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Amid the speculative and fearful environment surrounding the federal spending cuts that began as part of the 2013 sequestration this past Friday, it is difficult to know what is actually going to happen. Apart from the fact that the Sequester itself is incredibly complicated and difficult to understand, no one really seems to have any definitive predictions on what the effects will be for average American citizens.
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What I have been able to glean from the abundance of articles, analysis and reports, however, is that many of the cuts will have a disproportionate effect on low-income families and individuals. According to a March 3 Huffington Post article, the proposed cuts include the furlough of more than half of the over two million government workers in the United States and significant reductions on education spending including cutting 70,000 pre-kindergarten students from the Head Start program and the elimination of 7,200 special education teachers and aides.
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There are a number of other proposed cuts that will affect middle- and upper-class families and individuals, like the closure of many runways at some of the nation's busiest airports, and the reduction of visiting hours at national parks, but the impact of these cuts seem trivial when compared with the loss of vital healthcare and education services for people who actually rely on those government programs to survive.
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Sadly, I am not surprised that the worst losses will likely disproportionately affect the poor. 
After all, with America's rugged individualist and "pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" mentality, it's just not in our nature to emphasize programs that appear to foster dependency and laziness, rather than a strong work ethic and a determination to haul oneself out of poverty.
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I am however, incredibly frustrated by the negative impact the Sequester will have. Our government's consistent efforts to save money and cut spending, which often end up being harmful to the poor, stem from our overwhelming faith in the "American Dream"-because of America's freedom and opportunity, you will be able to better yourself as long as you are determined and work hard. 
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Unfortunately, in today's day and age, the "American Dream" is a myth. According to Fareed Zakaria's February 2013 column in Time Magazine, economic mobility in the U.S. today is low. Our nation's poorest rarely become rich, or even achieve middle-class status. The moving stories we hear of those who pull themselves out of poverty and attain incredible wealth and success are the exception, and not the rule.
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The fact of the matter is that the circumstances of life in America have changed a great deal since the "American Dream" was a realistically attainable goal. Our economy is stagnant, there aren't enough jobs, higher education is more expensive and competitive than ever and even without significant cuts to federal spending, economists worry that social security will not be able to support future generations that are getting ever bigger.
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If we want to make significant strides towards ending poverty, the American mindset needs to change, and the government needs to heave itself out of our glorious past and start making policies that make sense for our current economic situation.
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We keep telling ourselves that even with significant cuts to government programs like education and healthcare, the poor will work it out for themselves because they can always pull themselves out of poverty if they really want to and work hard enough.
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Here's a little reality check for all of us: no one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they don't have boots. No one can buy boots if they don't have a job that generates significant income, and for many low-income laborers, they can't even get an income-generating job if they don't have boots.
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Poverty is not a simple problem with a quick fix. 
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We tell ourselves that there's always an out if you want it badly enough. But the truth is that there isn't an out because we keep raising the bottom rung on the ladder of economic mobility a little higher every time we make another cut to federal spending on vital government programs. At this point, the bottom rung is so high that no one, not even those extraordinary individuals with incredible talent, can reach it without a very significant external boost.
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I am no economist. I know that the United States is in very serious trouble if we can't find a way to cut down on spending to reduce our national debt, and I don't pretend to have a better solution than the one the government is currently trying to implement. 
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On the other hand, I also know that the United States will be in a different kind of very serious trouble if we keep ignoring the needs of the poor, blocking their exit routes and then blaming them for their own poverty because they are lazy and dependent and not working hard enough.
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If we pride ourselves on our freedom and opportunity, then it's time to find a way to make the "American Dream" a reality once more, albeit with a few alterations tailored to our current circumstances.