Blog 5

I think that micro-lending could work in certain parts of the US. I see it working well in rural areas where small businesses are more likely to make a profit than in urban areas. I think the welfare system needs to be revamped in order make micro-lending successful. People rely on welfare sometimes rather than trying to better their life through other opportunities. This is certainly not the case for every person on welfare and many truly do need what the system provides but others are abusing the system. In Banker to the Poor it talks about how some micro-credit programs have worked, mostly in rural area like Indian reservations. While in the urban city it has been harder to get a reliable program started. In Louisville specifically, I don’t think micro-lending would work because we live in a big city and rely on bigger organizations for most of our goods because its cheaper. Started a small business would be difficult and costly depending on the area in which the business is located. Yes, the poor in Louisville deserve a chance to better their lives, but at this time I am not sure exactly what type of program would work here. I think the persona of people and the willingness to try to better their own lives was much higher in Belize. People we met just seemed more devoted to what they were doing and worked hard to get what they have. In the US, its hard to find people with that type of attitude. Most just want to take the easiest way out and not work to get what they actually need.