Some changes to address this issue have already been enacted in New Zealand, such as “cash and housing assistance… a winter energy payment, and new benefits for newborns” (Mercer) to families in need. In the article, Mercer quotes a low-income single mother, who reports “within the first six months my income already went up”; she continues by praising how much positive work the government has done in such a short amount of time. In this example, it is clear Adern's crusade to aid children already appears effective, and begs the question: if New Zealand can do it, can the same ideas be applied in the United States?
However, a few criticisms of the new policies have been emerged. One of the challenges of this “monumental task” (Mercer) is how child poverty is even defined, a problem the previous government could not agree on. While there is not an official definition for New Zealand, a household income 50-60% below the average household income is generally accepted internationally. Because of this, the effects of the new policies toward “halving” child poverty will be difficult to measure. And while some families have evidently seen positive change, Mercer also hears from political commentator and associate professor Grant Duncan, and his reluctance “to give them credit for any results because we’re still waiting for statistics… we’ve got no evidence”. A spokeswoman from the Child Poverty Action Group, Susan St John, seconds this hesitation, as she expected to see more change at a faster rate. In addition to these concerns, the impact on the country’s budget may also pose challenges.
These same problems are likely to arise in the U.S. if further policies to aid children and the poor are enacted. In this political climate, the government is extremely reluctant to give added benefits or welfare to the poor due its effect on the national budget and the ideal of personal responsibility. Trying to enact more policies to aid children would certainly be a slow and difficult process. However, this attitude fails to consider the children of lower-class families, who by no fault of their own feel the devastating affects of poverty. In a country with such wealth, there is no reason that our children should be going hungry or homeless. Caring for our most vulnerable citizens and the future of our country- our children, should be a top priority regardless of political party; the U.S. government should take a more drastic stand in the way New Zealand has.
As with any political issue, making lasting change is a long and difficult road to follow, with plenty of political disagreement regarding how to make such change. As Mercer reported, some New Zealander’s are skeptical about how effective the new policies are, and how quickly the impact will be seen. On the other hand, plenty of low-income families claim to be benefiting already, and even the skeptics are still hopeful, including Susan St John, who told Mercer “this is the best chance children have had for a long time”. So, despite difficulties in reducing child poverty, the quality of our children’s lives here in America needs to be supported by any means possible, and we need politicians to take a stand like Jacinta Arden.
Works Cited
Mercer, Phil. “How New Zealand Is Trying to Take on Child Poverty.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Oct. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45819681.
This article about child poverty is very interesting. I never knew that New Zealand had such a high child poverty rate. I like your thoughts on how they are an example that other countries can follow to solve problems like this.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you summarized this article. I think it's really interesting to get a view of how child poverty looks in other parts of the world besides the U.S.. I learned a lot that I know while reading this response!
ReplyDeleteNice choice of article and response! It was interesting to hear about a different country's problems compared to the United States' for once. I liked how you summarized both sides of the argument on whether the government was lowering the rate already. Great response!
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