Session 14: Immigration

Immigration has become a hot button issue since 9/11 and even more so due to the current economic climate.  I have absolutely no issues with people coming into this county legally and becoming productive naturalized citizens.  I do take issue with those that come to this country illegally even more so with those who profit in the trafficking of illegal aliens across our borders.  It's interesting to listen to the different points of view in the Siler City video of how both the African American community as well as the white communities feel as though they are being invaded.  I do not agree with this point of view. Nearly every single person in this country came from another country.  I like the view held by Eric Liu in that "race is a fiction".

Session 13: Housing & Community Development

I think that the Section 8 Housing Vouchers help to break up high poverty neighborhoods where "poor people living in these neighborhoods are often both spatially and socially isolated from mainstream society".  By giving lower income families the ability to move out of "the projects" and high crime areas into housing that is more suitable for raising a family these families will have a better chance of staying off of welfare and breaking the cycle of poverty.  It's encouraging to see that the major housing projects in Atlanta will be closing and most of the former residents were able to take advantage of the housing vouchers and move into more racially mixed neighborhoods.  Housing subsidies are definitely a help in lifting people out of poverty however they alone are not adequate as only "1/3 of eligible families gets assistance".  I think President Obama's plan to "broaden access to affordable housing" will help in bolstering those people who would otherwise be living in deplorable conditions in housing projects to have access to communities that are safer. 

It is disheartening to read the information in the Center for Housing Policy report regarding the Atlanta metro area.  This report is outdated, however I would think that with the current economic crisis that besets us the percentage of working families with critical housing needs is steadily increasing.  I did hear on NPR the other day that the the number of people utilizing Fulton county homeless shelters is on the rise due to the economy and that the required hourly wage to afford housing in Atlanta including utilities was north of $19/hr.  This brings us back to the issue of earning a "living wage". 

Session 12: Social Security

I feel that the information covered in this session speaks to the question of "what is being done about poverty" as well as "how well [I] think poverty is being addressed currently in the United States".  Social security having just recently rung in its 75th birthday has been a very successful social insurance program that has aided many in times of need.  Social insurance programs in general I feel are beneficial in that they exist as a safety net "against the possibility of...indigence."  Had the birthrate's within the U.S. remained constant or risen in the U.S. over the past 75 years all the talk of social security might have been applauding its successes as opposed to railing against its unsustainable future.  I count myself as one of the "younger workers [who are] skeptical" about the future of social security as far as will it even exist when I'm old enough to retire in 32 years especially considering that current "expenditures are expected to exceed tax receipts this year for the first time since 1983".  It is slightly encouraging to see that the Affordable Care Act has aided in the viability of medicare it is equally discouraging to see that "significant longer term financial imbalances of the programs still need to be addressed."  So what is the solution to the continued funding of these social insurance programs that have done so much good?  I'm fairly sure that privatization as it was envisioned by the previous administration would have completely cleaned everyone out.  I'm not sure how you can transition from the current system being that "payroll taxes would be diverted to private accounts and wouldn't be available to pay existing benefits."  Maybe the solution is to cut the cost of living increase and raise the retirement age slightly?  In my mind I don't think that there is anyway to completely overhaul the system as much as I would like to have more control over that 12.4% of the money I earn.

Session 11: Health Care & Poverty in The U.S.

Health care costs in the U.S. have become out of control.  This is evident in the statistics presented in this session specifically the percentage of  the population without health insurance currently stands at its highest point in 5 years standing at 16.7%.  I'm sure that due to the state of the economy that this number will continue to rise as the unemployment rate languishes at nearly 10% and those that once had employer backed insurance are no longer able to afford or to purchase health insurance directly. I can't say that I was surprised by any of the health care disparities in the U.S. especially considering that minorities are also disproportionately represented across those living in poverty so why would this statistic be to the contrary.  One thing that has always bothered me about the health care debate is that everyone involved in the health care industry claims to collect only modest profit margins whether it be doctors, hospitals, insurance providers, or pharmaceutical companies.  If that is the case where is all of this money going? If premiums have more than double over the past 2 years?  Based on reviewing the 2009 income statement for one of the largest health care providers in the U.S. I would say that having a net income of nearly $5 billion is the answer to this question.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for free markets, but it seems to me that a lot of these profits are at the expense of the citizens of the country that maintain these markets. The amount of money that gets spent on health care is mind boggling especially if you take into account that the U.S. has the "lowest life expectancy among 30 industrialized nations". 

Lower income families "tend to have a greater need for health care, as they tend to be in poorer health, and it has been well documented that those without insurance receive less health care than the insured."  It is a "well documented" fact that lower income people do not have the same access to health care as those at higher income levels. As shown in the video about the new health care reform bill those without health insurance that need treatment are either forced to spend every cent that they have access to in order to pay for treatments or resign themselves to the fact that they are going to die.  This is due primarily to the health insurance industry being more focused on the bottom line than actual health care and their refusal to write policies to those with "pre-existing conditions".  Were it not for this stipulation in the new health care bill the woman in this video would more than likely be dead.  If someone were to be ill with cancer not having access to health insurance or even having health insurance one can easily find themselves facing the prospect of losing everything they have or dieing.  One of the objections that has been made about the new health care reform bill is that "I don't want the government making my health care decisions for me".....sorry to break the bad news to you but if you haven't realized it yet the health insurance companies are already doing that for you....have you ever had to get approval to see a specialist after your primary care physician has already referred you to one?  This is not a valid argument against the health care reform bill.  I think that not having access to adequate health care is also a drain on the economy as a whole because of the effect the it has on productivity.  I would assume that if people are forced to make a choice between paying their rent of going to the doctor/dentist they are going to opt to pay the rent.  There needs to be a system in place where people can afford to access quality preventative care.