5 person household poverty

2 Parent, 3 children household—

EPI Budget calculator: $ 59,732.

Official Federal Poverty line: $24,800.

with a whopping Difference of $34,932.

My family could not live at the government’s poverty line; more than half of the budget would go towards housing alone! At the very least, no one would have any comforts at all. My family could live comfortably on the EPI budget thought. In fact, until recently, my family lived on less than that. We couldn’t have the nicest of things, but we certainly weren’t hungry or uncomfortable in any major way. Actually, in my opinion (for the state of south carolina) the EPI budget allowed more money than necessary for food per month with $776. My family will spend on average only $100 per week, maybe $150. But we do not buy the quick-fix stuff or go out to eat on that type of a budget. We buy the ingredients to go in the meal dishes and it is cheaper. And we ate well. Really, the biggest problem was that my two teenage brothers shared a room. I feel bad for the families featured on the documentary. There is no doubt that they have it very rough. However, I do not know what exactly the government should do to fix this problem, especially when the bill to rescue the crashed big businesses was rejected yesterday. Most people want the government to keep out of their “business” and to be relatively small, and then when problems come up, they all of a sudden want the government to fix them. I do believe that the current method of calculating poverty is seriously outdated, and definitely needs to be re-evaluated. The new poverty formula should take into consideration modern day costs and concerns, such as inflation and housing costs. The average family budget is no longer simply the annual cost of food times three.

Divorce in South Carolina

The Complaint for Divorce is the initial document filed with the South Carolina court. It is in this document that the filing spouse will request the court to terminate the marriage under certain specified grounds.No divorce from the bonds of matrimony shall be granted except upon one or more of the following grounds: No-Fault Based Grounds: (1) Living separate and apart for at least 1 year without cohabitation. Fault Based Grounds: (1) Adultery; (2) Desertion for at least one year; (3) Physical cruelty; (4) Habitual drunkenness or Drug abuse. (Code of Laws for South Carolina - Chapter 3; Sections 20-3-10).
The laws in South Carolina regarding divorce are definitely stricter than many other states, for example, Nevada where getting a divorce is so simple. To obtain a divorce when both spouses are living in SC, the filing spouse must have been a resident of SC for at least 3 months, but when only one spouse lives in SC, they must have lived in SC for one year. On top of the residency constraints, the couple must be separated for one year before a divorce is legally granted. There are only four main reasons for a divorce outlined in the Code of Laws, as stated above, but I must admit that I am surprised not to see “irreconcilable differences” as one of those reasons. I think this is good thing. Having strict divorce laws requires that both partners really think about the consequences of their decision, as well as causing them to ask themselves, “Do I really want a divorce?” I don’t see a reason why the policy should be changed. If divorce rates are on the rise, maybe one of those reasons is that people are deciding that it is too much effort to work through their problems and that it is easier to just get a divorce.We don’t include “for better or worse” in our marriage vows for nothing. I’m not married, but from what I understand, the “for worse” part is what really trips people up. Do they forget that they promised "to love and cherish each other for as long as they both shall live?” Perhaps stricter divorce laws looks to remind people of those vows. Yet I understand that for those who seek divorce for reasons other than "we just don't like each other anymore" have a very hard time during the divorce process. Perhaps the policy regarding the divorce process with special circumstances should be re-evaluated.

Social Issues and Potential Presidents

McCain and Obama, as we know, are the major candidates running for president this election year. I wonder if voters really know what each candidate stands for, do they see, or even bother to look past democrat or republican? What I find so interesting about these two candidates is that one is very far left, and the other is a more liberal right. Both have liberal viewpoints on certain issues. For the voter concerned with the issues, both candidates agree on some issues, while continuing to disagree on other issues. Social policy is one area that all voters should be concerned about because whether they realize it or not, each decision put into practice about social problems has an affect on every person. Social problems are defined by values and norms of individual groups in society. It is important that voters be aware of the candidates standing on social issues important to them, in order for them to choose the candidate that is most closely in line with their values. Both candidates support giving tax incentives to businesses who offer health insurance to their employees. McCain supports limiting the amount of damages awarded to a patient in a mal-practice lawsuit while Obama does not. Obama supports expanding Medicaid to uninsured children and to help legal immigrants. Both support increasing funding for school capital improvements such as buildings and technology, as well as to hire more teachers. These are just a few of the important issues; other issues include abortion, welfare and poverty, budget & spending, security, and employment, just to name a few. Every one of these issues has an effect on the daily lives of every person living in the U.S.A. I think it is more important to know what the candidate stands for rather than if he stands left or right. Visit http://votesmart.org/ to learn more about these issues.

Me in a nutshell

Hi.
I'm Nicole. I am a Biology major and I am also pre-med. I like to read, go to the beach, and do other fun stuff, like ice skate. I think this class is going to be very interesting and allow many of us to have our eyes opened to new and different ways of thinking about "problems."
This semester I get to take Organic Chemistry 2. So, if anyone can help me out with it, that would be awesome!