Michael Teitz and Karen Chapple's article, The Causes of Inner-City Poverty: Eight Hypotheses in Search of Reality, examines one hypothesis regarding inadequate human capital in the labor force as a possible explanation for inner-city poverty. I found this section particularly interesting as it relates to the differing platforms of the candidates running for President of the United States.

Focusing on human capital as a key factor in the productivity of workers forces us to ask the question: how is human capital acquired? Although the article expounds on this as it relates workers productivity and income, I found myself stuck on this particular question. They define human capital as "the level of capability embedded in the individual worker . . . as resulting from education and training, from skills developed through experience, and from understanding that comes with age" (41). To me, this is what we should be focusing on in our country-what we are doing to provide an equal opportunity to all individuals to achieve their maximum level of capability.

I understand that could be perceived as naive and idealistic, but isn't that what we should be striving for? I believe that each of us, as citizens of the United States, are afforded not only the privileges this country brings but also its burdens. The widening gap between Whites and African Americans, rich and poor, and the educated and uneducated is a problem for which we are partially responsible. I talked with a friend recently about my support for Barack Obama, and his opposition to him lies in Obama's alleged desire to raise taxes and to take his hard earned money and give it to crackheads. What?! Many of the people Obama seeks to help are college students that are deep in the pit of student debt, school teachers that are under-paid, and others who were forced into poverty due in large part to the family they were born into. Isn't it our duty to help level the playing field? Haven't we, past and present citizens, aided in key areas such as the further ghettoization of Public Housing?

I know that it is easy to distance oneself from these issues when you are privileged, but that does not make it right or something to be tolerated. The three elements of human capital outlined in the article-education, job skills, and work experience are three areas where we are further suppressing the possibilities for many because we are comfortable with the life style we are able to achieve, regardless of their state.

I hate it. I hate that my sense of security and ease often come at such a high cost to others. I believe we should invest in the lives of those less fortunate, but I admit it does seem to be a daunting task. Human Capital is more then one's innate abilities-it is a class-associated and often race specific notion that we must seek to improve and increase for all Americans.