Blog 5

Chandry book “Putting Children First” states that “we are asking the least fortunate to strive work harder, we are deeply discounting our public responsibility for the children born into poor families and disadvantaged communities”due to welfare reform laws that not only encourage needy mothers to work but cut down on public assistance by in some way giving something but cutting back on some other assistance. It was truly shocking to hear the responses of people that were interviewed regarding what was their definition of the working poor. The most bizarre answer that I found in a way even insulting to those that are the working poor was a comment done by a young lady. She said that the working poor are simply those people that did not think ahead in having a family and got married to young and did not know exactly what they were doing and now they have to in someway live through the consequences or choices they made. I find this answer changed by different types of words but given the same meaning in the actions that the government does in trying to “fix” the this problem of poverty. Chaundry seems to point out to the reader that the government thinks that by making mothers work they will eventually crawl up from the gutter and be well off without their help. The women interviewed in the book seem that all have had the same problem lack of support from not just the government but by those imposed by the government to help. If some of the videos if not some stated a inclination of awareness to all that everyone is responsible for the well being of mothers that are poor that raising children. Chaundry presents a revolutionary ideal to the help of poor mothers raising children “ We could …replace welfare with more support and opportunities for children in addition to strong requirements..” Mothers like s Annette in Chaundry’s book is a perfect example of how these women are given in some way goals to achieve in order to receive help but end up loosing more help by the closed doors they get with the little help they get but at the moment it is increasingly huge and necessary. Annette had to work extra hard to get the assistance she needed but it became rather difficult in the area of child care. Throughout the book the constant theme of child care being now more available to working low income mothers is a have but it seems that this same theme is related to obstacles and the child care which is suppose to be beneficial to the mother turn into a nightmare. Providers are not getting paid as told so by voucher, grants,etc and the quality Chaundry states is rather “dubious”.

“Living with a Hole in your Pocket” has a very interesting theme that at times I can relate to. It is not a theme but a cycle which is called the “viscous cycle”. It is living paycheck by paycheck.Treating the most necessary things in life as a luxury. The video “Poverty in America” was shocking to know that 37 million people are living below the poverty line this poverty line is composed by a family of four earning less than $20,614.00. After watching the costs broken down to the everyday necessities such as healthcare,transportation,food,living and utilities it was sad to see that almost all of those in the poverty line go above their earnings around 2,000 dollars. This video really focuses in the viewer ti see that there is no way a family can survive without help. The last video was and interview done by Professor Katherine Newman draws attention to the fact that the close to poverty poor people are often not even considered in policy making agendas. I personally feel some sort of attachment to this particular video. My family in particularly my mother has worked realy hard to come out of the poverty line and managed to have her own business however it was not easy for her to do so but with the joy and expenses she has in some way or another acquired more debt and still does not afford health care which is at times I think ridiculous neither the government can help you if you are poor but also if you are coming out of the poverty line I simply think policy should be changed and reflected on because it is not only affecting families that are poor but those that are not even in the margin of being poor.