Persuasive Essay On Poverty

The children of our nation are the future; however, America’s children are suffering. Child poverty, hunger and nutrition, and welfare are growing issues that need to be solved. The statistics provided in The State of America’s Children 2017 Report are eye-opening. Sadly, poverty is threatening America’s children. According to the State of America’s Children in the United States and Alabama 2017 Factsheets, 18 percent of the U.S.’s children were poor in 2016, and 25 percent of Alabama’s children were poor in 2016. These statistics are overwhelming due to the fact that child poverty affects all areas of their lives. Children exposed to poverty at such a young age are at a disadvantage in several areas; these children are at risk of low academic achievement, resulting in lasting negative effects. Our economy is not able to thrive if child poverty continues. Children living in poverty are also at risk of dropping out of school, being unemployed, and entering the juvenile justice system. Our government is responsible for ensuring that child poverty ceases to be an issue in the United States. Fortunately, our legislation has priorities in the effort to end child poverty through the extension of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), improvements to the Child’s Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and also through raising the minimum wage to $10.10. This can be done by investing more in programs that work like the EITC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance