A Homespun Safety Net

Op-Ed columnist, Barbara Ehrenreich, has come to the conclusion that the current economic conditions of the United States has been a test of the American safety net. Ehrenreich believes that what has happened to the government as a result of the recession can be compared to what happened to the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Katrina. Ehrenreich uses a story of a lower class American family who found themselves out of work and on the brink of poverty to explain how the government was ill-prepared for such a huge recession.

Ehrenreich does a good job using a great deal of examples to emphasize her point that though the government can “talk the talk”, they can’t “walk the walk”. Ehrenreich’s arguments are very factual and to the point. Instead of just writing from her own point-of-view, she uses direct quotes and incorporates a story into the article which, in turn, supports her firm stance in the argument. Though most political writers only look at the big picture, Ehrenreich’s chose to dig deep and cover a real life story about things that most people and politicians choose to ignore.