indian People

“Slumdog Millionaire” paints a picture of the rise out of poverty that is not only unrealistic but in some ways disregards the real issues surrounding the people of India. The main character Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, grows up in one of the most poverty stricken areas of Mumbai, India but contrary to his upbringing in the Juhu Slum, he has a British accent. Danny Boyle, director of “Slumdog Millionaire” may have won an Oscar but it was merely for the Americanization of the film. Had “Slumdog” maintained accurate accents, or used one of the Dravidian languages, it would have been pushed into the foreign film category, which by American standards holds about as much weight as a Grammy in smooth jazz. The beginning of “Slumdog Millionaire” begins like “Oliver Twist” and ends in a way Danny Boyle has become famous for; an unrealistic happy and yet tragic ending.

Young Jamal, played by Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, and his older brother Salim, played by Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, are orphaned early on as a result of religious violence between Muslim and Hindu extremists. The film clearly shows only the side that puts the Hindu on the offense of the conflict which is a continuance of what is now known as the Mumbai Riots; while Jamal, Salim and the other Muslims in his slum are apparently attacked without cause. The religious intolerance between Hindu and Muslims in India is a two sided issue but Boyle, in an attempt to make the viewer gain attachments to his characters, decided to add to the conflict by taking sides. Jamal, Salim and a young girl named Latika, played by Rubina Ali, are now alone and in danger of being killed in the most poverty stricken slum of Mumbai, India and they need to get out. The older Jamal, Salim, played by Madhur Mittal and Latika, played by Freida Pinto have gone from slum to abused child laborers and ultimately are separated from each other. Danny Boyle maintains a flashback montage showing Jamal’s quest to find Latika and Salim, through his journey to being a contestant on the Indian “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” and the investigation that ensues to his success on the show.

"We see all this every day," says Shikha Goyal, a Mumbai-based public relations executive who left halfway through the film. "You can't live in Mumbai without seeing children begging at traffic lights and passing by slums on your way to work. But I don't want to be reminded of that on a Saturday evening. (time.com, 2009)" Goyal is describing why India’s poverty will never change; nobody wants to admit it is there. “Slumdog Millionaire” shows the poverty that exists in India for half of the movie, which may be the strongest point the film has considering many Indian viewers refused to see the film at all. The India people do not want to be reminded that they are poor. Rags to riches stories are only effective motivators if the riches were achieved through hard work; if the reward is achievable for any person equally. While Jamal’s life experiences helped lead him to his 20 million rupee prize, the outcome is not realistic. “Slumdog” is more of a reminder to the people of Mumbai that they have no way out of poverty, except through a miracle.

Why Danny Boyle decided to Americanize “Slumdog Millionaire” is an easy assumption: even with India’s population over one billion people (Masci, 2002), making the movie attractive to America was much more profitable. From the use of music from artist M.I.A. to the British-Indian accented characters, even though they were never truly educated, the film aims at tugging at the heartstrings of an American audience; and it works. Boyle’s work allows us to view one Indian boy as a hero while leaving the rest of India as what he must escape. The only thing real about the “Slumdog Millionaire” is the use of Indian people and Indian places as the plot of the film; otherwise the film does not display any of the issues India is faced with on a realistic level.

In suit with the rest of the movie, Jamal wins his 20 million rupees and gets his girl, typical of a Hollywood happy ending. Salim on the other hand stands as the true martyr of the film, giving his own life so his brother and Latika can reunite; even through the flashback all is forgotten about the slums and struggles and outcome of Salim’s selfless act. End scene, cue pop Indian dance scene and roll credits. “Slumdog Millionaire” may have won 8 academy awards but it didn’t win the hearts of the people that matter the most: the true “slumdogs” of India. You may know a good movie when you see one, and in terms of writing, directing and acting, “Slumdog Millionaire” truly is a good movie. But besides entertainment what had anyone gained? India is still poor, America is still ignorant to the real issue of poverty in India and a whole sect of people and their lives have been exploited. Danny Boyle is sitting comfortably in his mansion polishing that Oscar while the real Salim Malik’s of the world are polishing shoes. Hope it feels good Danny.

Works Cited

IMDB. Slumdog Millionaire. IMDB.com, n.p., n.d. Web. March 15, 2011

Masci, David. Emerging India: Can it Remain an Open and Tolerant Society? CQ Researcher. 2002. Web. March 15, 2011.

Singh, Madhur. “Slumdog Millionaire, an Oscar Favorite, is No Hit in India.” Time Magazine. Jan. 26, 2009. Web. March 15, 2011.

