The Working Poor final test questions 1 Why did Shipler call the chapter Money and Its Opposite Name a few examples of how money ebbs and flows in the lives of the working poor It was called money and its opposite because generally money helps you This chapter shows how earning more money can actually causes more problems and more bills for the poor An example would be that a person cannot take a promotion if they are doing well at work because that increase in money would out them above the lower earnings ceiling where they can earn discounted or free health coverage By earning a small raise it increases their annual costs way more than if they earn less and receive the health insurance assistance 2 Are payday loans a much needed service or a disservice to those in need Are the high interest rates justified in light of the default rate The loans are a service to those in need because it allows them to put food on the table and pay bills before their paycheck comes in from work It is a disservice to them because the interest loans are sky high Example a 100 loan would end up costing that family 500 to repay the loan by the time their paycheck comes in To some the high interest rates are justified due to the high default rate regarding these poor incomes However because these are the only types of families that can get money this quick and easily it is not justified since the predatory loan institutions are aware of the upcharge 3 In Chapter 2 Work Doesn t Work describe how an increase in pay creates an offset loss in benefits What are the worker training programs like The higher the income the poor takes the lower benefits they are eligible to receive An example would be that a person cannot take a promotion if they are doing well at work because that increase in money would out them above the lower earnings ceiling where they can earn discounted or free health coverage By earning a small raise it increases their annual costs way more than if they earn less and receive the health insurance assistance The worker training programs are not helpful in getting these people a job They mainly provide resume assistance or training in labor type positions that are not available These programs have very little positive outcome on these workers 4 Chapter 2 describe the typical food cycle for these single mothers What are the specific challenges of planning obtaining and preparing healthy meals For the mothers that work a lot they are earning the money it takes to buy the healthy food but due to the long and extended hours they do not have the time to go out and obtain it and prepare it On the other hand the mother could work much less and earn less money for this healthy food and be able to have the time to get it and prepare it 5 Chapter 2 Shipler states that like most of forgotten America Caroline was a bundle of causes and effects Describe three of the challenges that keep her in poverty Three challenges that keep Caroline in poverty are 1 she had a child with a disability this takes more money to take care of the child 2 She worked a lot so she received no health insurance help but she had a terribly bad hunchback due to all of the working and no insurance 3 She has no teeth but also no money to fix this issue due to no health insurance coverage This is also why she can t get a better job page 53 6 Chapter 2 Apply the American Myth to Christie Debra and Caroline Shipler explains that the myth has its value and also provides a means of laying blame page 5 How is this true for each of these women Christie has a low income living off welfare but the government takes away more of her money if she starts doing better at work and earning more money She is heavier and eats more food which in turn causes her to spend more money on food Debra is a welfare mom she likes working and also has her parents to help her She was a young mom and chose to not use protection and had 2 kids one with a disability Caroline is a heavy smoker with no teeth spends welfare money on cigarettes possible contributor to her lack of teeth she is depressed and cannot read and write Due to her lack of teeth and not being able to read and write she cannot get a job or even a better job 7 Chapter 3 Why do you think we don t know about the sweat shops in our own country We don t want to accept that we have these sweat shops Also they are hidden in low income or migrant working areas These workers are afraid to speak up for fear of being deported and not being able to provide even a little bit for their families 8 Chapter 3 According to Shipler how does our American idea fail in terms of equality of opportunity and result Legal immigrants come to the United States for opportunity They are still treated as minorities not treated equal and they can t earn a decent wage due to the inequality of education opportunity health care and police 9 Chapter 4 What economic or social policies in the United States have contributed to the cycle of poverty in which agricultural workers are caught Economic policies have a set minimum wage for agriculture workers These workers cannot even afford food on their tables if they take a sick day because that is a day without any pay They work in very poor working conditions as well which causes them to be sick or be weak 10 What should the state s policy be toward educating the children of illegal workers and why All children of illegal workers should have access to earning high school degrees These children of workers should be allotted at least a high school education because then they would be more self sustaining more educated and able to earn more opportunity than field work in poor conditions like their parents This additional education would also make them more aware of public health and the ability to survive and defend themselves better 11 How does feeling invisible impede progress for the working poor If they feel invisible they will not strive for any change or help make change because they feel as though nobody will even help them and their families so why should they attempt to make a difference 12 How does being a throwaway society explain our lack of mechanical ability or even our general education of how things work Being a throwaway society explains of lack of mechanical ability pretty clearly We are among the society where if something breaks why would we learn how to fix it ourselves when we can either buy a new one or pay someone to fix it for us This …