Good evening everyone!

My name is Leslie Knope and you may know me as your governor of the state of Indiana. Now, let me ask you all a question. Have you ever seen strangers in desperate need? Looking lost in life with nowhere to go? How do you feel about that? Throughout my twenty years as a politician, starting off in city council in my hometown in Pawnee, then moving my way up the ladder to being governor,  I have worked tirelessly on various projects and reforms that aim to help those in dire need by providing them aid. After listening to my speech, you will notice the benefits that helping the poor bring in and possibly be inspired to do some action yourself. Therefore, today I will argue that giving aid to the poor does more good than harm because it positively affects the economy and it gives them more opportunities.

Now that I have introduced my claim, next I will go over how it benefits the economy.

Firstly,  I argue that giving aid to the poor does more good than harm because it will positively affect the economy. When those in need receive aid from the government, they will utilize the resources and use it to work out of the poverty cycle and it will eventually increase money circulation. To start off, giving aid to the poor encourages them to spend more money on basic necessities and needs, which in turn, increases gross domestic product.  For example, my cousin has been struggling with his finances ever since the start of the pandemic. Ever since he got the COVID stimulus check, he was able to purchase basic necessities such as food and water. In addition to that, it also boosts business growth. For instance, my friend, Andy,  received aid from unemployment stimulus checks and was able to use it to attend business classes that led him to find a job with the new skills he has learned. Now, he is living a comfortable life in a well profitable business. Lastly, giving aid to those in need adds to the overall workforce of the country. To illustrate, another friend of mine, April, was left unemployed and financially unstable after COVID hit. After being offered a job by Andy’s new business, she was able to get back on her feet and earn a steady income. She was able to call some of her other friends and Andy was able to hire them immediately as well. All in all, these examples demonstrate the point that giving aid to the poor can benefit the economy by increasing profits with more spending, stimulate business growth, and by increasing the overall workforce.

Now that I have shown how giving aid benefits the economy, next I will go over how giving aid to the poor provides them with more opportunities. 

Moreover, giving aid to the poor does more good than harm because it provides more opportunities for them. There is a high chance that people will use the money beneficially and use it for necessary and useful items such as clothes and rent which will provide them more fortuity. First off, giving aid to the poor can help them in terms of education.  For example, my good friend Ann received financial aid that allowed her to go to college. Since she had four brothers and two other sisters, her family wouldn’t have been able to afford her education, the aid allowed her to pay for nursing school, and today, she works happily as a registered nurse. In addition to that, providing aid also helps with housing. For instance, my old friend, Diana, receives the Section 8 government aid which helps her to pay the rent. This makes it possible that she can live with her two kids on her own. Lastly, giving aid to the poor helps them to get basic necessities such as clothing. To illustrate, my co-worker, Donna, used her COVID relief stimulus check to buy new clothes for the winter. Due to this, she was able to withstand the harsh weather conditions. Overall, these examples thoroughly showcase that giving to those in need truly presents them with more opportunities.

Now that I talked about how providing aid to the poor presents them with more opportunities, next I will showcase the counterargument.

On the other side of the spectrum, some might argue that giving aid to the poor does more harm than good because it will negatively affect the economy and people will take advantage of the money. For instance, people say that providing aid takes away money that can be used for other purposes. For example, my neighborhood has a lot of potholes and sees that money going to aid is not an equal flow to fixing these potholes. Also, people on the other side argue that people take advantage of the money and use it to buy drugs and alcohol. To illustrate, my neighbor received his stimulus check due since he was left unemployed from the pandemic, but spent his money on weed. Despite these points that the other side may bring up, it fails to consider that these arguments do not apply to all people and it’s a grand overstatement. Not everyone sees that measly potholes exceed the need for peoples’ basic necessities and not everyone takes advantage of the money as they actually use it wisely. 

Now that I have discussed what the other side believes, next I will finalize my thoughts.

All in all, helping those in need does way more good than harm in the way that it uplifts the economy and presents them with more opportunities. I hope you take these reasons to heart and consider these points when you think about the arguments presented by the other side. Thank you for listening to what I have to say and I now challenge you to help those in need!