According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty than they have ever measured before. In 2010, we were told that the economy was recovering, but the truth is that the number of the "very poor" soared to heights never seen previously. Back in 1993 and back in 2009, the rate of extreme poverty was just over 6 percent, and that represented the worst numbers on record. But in 2010, the rate of extreme poverty hit a whopping 6.7 percent. That means that one out of every 15 Americans is now considered to be "very poor". For many people, this is all very confusing because their guts are telling them that things are getting worse and yet the mainstream media keeps telling them that everything is just fine. Hopefully this article will help people realize that the plight of the poorest of the poor continues to deteriorate all across the United States. In addition, hopefully this article will inspire many of you to lend a hand to those that are truly in need.
Tonight, there are more than 20 million Americans that are living in extreme poverty. This number increases a little bit more every single day. The following statistics that were mentioned in an article in The Daily Mail should be very sobering for all of us....
About 20.5 million Americans, or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, make up the poorest poor, defined as those at 50 per cent or less of the official poverty level.
Those living in deep poverty represent nearly half of the 46.2 million people scraping by below the poverty line. In 2010, the poorest poor meant an income of $5,570 or less for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four.
That 6.7 percent share is the highest in the 35 years that the Census Bureau has maintained such records, surpassing previous highs in 2009 and 1993 of just over 6 percent.
Sadly, the wealthy and the poor are being increasingly segregated all over the nation. In some areas of the U.S. you would never even know that the economy was having trouble, and other areas resemble third world hellholes. In most U.S. cities today, there are the "good neighborhoods" and there are the "bad neighborhoods".
According to a recent Bloomberg article, the "very poor" are increasingly being pushed into these "bad neighborhoods"....
At least 2.2 million more Americans, a 33 percent jump since 2000, live in neighborhoods where the poverty rate is 40 percent or higher, according to a study released today by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
Of course they don't have much of a choice. They can't afford to live where most of the rest of us do.
Today, there are many Americans that openly look down on the poor, but that should never be the case. We should love the poor and want to see them lifted up to a better place. The truth is that with a few bad breaks any of us could end up in the ranks of the poor. Compassion is a virtue that all of us should seek to develop.
Not only that, but the less poor people and the less unemployed people we have, the better it is for our economy. When as many people as possible in a nation are working and doing something economically productive, that maximizes the level of true wealth that a nation is creating.
But today we are losing out on a massive amount of wealth. We have tens of millions of people that are sitting at home on their couches. Instead of creating something of economic value, the rest of us have to support them financially. That is not what any of us should want.
It is absolutely imperative that we get as many Americans back to work as possible. The more people that are doing something economically productive, the more wealth there will be for all of us.
That is why it is so alarming that the ranks of the "very poor" are increasing so dramatically. When the number of poor people goes up, the entire society suffers.
So just how bad are things right now?
The following are 19 statistics about the poor that will absolutely astound you....
#1 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of "very poor" rose in 300 out of the 360 largest metropolitan areas during 2010.
#2 Last year, 2.6 million more Americans descended into poverty. That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.
#3 It isn't just the ranks of the "very poor" that are rising. The number of those just considered to be "poor" is rapidly increasing as well. Back in the year 2000, 11.3% of all Americans were living in poverty. Today, 15.1% of all Americans are living in poverty.
#4 The poverty rate for children living in the United States increased to 22% in 2010.
#5 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.
#6 In Washington D.C., the "child food insecurity rate" is 32.3%.
#7 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.
#8 One out of every six elderly Americans now lives below the federal poverty line.
#9 Today, there are over 45 million Americans on food stamps.
#10 According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 15 percent of all Americans are now on food stamps.
#11 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.
#12 The number of Americans on food stamps has increased 74% since 2007.
#13 We are told that the economy is recovering, but the number of Americans on food stamps has grown by another 8 percent over the past year.
#14 Right now, one out of every four American children is on food stamps.
#15 It is being projected that approximately 50 percent of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18.
#16 More than 50 million Americans are now on Medicaid. Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid. Today, approximately one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid.
#17 One out of every six Americans is now enrolled in at least one government anti-poverty program.
#18 The number of Americans that are going to food pantries and soup kitchens has increased by 46% since 2006.
#19 It is estimated that up to half a million children may currently be homeless in the United States.
Sadly, we don't hear much about this on the nightly news, do we?
This is because the mainstream media is very tightly controlled.
I came across a beautiful illustration of this recently. If you do not believe that the news in America is scripted, just watch this video starting at the 1:15 mark. Conan O'Brien does a beautiful job of demonstrating how news anchors all over the United States are often repeating the exact same words.
So don't rely on the mainstream media to tell you everything.
In this day and age, it is absolutely imperative that we all think for ourselves.
It is also absolutely imperative that we have compassion on our brothers and sisters.
Winter is coming up, and if you see someone that does not have a coat, don't be afraid to offer to give them one.
All over the United States (and all around the world), there are orphans that are desperately hurting. As you celebrate the good things that you have during this time of the year, don't forget to remember them.
