The Working Poor: Invisible in America

Tax time in poor neighborhoods is January as opposed to April, when people receive their checks from the Internal Revenue Service. Legally employed low-wage workers who file a tax return stand to benefit from the Earned Income Tax refund, “one of those rare anti-poverty programs that appeal to both liberals and conservatives, invoking both the virtue of government help and self-help” (14). The money earned through this program could be banked and saved towards large assets such as a car, but it often has to go towards paying overdue bills and other debts.

However, many poor are cheated out of their Earned Income Credits owing to a lack of awareness about their rights and schemes perpetrated by middlemen. Shipler notes the prevalence of "loan sharks" in poor and working-class neighborhoods: “Poverty is like a bleeding wound. It weakens the defenses. It lowers resistance. It attracts predators” (18). These unauthorized lenders profit by loaning cash-strapped families money and charging weekly interest. The longer the payment is deferred is the more the interest rises, which means that the end fee could total twice the amount borrowed.

When questioned about who is responsible for poverty, the answer varies from person to person. Single mother

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