Preview

Financial Success in America

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
401 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Financial Success in America
Bob Sanders
English 100 T/TH 10:30-12:35
Journal #3
9/17/13
Attaining financial success in America is not easy; it is a struggle that many Americans hope to achieve one day. There can be certain setbacks for some individuals who hope to achieve this position, but are held back possibly due to their race or class. Although it is said that everyone has equal individual opportunity in America, this is not so true for some factors we cannot control. Being born into a specific household that may be upper class or lower class is something beyond our control, yet controls us as we continue to strive. Furthermore, it is interesting how we cannot tell the class that one is in just by looking at their appearance, since people in America do not dress less fancy if they fall in a lower class. What I had not realized before is that the lower class has it much harder than I had previously thought, especially because minimum wage does not cut it for most of us. Even though a person can be fully employed at a place that earns minimum wage, it is still very difficult to get by, especially if you have a whole family to feed. Minimum wage makes it difficult for even one person to live off, let alone a whole family. Bills add up fast, and this puts many people in a situation in which they lose hope. For a waiter or waitress to succeed would be very difficult, especially since minimum wage is just not enough for people to meet their needs. It is being increasingly common for employers to lower the hours for their workers, and in order for one to succeed in a position like this is close to impossible. I believe that if many of these underpaid, minimum wage workers cannot afford food sometimes, and would rather skip a meal than spend money of a meal, they are considered to be in poverty. Yet, it is amazing how they are still not classified as being in poverty. This makes me wonder of what the government actually thinks what poverty is, maybe skipping two meals instead of one?

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Wage Gap Thesis

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Stagnant earnings persist to be an ongoing matter concerning African Americans in comparison to other ethnic groups in America.With regards to family earnings and wealth, the differences in the income of blacks and whites has extended.The holes in wages are generally the same as they were four decades prior.Raising the minimum wage is one of the best tools possible to lift incomes and giving spending power to stimulate the economy .The minimum wage is a mechanism for combating inequality, which is implied in the name of the Fair Labor Standards Act,which was created to help ensure that all work would be fairly rewarded.This act also guaranteed that regular employment would provide a decent quality of life and regular increases in earnings to ensure that even the lowest-paid workers benefit from broader improvements in wages and living standards (Cooper,2015).However, today with few adjustments made the federal minimum wage no longer distributes an adequate minimum for workers.This had led to the exact opposite of the FLSA which therefore has led to many workers having nowhere near decent quality of life.When the federal minimum wage of $7.25 was raised in 2014 it was nearly 10 percent less than when it was last raised in 2009, after modifying for inflation.As indicated by David Cooper EPI, an endeavor to better this issue is to raise the lowest pay permitted by law up,also would give adequate living wages to African Americans.The effects of this decline in increase has…

    • 1087 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dinner needs to be served, loans/mortgages/bills need to get paid and shelter needs to be provided and unemployed people will go to almost any extent to make sure that happens, especially when they have a family that also needs to be provided for. In America this is definitely easier to do than in other countries that are less fortunate or in absolute poverty. In most of the U.S. we have minimum wage rates set; in Colorado its $7.36 per hour (source: http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Colorado). In Latin Trade’s magazine article: “A Latin Viewpoint”, the author speaks about a Honduran woman that works for a textile company that makes shirts and shorts for Wal-Mart; this woman sews sleeves onto 1,200 shirts per day for a meager $35 a week. Obviously there is no minimum wage law if effect and if there is, it’s definitely extremely low; lower than should be legally allowed. What Wal-Mart is doing to this woman and many other workers is completely immoral; $35 per week is not enough to survive on. In contrast $35 in San Pedro Sula (where this woman, Isabel Reyes is from) probably gets you a lot more than $35 would in America; it doesn’t excuse the fact that…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking even deeper into poverty and debt.” This is a quote by Barbara Ehrenreich who wrote “Nickel and Dimed,” she is a journalist with a PHD in biology and writes about her own story as she chooses to change her entire lifestyle, face the hardships of being a part of the working poor class just to see if she can survive. Throughout the book she illustrated the different jobs she endured and the struggles that came along with the jobs. Her story highlights the social inequality she experienced based on her status, working poor class, routine lifestyle, her experience living on the edge and the stagnant pay she received. There was a lot of social inequality in her journey that many Americans seem to overlook on the poor working class.…

