How Abusive It Is To Be Poor Summary

In the New York Times article “How Expensive It Is to Be Poor,” author Charles M. Blow argues “Being poor is anything but easy.” Blow has been the Op-Ed for the New York Times columnist since 2008. In this article, Blow points out two points: people do not really know and tend to forget how poor people become poor in the first place, and if you are poor, you will likely being trapped in the poor world. First, according to the Pew Research Center that Blow cited in his article, most wealthy Americans consider poor people nowadays “have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything in return.” This is a very simple-minded view on the matter. In fact, those rich people have long forgotten what poverty truly means. So
from this obtuse view on the poor, American society tends to push them, the unlucky faction, into the forgotten shore, and that is why the life of the poor will remain the same in years to come without some changes in the economy system or people’s awareness. From this first point, Blow wants to make a wake up call for everyone ignorance, and to make his readers have a broader view on the problem at hand. Second, Blow when on and list a lot of reasons why the poor will likely being trapped in poverty as long as they cannot earn enough money to satisfied their already expensive American lifestyle.
To begin with, everything poor people make will likely to be taxed higher than the wealthier citizens. Blow has done a good job at giving out the statistic on how much people are actually paying for tax right now: “in 2015 the poorest fifth of Americans will pay on average 10.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the middle fifth will pay 9.4 percent and the top 1 percent will average 5.4 percent.” That is absurd, and in the exact opposite direction: The poor have to pay more when they do not have much money to spare, and while the rich only pay just a little bit from their income. Moreover, banks are hesitating to loan their money to the poor because the poor are the “riskiest borrowers” according to The Washington Post. As the result, the poor “all but cut off from access to big loans, like mortgages.” However, there is a way to move out of the poverty that is through higher education, but it comes at a big price. 88% of graduating seniors who receive Pell Grant had student loan in 2012, with an average of $31,200 according to the Institute for College Access and Success as Blow cited. Those students will end up borrow more than expectation. Furthermore, transportation, car, and court fee all suck up a considerable amount of
money.
Blow has gone through his entire article and filled in as much statistic as he can to show Americans the big picture of America’s current struggle clearly. He is really steadfast, provides reliable sources, and being unbiased. And like Blow said: “Being poor is anything but easy.”