High rate of poverty among US children is an international concern

Poor children in mining community

Recent statistics indicate the United States has the highest rate of child poverty in the developed world. 1 in 5 children are poor, a condition that will impact not just America but the entire world.

While new research tells us of the relatively high rate of child poverty in a country that has long been considered the richest in the world, the fact so many of the nation's young people lack proper nutrition, health services and opportunities reflects a future where disparities of income, education and overall well being may actually increase. As corporation executives gain in income, and the rich grow richer, a growing segment of the population will find it more difficult to climb the ladder out of poverty Horatio Alger style. Yet the philosophical overview that prevails in the upper classes that the poor are poor because of their own lack of will is likely to remain, as it has for decades, thereby presenting an ongoing barrier for the impoverished to participate equally in the future growth and economy of the country.

Researchers remind us that with poverty comes higher rates of depression and aggression, creating consequences of social problems extending to increased rates of crime and mental health problems 

And because union membership is dwindling, the pressure on the upper economic echelon for equitable distribution of wealth through reasonable wages has lessened. This means opportunities for adequate income relative to the cost of living is shrinking as well, meaning many in the middle class are drifting closer and closer to poverty themselves.

Globalization also has an effect on the future of everyone, which can add to the rates of poverty  experienced in the US. In order to attract investment to a country, businesses and organizations race to reduce wages and buy resources cheaply, which has increased poverty and inequality for most people. For the United States to attract investment means it too must meet the demands of a world looking for the best at the cheapest rates. This will serve to increase poverty, as it is the poor who cannot pay to educate their children and whose children lack the nutritional safeguards that underpin learning who will reach for those jobs that pay less and less for more and more work.

The growing poverty in America is not just confined to US borders but will impact other countries also. A vast network of communication systems and transportation capabilities has connected much of the world materially and socially. The decisions made by a dominant country can create consequences for other countries in the network of nations that interrelate economically and politically. Pressures from within create social problems that lessen a nation's will for fighting wars abroad. So while security needs increase, the will of the people to maintain security outside of its own national borders lessens. The poor, having less access to education and health care, will increasingly lack the interest and sophisticated knowledge to interact with others or appreciate their needs as well. Politicians can pander to the fears aggravated by poverty and loss.

Poverty is a problem throughout the world, and surely poor children are a concern for everyone. Many people outside the US may not worry about the poor children of America; but as America loses its will, its interest and its capacity for helping others, the numbers of poor children in every country will increase. We are no longer a world where the problems in one country do not affect others, so the news about the relatively high rate of poverty in the United States is important for everyone.