The Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity and Upward Mobility - Article Review Paper Example

The article reveals that the American Dream continues to be elusive to many Americans. Not only is the American Dream proving to be elusive, upward mobility is increasingly becoming difficult, more so to individuals at the bottom fifth of the income scale. The Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity and Upward Mobility believes that it is courtesy of public and private partnerships that Americans can be helped to get out of poverty and upward mobility achieved.

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Authors of the article do a commendable job in revealing that the war on poverty commenced in 1964 and from that time henceforth, a lot has been done by Federal agencies and Federal programs with regard to addressing the poverty problem. Federal programs that partake in addressing the problem of poverty do so by providing food, healthcare, housing, education, job training, and energy assistance to many Americans who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. However, it is worthy to mention that the programs have not assisted people to get out of poverty. Despite failure for the programs to eradicate poverty in the United States, the cost of welfare has gone up to about $1 trillion per year. Critics of Americas welfare program state that the program is more concerned with programmatic requirements at the expense of working with individuals resulting to an overly complex system that is difficult to navigate.

The article offers invaluable advice to agencies involved in addressing poverty by stating that their programs must be coordinated. The article also suggests that repairing the nations safety net is the other way in which Americans can be helped to get ahead. The task force suggests that adults who are capable of working should work or prepare to work in exchange for welfare benefits. The government should also come up with appropriate incentives that would ensure that individuals successfully move from being welfare dependants to workers. There should be measurements to assess the performance of welfare programs with regard to poverty alleviation. The task force also suggests that welfare programs should focus on individuals who need the programs the most.

States should help welfare recipients to find jobs and stay in employment. People should also be helped to turn their jobs into careers, in the long run. Studies have revealed that linking welfare recipients with work yields meaningful results by increasing employment, earnings and incomes. Studies have revealed that most Americans concur that the government and individuals should work in concert in addressing the poverty problem. Most Americans also agree that Americans who can work should do so rather than depending on welfare programs. Most Americans also agree that able-bodied adults who receive welfare assistance should work or be prepared to work as a prerequisite for receiving welfare support. Studies have further revealed that there are welfare recipients who want to earn their living without depending on the government for support.

The article aptly stipulates policy recommendations that can be used to address the problem of poverty in the United States. States should engage Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program recipients to strengthen the focus on work as a way of helping the recipients to climb the economic ladder. Child support enforcement programs should be connected to workforce development activities in a better way. Connecting child support enforcement programs to workforce development activities will play a major role in providing a more stable environment for children. Beneficiaries should be engaged as early as possible with effective reemployment strategies that would ensure that individuals who have experienced hard times get back to work quickly. Waivers should be explored as ways in which Americans can be helped to get back to work in line with modern labor- market realities. Given that studies have proved that the longer people are out of the workplace, the lesser they are likely to return to work, it should be ensured that beneficiaries are engaged with effective reemployment opportunities as early as possible. The supplemental security income should be reformed to ensure that focus is placed on needed services such as special education services, mental therapies or physical therapies. There should be an insistence on work for work-capable adults so that they may be able to receive welfare support. Housing should be aligned with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs. Welfare programs should be designed in a manner that would ensure that everyone benefits when people move from being dependent on welfare to work.

I find the article, informative, educative and relevant in the current United States economic state. There is a need to ensure that solutions are provided to the issue of welfare programs so that the government does not spend $1 trillion dollars every year on welfare programs. The money spent on welfare programs can be better channeled to initiating economic programs that would ensure individuals who get welfare support access job opportunities so that they may be self-reliant. It is better to make someone self-reliant rather than perpetuating a cycle of dependency through welfare programs!