Adam Wheat

Position Paper
5/16/15
Krause P.3
Introspectrum
Imagine you're sitting at home watching your favorite show then all of
a sudden you hear it, the infamous Sarah McLachlan song "In the Arms of an
Angel." This song is choreographed with images of little children in foreign
countries with deprived faces. The song hits you emotionally as you search
for the remote to immediately change the channel. Some people rush to
donate to foreign aid groups like UNICEF. Some wonder how people could
live without a home or live being hungry. They dont realize that there are
people living down the street like this. As Americans we are quick to aid
others in need but we should take a step back and fix ourselves. Americans
these days are too focused on helping people in other countries, when we
should be helping our own.
You may ask how people can go to sleep hungry. In 2013, 49.1 million
Americans lived in food insecure households, including 33.3 million adults
and 15.8 million children. A food secure family being at any moment the
family has access to safe secure nutritious meal. About one in six people in
America struggle with hunger. One out of five children also has trouble in

getting enough food. How can we look past the hungry faces of our own
youth? By not addressing this we only cripple our future. This doesnt hurt
our youth but our also seniors. 4.8 million seniors in America are food
insecure. Instead of sending our money overseas why not donate it to
Feeding America or your local food bank Feeding America is a solution to this
problem? Feeding America says that a dollar can fund ten meals. Could you
really look an American kid in the eyes as you give that money to help one in
Africa?
It is not hard for anyone to go through an American city and not see
another one of Americas problems, homelessness. Due to the recent
economic failures, more people in America are without a place to call home.
It is hard to put a number on how many people are homeless. Estimates by
research companies counted 610,042 homeless persons; 65%, or 394,698
persons, were living in shelters or transitional housing of some sort, while the
rest, 215,344, were living in places such as abandoned buildings or cars, or
under bridges. There were 57,849 homeless veterans recorded in 2013, and
40% were unsheltered. Among homeless families, 58% were children or 130,515.
Our own state of California 6% of the population is without a home. The top
three states with severe problems of homelessness are: New York, Florida,
and California. Shelters dont have enough space to solve this problem.
Everyone should have a spot at a shelter, especially veterans. We call all
pitch in by donating to your local charities. Thus we can take Americas off
the streets and put them in their own homes.

Looking through the other side of the spectrum poverty is a global

issue. The World Bank says that 17% (one billion) of people live on $1.75 a
day. Progress has been slower at higher poverty lines. The average poverty
line in developing countries and another common measurements show deep
deprivation. That is only a slight decline from 2.59 billion in 1981. According
to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to a poverty caused death.
They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from
the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life
makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death UNICEF says.
But all the global statistics on poverty are bad. In East Asia the percent of
people in poverty has seen a dramatic drop. The poverty rate has dropped
from 78% to 8%. East Asia has fixed their poverty rate. We need to adopt the
same approach in America. We need to wage war on poverty. For once we
need to look to Asia for inspiration. Our countrymen should come first. Once
we fix our own problems we can return to our goal to end world hunger. We
must declare war on American poverty. If we dont the problems will grow
and will consume us.
In conclusion, as a nation we need to take a step back from our role as
the worlds parent. We need to step into a role that we focus on our own
problems. Once we fix our own problems, we can return to helping the world.
We need to wage war on poverty. There is an old African proverb that says
When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside can do you no harm.
In this war poverty is the enemy.