Title: 10 Reasons Why Cutting Poverty Is Good for Our Nation - Center for American Progress Action
Headings: 10 Reasons Why Cutting Poverty Is Good for Our Nation
10 Reasons Why Cutting Poverty Is Good for Our Nation
A Hand Up Creates a Stronger and More Vibrant Middle Class
Individuals
Poverty affects more Americans than we think
Rising poverty among children is particularly harmful to society
Poverty increases health risks
Poverty weakens families
Poverty traps individuals and decreases mobility
United States
Poverty costs our economy billions of dollars annually
Poverty weakens the middle class, the engine of America’s economic growth
Poverty weakens communities and access to the American Dream
Poverty lowers U.S. long-term competiveness
Poverty weakens our democracy
Conclusion

Content: As adults, lower-income individuals experience higher rates of illness, disease, and disabilities than those who have higher incomes. They have higher rates of chronic disease such as hypertension, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol. These conditions are exacerbated by the frequent lack of health insurance and access to medical care among lower-income individuals. Consequently, the life expectancies for poor individuals are much lower than those with high incomes. One estimate showed that individuals with low incomes had life expectancies 25 percent lower than those with higher incomes. Poverty weakens families
Low-income and poor families face significant economic pressure as they struggle to pay bills and make ends meet. This economic pressure, coupled with other stressful events that are more prevalent in the lives of poor families, create high levels of psychological distress, including depression among poor parents. As couples struggle to make ends meet, their interactions become more hostile, and they tend to withdraw from each other—leading to fractures in relationships and poor parenting. Job losses, a major cause of poverty, increase a couple’s risk of divorce, especially for African Americans who experience two to three times greater risk of divorce in such circumstances than white couples. Poverty traps individuals and decreases mobility
Children who grow up in poor families are more likely to be poor as adults compared to children from upper-income families, undermining the American Dream.