Shipler Reading Assignment Response #2 - Ch. 1

Ron Hillier
Professor Wetzl
College Writing I
21 September 2009
The Working Poor: Reading Response #2
The first chapter of Shipler’s The Working Poor, Money and It’s Opposite, was a very interesting and informative chapter. The general topic of the chapter is how expensive it is to be poor. Not only are people on the line of poverty always struggling to pay their bills, they’re also always struggling to pay back their accumulated debts.
The working poor class that’s always struggling to pay their monthly bills most likely has other debts to be paid back. What the first chapter is trying to get across is that poverty builds on itself. Purchasing on credit only worsens an individual’s situation by adding interest to monthly credit payments.
The second point the first chapter is trying to make is that American’s need to learn how to conserve and save money. Poor people don’t save money because they feel they don’t make enough to save, and middle-class American’s don’t conserve money well because they feel they earn enough to spend a lot. This can cause a problem if sudden car troubles or health issues surface. I can relate to this argument personally because I spend too much money myself, and I know that I do, but I am horrible at tracking how much money I have coming in and out. Overall, the first chapter was a decent read and feel that I have a better understanding of what it’s like to make ends meet for those on the line of poverty.