Slumdog Millionaire. Dir. Danny Boyle. Perf. Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan, Frieda Pinto, Madhur

Mittal, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail. Fox Searchlight/Warner Bros, 2008. Film.

Global Essay

Abstract

Poverty on a global scale has been an issue that has been set on the shoulders of government’s worldwide. The expectation has been that these agencies, including the UN, should make strides in the seemingly impossible task of ending poverty through goals laid out in the Millennium Development Goals. It is important for government to use the power that is given to help developing nation’s progress but individuals, those that are more fortunate, must realize their responsibility to the rest of the world as well. Philanthropic ventures have been made by some of the wealthiest people in world; these individuals and institutions have donated their money and at times their fame for the aid to the fight against poverty and hunger. The philanthropy of these citizens has come under some scrutiny for appearing to be self-serving, as well as work of government agencies for coming off as forced democracy. Debate about the motives of people is nothing new, especially in social issues, thankfully even with the analysis the personal efforts continue. The outcome then must contain an incorporation of all efforts: individual, collective and regulative. The duty belongs to us all.

World Poverty: Philanthropy, Government Aid and Responsibility

There are millions of faces to poverty and hunger around the world but few who do their best to help end such tragic realities. Corporate greed, unsound political decisions and the lack of the richest people in the world to give what they can spare has made poverty a way of life, rather than a way of life that can be changed. Marxist author John Berger said, “The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. (Thinkexist).” The blame of the plight of poverty must not rest entirely on the governments that are meant to protect the poor or on the people who cannot pull themselves out of poverty alone. The burden must rest on every person, in every country, in every walk of life; and poverty must be taken personally.

When the United Nations established the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in September 2000, the summit declared that there are fundamental values required by all Nations and all people to achieve the goals set forth including: Freedom, Equality, Solidarity, Tolerance, respect for nature and shared responsibility (United Nations). When applying these values to Millennium Development Goal number one, ending poverty and hunger; evaluating the handling of the goals demonstrates who really wants to take on the responsibility to aid the poorest nations in the world, the ethics of how aid is given and why the MDG outline will fail on its own. The MDGs set their goals based on a global scale of trends without addressing specifically the poverty trends of each nation (Vandemoortele, 358). This method of addressing the issues will result in some nations meeting some success while others continue to digress further in to poverty.

Freedom, equality and solidarity have never been given to the people who suffer most with poverty because they cannot afford to buy these rights. The uneven distribution of world assets hinders progress toward rebuilding nations that need the money the most. According to the Mexican Government, “overcoming poverty will never be achieved through economic growth alone. What is needed is sustained economic growth and a stable environment, as well as a more even distribution of wealth, which are necessary conditions of achieving a higher standard of living” (Castellino, 20). A distribution of wealth may never occur since the top one percent of the world population owns 40 percent of the world’s wealth and bottom half of the world’s population barely hold one percent of the wealth (Davies et al., 7). Since the establishment of the MDG outline, very few of the richest people in the world have stepped forward to distribute their wealth among the poor, but some philanthropists like Bill Gates are trying to change how the rich view their role in the aid of ending poverty.

Philanthropic efforts that have made a difference include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has provided billions of dollars to fight poverty with help from investors like Warren Buffett (Wright, 74). Both Gates and Buffett have pledged to donate a majority of their fortunes to the fight against poverty, hunger, AIDs and other health related issues; in total about $60 billion, a much higher amount that UN combined funds (Okie, 1084-1085). Celebrity is one of the most effective tools in aiding the world’s woes; putting a famous face to a cause gives people a reason to donate their time and money to help end poverty and hunger. While there has been some debate regarding the motives of the efforts made by celebrities like Angelina Jolie or Bono, there is no denying that the star image is helpful to the cause. No one asked these actors and businessmen to make such seemingly unselfish acts of kindness but they continuously donate their money and sacrifice their anonymity for world progression.

On the political side of the aid to poverty and humanity the G8, the wealthiest nations in the world, have pledged to increase the amount that they will give to the aid of developing nations by $53 billion. However, the money that is given to these nations often ends up in the hands of corrupt leaders that are pursuing their own financial goals by creating businesses that do not help the country as a whole (Wright, 73). Thus, stricter governance of apportionment of funds must be taken and the government of the countries themselves must be held accountable for the achievements, or lack of achievement that each nation experiences. While the democratic nations of the world should attempt to stay out of the business of another country, when their funds are involved, fair standards and practices should be applied. There is a line to be drawn between forcing a certain country’s political practice on another and allowing the receiving nation to do as they please. Great Britain, for example, is one of the wealthiest nations in the world and has given billions to the aid of poverty stricken countries. Should England be allowed to say how another nation spends its money? Should they be allowed to enforce their policies on a nation if it results in the economic rise of the poor nation and if the end result is a dramatic decline to poverty, why not?

