The Singer Solution To World Poverty Summary

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Every so often, if people are wandering on Youtube or any kinds of social media, chances are they will find charity adverts that move them to tears and want to take action right away. Most of the campaigns use images of severely sick children or pitiful people with wearied look due to hard labor jobs living in the shelters. And there comes an article “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” from Peter Singer criticizing people who do not give cash donations to either charitable agencies or directly to the needy as immoral. In his writing, Singer states that the money people are spending luxuries should be donated to help sick children and low-income folks. In this paper, the author is going to argue that no one is obliged to financially support…show more content…
However, Singer seems to forget the presence of the U.S. welfare that has lifted low-income people out of poverty. It is the role of the government to boost the living standards of the needy and no one is obliged for the less fortunate lives, as a portion of U.S. citizens’ tax dollars goes to means-tested welfare or aid to the impoverished. In particular, in fiscal year 2008, the U.S spend $714 million on welfare programs to tackle the poverty in the country (heritage). More specifically, 52 percent of hundred million dollars took care of the medical care for low-income persons, 37 percent was invested in food and housing aid, 11 percent was contributed to education aid and social services. Not to mention half of the federal tax dollars goes to fund the disadvantaged or senior citizens. Additionally, this area is spent to help children in single-parent families. The government spends big chunks money collected from taxpayers supporting the necessitous communities. Nevertheless, why condemned other citizens who do not wish to donate as those with “a serious moral issue”? U.S. citizens have been doing what they are supposed to do; they pay taxes when they are asked to. If people were unvirtuous as Singer indicated, they would have held some sort of protests to against the idea of the government spending big chunks of income tax dollars to help out the needy out there. Not one is subjected to financially donate to either the charities for penniless persons. Please keep in mind that everyone has to expend considerable effort to make a living; henceforth, they should have the right to make decisions about how to spend their

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