    • 3042 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nickel and Dimed

    • 2899 Words
    • 12 Pages

    A riveting tale about the world of low class workers, Ehrenreich puts into words what most are don’t acknowledge or are afraid to acknowledge. Through first-hand experience, Ehrenreich successfully navigates her way through the low wage work by working such common low wage jobs as waitressing, housecleaning, and sales. While along the way discovering that each job encompasses their own organizational structure, culture, and identity that she is focused to discover and conform with while being paid no more than $7.00 an hour and even at some points as little as $2.43 (plus tips). Ehrenreich persuasively forces us to realize that the American dream is slowly slipping away. No longer is America the land of opportunity where hard work pays off, instead millions are suffering in route to servicing to their rich counterparts.…

    • 2899 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author’s argument states that people cannot survive in today’s society on low or minimum wage pay. Only career people make it in this sort of society. In her book, she writes, “And that is how we should see the state of poverty of so many millions of low-wage Americans – as a state of emergency.” (Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Pg. 214. Published 01/01/01.) This “emergency” is a nation-wide epidemic, and has been known to be accompanied by many other social issues. Her argument’s focal point preaches on the injustice of low-wage workers in terrible situations being treated unfairly with no option to do better for themselves. This is a point I am 100% in agreement with. Commonly, those who work jobs of low income, have little to no accommodations, and have their life situations out in the open are not treated with respect. A man or woman can have all of the traits of an excellent worker with impeccable character and still be disrespected as a person due to their circumstances. This circulating issue makes poverty so much more of a problematic struggle,…

    • 1401 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nickel and Dimed

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Looking at the state of low wage workers in America today, many are struggling to make ends meet and provide basic needs to themselves and their families. Is this a new situation or just a necessary part of the overall American economic structure? In her book, “Nickel and Dimed” (2001), Barbara Ehrenreich steps out of her comfortable, middle class existence to find out how the people working in the lowest rung of America’s economy are getting by. Using her sarcasm, dry wit, and no-nonsense storytelling style, makes her main claim that in the economy of today, low wage workers are not anywhere near making it, let alone moving up the socio-economic ladder. This claim is hotly debated in every possible theater, from the political campaign trail, in the press, and at the local community college campus. Ehrenreich also states that there are several accompanying causes that are also at play, that high housing costs, access to basic health care, and the lack of a basic “living wage” contribute to a “hidden-cost” economy, and that they are working against people in low wage jobs. There are numerous arguments that have been presented that both support and refute Ehrenreich’s claims, mainly examining the validity of her examples, support information, and her execution of the experiment. Discussion of these different points of view and analysis will provoke further healthy debate on the state of the working poor and the possible solutions that we need to explore as an educated society.…

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    of those in poverty are full-time, minimum wage earning workers. This proves that we can’t simply live off of minimum wage. “With more family income, some people would choose to retire, go back to school, or have children, making it easier for others who need…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As time continues, buzz words, code words, euphemisms and myths become deeper and more embedded in the subconscious ideology in America right through today. This essay is written after reading a portion of "Race, Class, And Gender In The United States, by Paula S. Rothenberg", where she reveals how the general public, and pretty much the entire U.S.A., views the lower class as the undeservable and unwilling. Here is a good concept of what has been happening since the 1960’s “ like Myrdal’s; and some - this author included – have felt that the term has taken on so many connotations of undeservingness and blameworthiness that it has become hopelessly polluted in meaning, ideological overtone and implications, and should be dropped – with the issues involved studied via other concepts”. (p 103) It is very unfortunate that codewords and ideology of this nature carry such large amounts of judgmental baggage and become tolerant within the public eye, by the way terminology has been conjured up, or derived from the mere fact that greed, and or, fear itself that the poor unfortunate underclass, if given the tools, may somehow gain social hierarchy and take everything for themselves! I have always thought that the people that didn't have jobs must have had something or someone else to support them. I was raised with strong work ethics and I knew that if I wanted my own things in my life, I would have to work and earn the money to pay for them.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    For many workers, especially those with few skills and minimal education, wages are simply inadequate to keep the family out of poverty. Hourly wages among families with annual incomes below twice the poverty level average $8.55, and only $8.00 among single-parent families. Wages also are very low among families that have recently left welfare: the median hourly wage for families leaving welfare in 1999 was $7.15, which was 15 percent below that year’s poverty level for a family of four. In 2001, a full-time, year-round worker earning the minimum wage of $5.15/hour earned only 58 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of…

