Regent Task II

 

The article " Growing Up in America-An Atlas of Youth in the USA" indicates social, demographic, and politics, economic trends affect the condition of America's children. " Person under the age 18 make up only 26.0 percent of the U.S. population. " But the P children are the most accurate barometer of health and vitality of the nation. " They are the best indication of a country's standard of living. Thus, we need to improve policies for the 21st century. Here are three basic trends affect the youth in the U.S.

The first trend is demographic. According to the Figure 1, the elderly currently make up 14 percent of the U.S. population and the children make up 26 percent. As you can see, the population of children is decreasing while the population of senior citizens is increasing. According to the text, between 1997 and 2032, the percentage of elderly " will eventually surpass the percentage under age 18. " In addition, " the economic situation of children worsened relative to the elderly." You also can see that in Figure 2. If the population of elderly increases, the federal government will spend more money on the elderly's services. On the other hand, federal government will spend less on the children's living.

The second trend is America politics, "fiscal conservatism". During the 1960s and 1970s, the U.S. government established programs to help the families meet basic needs such as housing and health care. However, in 1981, President Reagon signed into law the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which transferred the responsibility for children from federal government to state-local government and private sector. More recently, the Welfare Reform Act signed into law in 1996 threatens the safeguards of poor children by "denying increased benefits for children born to mothers currently on welfare." The result of "fiscal conservatism" is fewer government programs to help families. This trend really makes the children's living harder.

The third trend is social change. This trend is concerned with the increased number of single-parent homes. This is cause by "high divorce rate and the increase in out-of-wedlock-births", and there families are "usually headed by the mother", and a lot of them are poor. "About 43.0 percent of mother-only family are poor, compared to only 7.0 percent of those in two-parent households." In addition, "although America is one of the richest and most politically stable countries on Earth," it is still limiting the response to child care, social support, and the reform of workplace polices, while other industrialized countries routinely offer financial support and generous social insurance benefits to strengthen families with children. Since the United States doesn't take the responsibilities for the maintains of children, the youths may commit crimes because of no money. I'm sure that all the people don't want to see that.

Finally, "among the 122 signatures of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child", "The United States is noticeable absent." From my description above, you can see these three trends provide a valuable contest for understand the condition of America's children. I hope the U.S. government can make some economic reform for the children. I hope the U.S. government can provide more social services for the children, make better living condition for America's children. As the children's living condition improves, the country's standard of living will also increases.