young and old, black and white. It affects people in all states, all countries, and of all

nationalities. Why, then, is such a universal term so commonly misunderstood? How

can a concept that affects so many, be supported by so few? In the United States

nearly 40 million people are considered to be living in the condition of poverty. At the

same time, so many more privileged people are growing up in America with the

misconception that poverty is a disease only to be cured by the individuals affected by

it. The study of sociology, however, teaches us otherwise. The poor people in this

country are not poor by choice. Most of them have been deprived of many of the

opportunities that the non-poor have received. There are many arguments about how

to get rid of poverty. It is my opinion that poverty will never be completely removed

from any country. Our best hope is to use all resources to reduce poverty to a

In order to find solutions to poverty in America, we must first define what

poverty is, who are most affected, and what factors cause it. The American Heritage

society, this is not ample coverage. Bullock contests that more media coverage of

It is my belief that the best way to reduce the level of poverty in this nation is

Some topics in this essay:
Table B-1, Heather Bullock, Americans Latinos, African American, , Diana Pierce, Security Administration, Heritage Dictionary, County York, Census Bureau, social welfare, welfare reform, poverty line, poverty level, welfare programs, living poverty, social welfare programs, poverty society, poor people, people country, considered living, media coverage poverty, considered living poverty, reform social welfare, social security administration,