The compromise comes from combining the acts of singular entities like personal donators, government agencies and the contributions from groups that operate for the sole purpose of aiding those that have a goal to eliminate world struggle with hunger, poverty and disease. People give hope that the common goal can be accomplished, not immediately but slowly and at a reasonable pace; there is hope and an achievable goal of prosperity.

The resolution then, to end poverty is a never-ending sacrifice made by every person to give and to do so frequently. The finger cannot be pointed at the government every instance there is an issue that needs to be resolved. The people of the free nations of the world have a social responsibility to those that do not have the luxury of a free world and a personal responsibility to make every person equal. The lesson that can be learned by watching how some of the richest people in the world give is that no matter what amount of personal wealth someone has, it is a collaboration of efforts that leads to the greatest results. Locally, nationally and globally, people have at least one thing in common: we all deserve the right to live.

References

Castellino, Joshua. “The MDGs and international human rights law: a view from the perspective of minorities and vulnerable groups.” The International Journal of Human Rights Volume 13. Issue 1. (2009): 10-28. PDF.

Davies, James. Sandstrom, Susanna. Shorrocks, Anthony. Wolff, Edward. “The World Distribution of Household Wealth.” UNU-WIDER Discussion Paper No. 2008/03. (2008): 6-7. PDF.

Garces-Ozanne, Arlene. “The Millennium Development Goals: Does Aid Help?” Journal of Developing Areas. (2010): 28-37. PDF.

“John Berger Quotes.” Thinkexist.com. Thinkexist, n.p, 2010. Web. April, 12, 2011.

Okie M.D., Susan. “Global Health: The Gates-Buffett Effect” The New England Journal of Medicine. (2006): 1084-1085. Web. April 12, 2011

United Nations. “United Nations Millennium Declaration.” (2000): 2-3. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.pdf. PDF.

Vandemoortele, Jan. “The MDG Conundrum: Meeting the Targets Without Missing the Point.” Development Policy Review Volume 27. Issue 4. (2009): 355-371. PDF.

Wright, Lucas. “POINT: UN MDGS AND U.S. AID TO AFRICA: WORTHY CAUSES.” International Social Science Review. Volume 83. (2007): 73-77. PDF.

Final Reflection

English 102: The Fall of Free Time

Leslie Jewkes is a slave driver. That being said I would first like to say thank you Professor Jewkes for pushing me, forcing me to create a portfolio I never thought I could complete. Every single assignment that came out I said the same thing, “There is now way I can complete this with my work load.” But I did it. Many of my fellow students are well aware that working full time and taking a full time course load is seemingly impossible to handle. Our class started with roughly 22 people and ended at half that amount which says a lot about the character of the people that actually completed this course, regardless of the grade received. We should all be extremely proud.

As a twenty eight year old first time college student I had no idea what to expect when I was entering into my classes. I figured that taking 15 credits and working 60 hours a week would be a breeze, after all it is only College of Western Idaho, boy was I wrong. Maybe I was giving myself too much credit or maybe I just had high hopes of getting my degree incredibly quickly but I certainly learned my lesson.

Even with my lengthy work week I am used to having free time, in the summers usually consumed by yard work or even just spending time with the family. This semester's biggest challenge was trying to juggle the responsibilities all at once. Every Monday when I would open my blackboard I was consumed with a flooded sense of panic. Every task that needed to be accomplished seemed more impossible than the last but one thing kept me focused: my semester project on poverty. An issue like poverty or the reality of the hunger of the world really puts life into perspective. No matter what is going on in my life at this time I always revert back to what the rest of the world may be going through.

I'm so incredibly thankful for that realization. Although I hated my topic toward the end of the semester, I always maintained a sense that the issue was important and made every possible effort to make that show in my papers. From my local issue essay to the final global paper I never stopped learning, not just about myself as a writer but about myself as a person. English 102 has proved to be one of the best experiences I have had in the last 9 years and has boosted my confidence in what I am able to accomplish.

This reflection seems to have turned into a puff piece for Professor Jewkes but for good reason; I have achieved more in the last four months than I have in years. I'm extremely proud of everyone that hung in there with me and offered support to one another. The lessons learned in this class can be carried on to every other school venture that comes about; if you think the task is impossible just remember English 102.

Full Bibliography

Billitteri, T.J. Domestic Poverty. CQ Researcher, Volume 17, Issue 31, pp. 721-744, 2007.From http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/. Web.