    • 2177 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    as they were not only responsible for instrumental i; also “The U.S. poverty rate jumped to 14.3 % in 2009, its highest level since 1994, and the 43.6 million American in poverty is the highest number in 51 years (U.S. poverty rate, 2010). The worker in the Working Hard, Living Poor: Social Work and the Movement for Livable Wages article illustrates how a janitor female, Casino worker from Nevada worked for eight years from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. leaves each morning not to go home but to go to her second job while getting paid $8.00 at the casino and only $7.00 an hour at her second job. The believe that one can aspire to an achieve a higher income is no longer a reality, as stereotypes, prejudice, racism, and gender are all factors that keeps groups in society in power over others. This is the result of social inequality. This creates conflicts and tensions for poor people, as they are being excluded from the privileges that resources that others…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    America is ruled by capitalism, therefore making us a society of consumerism. Affluence is essentially the "American Dream" people are constantly striving for this unlimited wealth or comfortable lifestyle when in reality it doesn't exist. There will always be pressure to "keep up with the Jones" in order to achieve this idea of happiness. This concept is not something new Americans have been under this pressure since the 1950s. It's just increased due to the amount of advertisement being pumped out by the media. If the focus of affluence shifted to value things money can't buy like: good health, healthy relationships, and peace of mind. People would strive for that. I have noticed a trend of minimalism is becoming very popular. I think slowly…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In 2012 during his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced, “A minimum wage worker who works full time year round does not make enough to be considered above the federal poverty line” (Cooper). According to Dr. Sherry Kasper, an economics professor at Maryville College, the federal poverty line for one single individual is around $11,500 a year (Kasper). Since President Obama stated that full time minimum wage workers do not make enough money to meet the requirements to be above the federal poverty line, there are tons of people who make less than $11,500 annually and struggle financially to support themselves, let alone enough to support a family. Therefore, because the minimum wage so low, America has millions of people living in…

    • 2313 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Vice President Joe Biden said, "No one in America should be working 40 hours a week and living below the poverty level. No one. No one." There are a lot of team members that work in the fast food industry and most of them are working poor. Fast Food companies are supposedly keeping minimum wages low and strike back against many team members wanting to join the union. They are not provided benefits and have no job security. Fast Food companies see no need for change and even with recent labor strike they are not budging. Fast food companies are taking advantage of workers that is unskilled and…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flipping Burgers

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Millions of United States workers are employed at a fast food restaurant. Many Americans are probably working in two or more of them at one time, just to get by. They also realize that flipping burgers isn’t below their dignity, having no job and living off of others should be below ones dignity. Every day I see people on the streets, begging for money. Yes, everyone has their reasons, but everyone is capable or picking their selves up and applying for jobs. You can always advance in the job you have, you gain experience, and once you have enough experience you can apply for higher jobs and get further up the chain. It just takes a bit of hard work in some low paying jobs.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Low Wage Workers

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What most Americans don’t know is that many of the workers keeping our nation pulsating are paid low wages, earning barely enough to afford essentials like food, health care, utilities and rent. Most of these low-wage contract workers are clustered in sectors and industries like apparel manufacturing, retail trade, basic construction, facilities support, security services, and education. There are over forty million jobs in the United States and one out of three pays their employees minimum wage. www.nbcnews.com. The majority of these businesses often do not offer employment benefits like health insurance, retirement savings accounts, paid sick days or family leave. These low-wage employments are replacing careers that have historically supported a broad middle class. Way too many companies have been able to get away with such, due to the state of our economy, their employees not standing up for themselves and most of all, migrants who accept to work at any low wage or illegally get paid under the table.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays