One Crisis Away Documentary

Asset Poverty as defined by the documentary 'One Crisis Away" Is "anyone who doesn't have enough to live above poverty level for 3 months after loss of income." The documentary also points out that "50% of Texans live in liquid asset poverty." This, however, should not be confused with poverty itself, which is also a problem in Texas as "16% of Texans below poverty level." The question directed at us, the class, is how does it affect our community? My question is: how doesn't it affect the community? This is a social crisis that can often prevent people from providing basic needs for their families and themselves. To narrow the scope a little I will concentrate on what would/could happen to children in these circumstances beginning with what a parent is legally required to provide for their children: Food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and let's not forget truancy laws. What happens when these are taken away or in a more likely situation, a parent has to pick and choose because they can't afford to do it all? Let us first assume, the family has lost

We have a systematic problem that includes not supplying livable wages. In the documentary 'One Crisis Away' chapter four, 'Living On $10 An Hour, While Trying to Pay the Bills', as well as in Reading 50 in our text book "The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality" shows how people struggle financially even when being paid over the minimum wage. People are then forced to work two jobs in order to pay bills and take care of their children. However, there is a kicker, if one would make too much money, for example, in Reading 51 or one of the examples from the panel discussion in 'One Crisis Away' then they could lose any government assistance they might be able to utilize to help take care of themselves medically or in terms of food stamps. This, to me, seems to be an effort to keep people down, instead of helping them