Blog 3

For my Take Action assignment, I sent a message to congress. You may do the same by following this link: http://actfast.oxfamamerica.org/index.php/takeaction/online. The letter went as follows:

As your constituent and a supporter of Oxfam America, I am writing to urge you to support full funding for poverty-focused development assistance in the International Affairs Budget, and oppose any budget cuts to lifesaving foreign assistance for the world's poorest communities.

 While Oxfam America does not take US government money, it does support effective, aid programs that save lives and deliver results. Right now, forty percent of the world's population - more than 2.5 billion people - lives in poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2 per day. The persistence of global poverty poses a challenge to our security, prosperity and values.

 While I recognize our nation's fiscal constraints, poverty-focused assistance represents less than 1% of the federal budget, which is nearly all the funding America devotes to fighting global poverty, disease, hunger and the destabilizing effects of extreme weather on the world's poorest countries and communities.

In order to help address the need of those living in acute poverty, I urge you to fund the poverty-focused development accounts at least at the FY 2013 Senate-passed levels. This includes Development Assistance ($3.1 billion of which $1.2 billion for Feed the Future and $123 million for adaptation programs that build resilience to extreme weather and the effects of a changing climate), Millennium Challenge Corporation ($898 million), USAID Operating expenses ($1.4 billion), and the Strategic Climate Fund ($50 million).

 

These tools are critical for sustaining American leadership to build a better, safer world. I urge you to fully fund these effective programs and oppose any budget cuts to poverty-focused development assistance for the world's poorest communities.

I feel as though it is very important to teach social justice to students. As educators our goal is to not only teach information to students but it is also to help them build character. By teaching social justice to students we build that good character that we strive to teach to students.

I thought this whole current event projects had me open my eyes more to the many issues that we are facing today. As a teacher I feel as though you should be aware of public events around you. Therefore, you teach your students to do the same. And a secret is the more interested you are in something the more likely they will be interested in it too!

I feel as though regarding the topic on food stamps and ebt cards, that citizens should be eligible only if they really need it. I do not have a problem with the government providing care for citizens who are in desperate need. The problem that lies here are the citizens whom take advantage of such care. This is where the problem lies and unfortunately this is the case in many circumstances in today’s world.

Events such as these should be brought up and discussed in the classroom. Therefore I feel as though it is extremely important to teach current events in the classroom. Even in grades as young as kindergarten you can tell them something as simple as a new machine that was invented, or something minor to get them thinking about the world around them. In the upper elementary grades is when you discuss more complex events, but even then students get interested. They too want to know what is happening around them and for them to be able to discuss their opinions in a classroom, really allows them to have a voice. As educators that is what you want for you students.

Amanda Cosgrove