by Lacey Nix

Created on: September 17, 2008

For hundreds of years people have given their lives to protect the idea of democracy. At this very moment men and women are giving their lives in war to uphold the values of their countries. People believe so deeply in democracy because they feel they have a part in their government. Democracies are upheld under the idea that the government is for the people and by the people. But what happens when the very government that is designed to embrace its people, instead holds them down?

Poverty and Voting Challenges

Poverty is a challenge to democracy because it is usually the poor that feel they have no voice in the government. In the United States, for example, to vote you must go to a polling location and in some cases have a valid government issued ID. Although there are programs that will help people get to the polls and allow them to get ID's for free, many people cannot afford to miss work to vote. Work places are required by law to allow you to vote, but that doesn't mean they have to pay you when you go. Therefore many people who need to work as much as they can to survive do not vote because they cannot afford to miss work.

Poverty and Education

Democracies provide public education to all students. However, not all education and schools are equal. Some teachers shy away from the public school systems to work for private, higher paying schools. Public schools then lose valuable, good teachers. Public, free, schools are also less funded. Public schools rely on taxes to pay for programs. When taxes decrease, or costs go up, public schools are forced to cut valuable programs. The children in private schools receive privileges and courses public schools cannot provide.

The private schools are also able to give scholarships for star athletes and students, thus taking the best students out of the public systems. The very nature of the publicly funded schools tends to hold the kids in poverty down. With parents forced to choose public education, their students might not receive the same advantages of those in private schools.

Poverty and Higher Education

In democracies people are intended to be equal, with equal voices in the government and equal opportunities, but that is not always the case. Unfortunately, not every person in our country is given equal opportunities. The cost of college, for example, is something some people can afford and others cannot manage. Although there are student loans and grants that should account for the difference, you still have one group

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