The United States
When talking about poverty, many people fail to recognize the poverty problems that we have here in the United States and that while you can't see an entire village of starving people here, the problem still remains. Oftentimes poverty is caused by a slowing down of economic development causing people to lose their jobs and thus not be able to provide for their families. In the category of economic development the United States has done quite well as it remains one of the major playing powers in the world, and so therefore does not face the same problems as Rwanda or Bulgaria does. Poverty in the United States is not a widespread problem and towns of people are not killed due to starvation, rather the problem occurs more so under certain circumstances. The highest percentage of persons below the poverty level are single mothers and the simple reasons for this fact are ones like the high cost of child care, the ongoing trend of males being paid higher salaries than females, and the high cost of education. Another factor of poverty are physical disablilities that keep people from working. Along with single mothers, persons with disabilities are also more likely to be below the poverty level because of their inability to earn money other than that which they can claim from the government.
Cities in the United States are notorious for their crime rates as well as their high population of people who are considered to be poor. Soup kitchens and shelters are as common as Gucci and Macy's. In 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a war on poverty which gave more money to programs working towards the reduction of poverty and created more laws set up to help those in need. Today we still have programs in use such as welfare, social security, and food stamps which help take some of the burden off of those in need. Welfare reform is a hot topic in the United States currently as their are many reports of fraud within these programs. Poverty in the United States should not be brushed aside, it is a serious problem that affects many.