Let's talk about being broke.

At the end of each semester I start to realize how broke of a college student that I really am, ran out of swipes so noodles and hot dogs become my favorite meal and 7-Eleven / Taco Bells 99 cents tacos are my safe haven. But going through classes where terms such as poverty are thrown around so loosely one starts to think how they fit into the cycle.

Poverty by definition is the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. But in a thriving country like the U.S. should any person be lacking anything? Well each year the Department of Health and Human Services issues guidelines and thresholds to show the rates of poverty in the United States.  The last collected data which was for the year 2010 showed that 46.2 million people were living under the poverty line.

This epidemic is affecting all people from all walks of life. A Teaching Adviser for one of my classes explained this dilemma. As a TA he gets a payment of $3,500 a semester. He spends over 40 hours working his classes, as well as countless hours of studying for his dissertation. For a single person without children, the poverty line is $11,170. With that in mind, how many of us are living in poverty and don't even know it?

Nice shoes, clothes, and whips doesn't exempt you from being broke as shit. So the next time stunting is a priority. Remember the millions living in poverty and the many more who are struggling with it everyday.