A、To define what the poverty line is. B、To explain why some people live the poverty line. C、To find solutions to the problem of

The poverty line is the lowest income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.
    As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today’s relatively high standard of living; about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.
    For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people axe children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old, the normal retirement age.
    Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe they can find a job.
    Other poor people look for a job but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills they can offer.
    Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a living.