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The problem with poverty statistics is they don't account for regional variations in living costs. Perhaps some of the new poor moved to cheaper parts of the country.
I agree, although I'd say some people don't know what poverty is in this country. I know people in this country who are living in what is considered poverty yet they have giant flat screen TVs, X-Box 360s and PS3s, air conditioning, good food, ect. If anybody wants to see real poverty, there are almost unlimited amounts of documentaries on youtube of different countries that have absolutely terrible conditions. This is not to say that there aren't people struggling in this country, but I feel poverty here can't be compared to 3rd world and developing countries.
I have known quite a few poor people and they have none of those. I would like proof that most poor have those things. If you think poverty is so great why don't you join them. So what if other countries have worse poverty that still does not prove that the people in poverty here are not suffering.
I have known quite a few poor people and they have none of those. I would like proof that most poor have those things. If you think poverty is so great why don't you join them. So what if other countries have worse poverty that still does not prove that the people in poverty here are not suffering.
There was a study done on what the poor have and most own their own home, have electronics, full kitchens, cell phones, etc.
The Heritage Foundation - a conservative think tank. I know the data is from the US Census Bureau, but they are picking out certain parts of the survey and interpreting it to bolster their own theories.
I have many problems with the findings of the survey. Firstly, comparing the US poor to the poor people in European countries isn't a good comparison. More poor people own cars here because having a car is a necessity in most US cities, whereas in other countries, you could get by without one as mass transit is more extensive. As for housing space, that's bigger over here too, but bigger doesn't mean better.
Electronics are dirt cheap today. This isn't the 80's or the 90's, where such items would cost an arm and a leg. Also, owning a mobile phone has almost become a necessity, especially if you're job hunting.
The poor in the US are worse off than most other developed countries, IMO (because that's what we should be comparing). This is mainly because they don't have access to affordable (or free) healthcare, they are less likely to clim the social mobility ladder and often live in dangerous areas, in terms of crime. Add to that, they are chastised and blamed for all of their problems by the bad decision police and society in general, even if they are "working poor".
"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman is not only a great song, but it tells a story of how it is to be poor and stuck in the poverty cycle in this country.
Electronics are not dirt cheap today. Just because the poor don't bat an eyelash at $999 for a television but they won't pay $100 to see a doctor doesn't make the television very cheap.
I'm sure when you think of people in poverty, you think of people with no food, clothing and/or shelter but in fact, the US Census has a loosey-goosey way of defining poverty and only a small number are destitute.
Did you know that of the people defined as living in poverty by the Census Bureau:
80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
92 percent of poor households have a microwave.
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You might want to read the entire Heritage Foundation report from where the above comes. It's a 2011 update to their previous report. I think there is a mismatch in what the average American considers living in poverty and how the Census Bureau defines it.
According to this post, there is nothing to see here folks. There is no economic problem in the US.
Thanks Laura for your endorsement of the job Obama has done for the US economy!
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