Originally Posted by elgusano
I live in a very expensive place. Not as expensive as somewhere like San Diego, but much more than other places.
I had a guest last week, and we ate for the entire week for about $20, although in fairness, I caught two of our meals.
I started with a #10 can of Contandina's tomato sauce ($1.97), added in a handful of seasoning ($12 for a big jar of it that lasts me several weeks, so about $.25), 2.5 pounds of 94% beef (locally grown, so $2.99 per pound), two packages of angel hair pasta ($.99 per pack). Several meals. Also, tempura batter for the halibut (one bag lasts several meals), lemon pepper seasoning for the salmon (one container lasts several months), a loaf of bread, a pound of ham, and a pound of cheese.
On the other hand, we could have eaten at the Chinese buffet, which would cost us more than $20 for one meal.
As for those in poverty owning homes: Every year, between 11% and 15% of Americans are below the poverty level. 43% of those in poverty own their own homes (up from 38% about 15 years ago), the average being 3BR, 1.5 bath, with a garage and a porch or patio, only 6% of them are overcrowded, with more than 2/3 of them having more than 2 rooms per person. The average "poor" American has more living space than the average (not average "poor") person in Paris, London, Athens, Vienna, or most European cities.
About 75% of "poor" households own a car, with 31% owning more than one car.
97% of "poor" households own a TV, and more than half own more than one! (Oh, how will they ever survive!)
62% have cable or satellite. 78% own a VCR or DVD player. (If they're so poor, how do they buy/rent DVDs?)
More than 1/3 own a dishwasher.
People are poor because of the decisions they make or because they are unproductive, but "poor" certainly has an interesting definition.
I helped a friend out for a few months until retirement by working third shift in a convenience store. They would use their food stamp card to buy Ragu, which cost as much for a little jar as I could feed my family on for 4 days. Many of them would buy Cokes in the 6 oz glass bottles because "they taste better". Most of them complained that they had to use their own money to buy beer and cigarettes, instead of their food stamp card.
Minimum wage is both unconstitutional and immoral. The true answer to poverty lies in education and removing the enabling of an underclass that is held in a slave position to poverty.
But that wouldn't buy votes.
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