We should not expect that "the government" will take care of everyone that is hurting.
The reality is that millions of people fall through the "safety net".
Being generous and being compassionate are qualities that all of us should have.
Yes, times are going to get harder and an economic collapse is coming.
That just means that we should be more generous and more compassionate than we have ever been before.
You folks need to get a life and a brain. “Absolute poverty” in America is defined as a household income for a family of four of below $22,000. No one here seems to grasp or admit that the overwhelming majority of humans beings live on much, much less. Have these losers actually been to the third world? Of course not. Do they understand that billions of people live on a few hundred dollars a year? These are just the facts. Yet in America if someone doesn’t have a car or nice personal accommodation this is totally unacceptable and that reckless handouts that encourage bad behavior are essential. Actually this whole rant is stupid and infantile. It is criminal but America is too rich and self satisfied to prosecute such imbeciles.
It is clear that someone here needs to get a brain. While I agree in part that the global inequality is unfair, forced leveling of our standard of living to serve the goals of global economic powers is treason and should be dealt with accordingly.
We have a totally fraudulent, manipulated monetary system and we have no way of knowing what the manipulators will do next. It may well be that in the next year or two that $22,000 may buy us a loaf of bread and a stick of margarine-if there’s any to be bought. Just don’t leave the wheelbarrow with your money in it outside the store. You may come out to find your “money” piled on the sidewalk and your wheelbarrow missing.
The public is waking up to our economic crisis. Our only chance is if we can educate them to the causes and solutions to these economic problems. It amazes me that people begin to notice these problems and then believe socialism and bigger government is somehow the answer. I hope everyone gives out this web site as a resource to the public as they wake up. This site does an excellent job of pointing out the problems as well as the solutions.
We could go so far as to manually rub your nose in it and you would still cling to every government giveaway just like the liberals you are. The working 50% will never support your union donkey nor your Cadillac retirements but yet you’ll cling till the last gasp as the economy erodes. Such selfish egotistic worthless piles of human dung. You’d rather starve the children and let liberals pillage the system to support your obtuse length of dung. Then you’ll march on the same system you feed upon as if dung breeds hypocrisy. Dung you are. Wisconsin has a large spoonful of it. Union cry babies stinking it up for the rest. Some of you in every city led by liberal freaks kin to Franks and Dobbs doing the same to the rest of the country as they did with Fanny and Freddy stinking it up for the rest. Nothing but crooks pushed by the greedy. And you have the gall to claim your a democrat? That’s a laugh.
If you read Atlas Shrugged, you will see exactly what is happening today. The government is terribly corrupt and there is little value placed on human life. If you read the Bible, God doesn’t let his people turn away from him (and mock him) without consequence. He WILL humble us and the time is ripe.
Go to NumbersUSA.com, you can send free online faxes from there to your senators and ect telling them to stop supporting illegal aliens. It is a great site, they get things done. Helping out takes very little time. NUMBERSUSA.COM
Illegals are a huge drain on our country and resources.
So, extreme poverty rate has risen by less than 0.7% since the highs of 2009 and 1993. So, what did we do in 1993 to reduce the rate? We lowered taxes and created jobs. What did we do in 2009?
It seems, based on the statistics sited, that the extremely poor are the only poor people in the country. A person making less than $6K/year have it tough, albeit easier in Texas than New York.
And those families of 4 with less than $12K/year should probably ask extended family members to take care of the kids until they can get back on their feet. It seems families of 4 are very inefficient economically since they always seem to be cited in poverty studies. I guess it is better to be a family of 2, 3, or 7.
The facts are exactly the opposite. In 1993 taxes were INCREASED under President Clinton.The Republicans and conservatives were predicting economic disaster. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates after Taxes were raised, the government showing that it was axting to raise taxes. The economic boom that followed was of course not only due to that tax increase, but it flies in the face of your ideological analysis, real life economic realities are more complicated than your simplistic solutions.
I’ve been using gas pump activism to beat Obama. Putting decals on gas pumps, on store coolers, drive thru screens, inside menus, etc. They say “These high prices brought to you by Barack Obama” with his picture next to it. They’re reusable and leave no residue (no worries about vandalism) I get them at gconservative.com feels great everytime I put
one up somewhere.
Well, every people has the government it deserves.
It isn’t the democrats and it isn’t the republicans. Its the politicians, that use the income tax as a corrupt way of rewarding lobbyists. And it is the income tax that has been gutting this country’s industrial might for more than 50 years. We cannot compete on the world stage with a corporate income tax of 35% and state taxes that take that to close to 40%. That, combined with the highest wage scale on the planet, makes everyone else’s products less expensive than American-made products. Want to fix it? Kill the income taxes, all of them, and pass the Fair Tax. It is a tax on consumption, not on income. It will make the USA super-competitive on the world market, and get our jobs back from overseas. But we have to get the politicians to pass it. Make it clear to them that you want the Fair Tax, and no income tax. Do it, or this poverty-slide will continue.
This article, like many of the comments, show a fundamental lack of “knowlege” about what constitutes “poverty” in America.
