by Colleen Prentice

Created on: July 15, 2008   Last Updated: August 04, 2008

I am writing this from my own knowledge and experiences to dispel the belief that extreme poverty does not exist here in America. It came to my attention that some people, probably more than I think, are under the impression that the meaning of poverty in America, is people who can't afford the luxuries in life, such as a car, a computer, or the pleasure of owning their own home.

You can read all the statistics you want, remember they are compiled and released by city, state and federal government agencies. Do you really think a country like America, (of which I was born and raised and love, even with all its faults) A world leader, wants it known just how bad things really are. It would not reflect well on The United States if it was known just haw many extremely poor there are here.

There are children going to bed hungry every night, some even die, not from neglect or abuse, but from poverty. A group of these children here in the U.S. live in communities in the Appalachian mountains. They are referred to as the Appalachian mountain children. This problem is more wide spread throughout the U.S. then you no. These children not only go to bed hungry, they live in homes that are basically falling down on their heads. Many have inadequate plumbing, and many still use outhouses for restroom facilities. A large number of these children go to school without shoes, and the only medical care they get is through the school. I believe this would fall into the category of extremely poor. Your probably wondering if it is that bad why its not been on the news. Simply put it don't make ratings, people don't want to here about the poor here. The only reason the poor of other counties make the news is so our politicians get publicly known for the aide that is being sent to those other countries.

In the city of San Diego alone there are over 10,000 homeless people, and the number of homeless in New York city is even larger. That's just two cities in the United States. Take those numbers nation wide and the number of people without homes would be quite a large number. Think about it these people do not get a meal everyday, don't get needed medical care, they can't even afford to keep their clothes clean. That is about as poor as you can get.

I want to dispel the myth that many people believe. That all the homeless fall into the category of addict (whether alcohol or drugs) or lazy. It is simply not true, and I have personal knowledge of that, because after getting hurt on my

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