“America, the land of opportunity, is currently experiencing one of the worst poverty rates in 50 years,” said Michael Karibian, a poverty researcher and journalist. Many people are in poverty and have no one to blame but themselves. People remain in poverty because they do not have the desire to change, to succeed and to take charge of their lives; anyone can avoid poverty, even if the problem is people's attitudes towards change. It can be easy to give up and blame others for your misfortunes, but in reality those people can only blame themselves for their misfortunes in life. Getting out of poverty is difficult but it is not impossible for those who are willing to take control of their lives and no longer be a victim of their own mistakes. America offers opportunity to all who wish to avoid poverty by making smart choices, getting a good education, and overlooking bad influences. People are quick to blame the government for all the poverty in America when in reality they only have themselves to blame for their own misfortune. . “They didn't run as fast as everyone else, and if they ran faster, they would do better,” Allan G. Johnson said. The point of this quote is that if people don't try to get up they won't succeed and will stay where they are. It is true that there are uncontrollable external factors built into politics that can intensify the challenges of making the smartest choices, which are not always the easiest or most obvious, but the blame must be placed on individuals because poverty has a partial but directly with individuals. choices they make. One reason for the poverty rates in America is because communities have established a culture of poverty. An article......middle of paper......the line trying them. Girls who get pregnant at a young age have no one to blame but themselves, unless they are raped. All these things can happen to both the rich and the poor, although people living in poverty will have a harder time overcoming all negative influences than the rich, but that does not mean that it is not impossible for them to have a successful life as a long focus on success, anyone, of any background, can make it in life. Living in poverty is not a matter of bad luck, it is a matter of individuals not having the determination to be someone in life and always trying to take the easy way out. Those who are determined in life can be anything they want, regardless of their background. America offers opportunity to all who wish to avoid poverty by making smart choices, getting a good education, and overlooking bad influences.