For actual information, as opposed to the rank ignorance displayed in the article above, readers show read:
“Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?” by Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield, published on July 18, 2011.
Well let’s keep bringing in indigents from other countries and put them on welfare! They have no drive to become anything,chosing to live off the largese of the REAL American people (note how so many of them don’t even try to assimilate). They are LEECHES! Not to mention the ILLEGAL LAZY MEXICAN who continue to breed like rats.
indigo, Obama had a majority in house and senate for two years . Sadly he got everything done that he wanted. He got his stimulas almost one trillion. he passed the healthcare bill(pass it a then we will find whats in it.) That should make every American who cares for their country angry, BTW. Now we are finding out whats in it. As a small businesses owner, guess what! I’m not hiring anyone else. Like others business. we are waiting to find out whats in this piece of garbage they gave us. That BTW they voted to keep their own insurance. The Repulicans have passed a number of bills that Harry Reid wont even consider. Yet the rebublicans are getting blame for not passing his?? In all do respect Indigo the senate doesnt even like Obama’s bill either.
I was just reading an article about a man who makes artisan bread in his kitchen then bakes it in a back-yard oven. He has been cited for an illegal business. He cannot continue without a stainless steel kitchen, licenses, fees, permits, inspections. He needed a job and he was clever enough to start his own. Then the government stepped in and put him out of business. And we all wonder why people are poor.
We need a return to our Godly and Constitutional roots. Away with big government. Big government is the problem not the solution!
Most of the poor are reading this (those that can read and didn’t squander their free education)on a computer in their taxpayer provided house using taxpayer provided electricity and eating a taxpayer provided breakfast. They then call someone on their taxpayer provided cell phone to bitch about how poor they are.
Wow. Tell me taxpayer: Where do taxpayer provided houses, lighted with taxpayer provided electricity, and “taxpayer provided breakfasts” exist? Taxpayer provided cell-phones? I’ve never heard of this… If this were truly the case, there wouldn’t be any poor. Are you speaking from experienced and evidenced knowledge? Or just the politician and media disbursed depictions of the so called “evil blood sucking poor who are all out to cheat the system because they are truly too lazy to get a job and certainly all deserve their circumstances because they most assuredly caused them themselves?”
ENOUGH SAID……..
http://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/rental_assistance/phprog
http://www.energy.gov.za/files/faqs/faqs_freebasic.html
http://www.akdart.com/poverty.html
@ John Steinsvold: No money currency? Resources distributed based on need? Have you read the book “Atlas Shrugged”? Wow…hard to believe people are still hanging on to utopian ideals versus human nature / human motivation.
It does not matter who you vote for, both parties are the same puppet masters! We should all see that by now……..
Obama must proclaim himself Lord God High Führer for life, now! If American’s are to have any hope of salvation.
As it was foretold by the MSM, only Mein Führer is our true lord and savior:
Newsweek editor Evan Thomas : “I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God.”
The airheads that say we aren’t over regulated need to get therapy for craneial inversion. I have been in construction for fifty years. To do a three day job recently of repair work on a deck on a vacation cottage you would not believe the hoops you have to jump thru to get permission to work. Some of the regulations you have to work thru are assinine. The code follows the wants of the insurance companies. It took me nearly a month to get a permit to replace some weathered boards on the floor and hand rails.
You make your bed – you lay in it. Drugs, alcohol, Walmart, and the home bred entitlement mentality have put these people what they are. You can’t fix stupid.
That’s right… You certainly can’t fix stupid. Coincidentally, blaming the poor for being poor is clearly the highly educated and evidence supported explanation of how these disparities came to be? Certainly has nothing to do with a 26.4% gender wage gap, non-existent livable wage, discrimination in hiring, promotions, gender segregation between occupations as well as within occupations, women disproportionately represented in low-wage earning jobs which of course do not provide health care or benefits. The failure of society to honor its mothers and women as valuable human beings instead of denying the fact that society unfairly penalizes them and doesn’t account for the reality of human circumstances, expecting them to fulfill absolutely impossible expectations. It would certainly be helpful if the men in this society would take responsibility for their equal share of housework and childcare.. RESPONSIBILITY is key…So far, the burden of housework and childcare has remained to be considered solely a woman’s job. Yet no one has thought to provide women with some form of compensation for this determination.. Nope.. Quite the contrary.. Only further penalization and punishment for the role of a mother: no childcare provisions, so women are further unfairly burdened with the costs, and time schedule conflicts.. Have men stepped up to accepting 1/2 this responsibility? Apparently not… If they had, the Nation’s poor would not consist of mainly single mothers with children. It certainly doesn’t help that these bogus agencies that claim to “assist,” such as the “Child Support Division” is a fraud.. The child support division steals money from children, sets up circumstances so that the fathers suffer hardship as well, the child sees no money, and the child support division steals a substantial amount of money that i can’t for the life of me figure out how they’ve determined that it somehow belongs to them…. No one investigates this misuse and abuse.. No.. Economic decline certainly wasn’t caused by government bailouts, the privatization and collapse of the banking system… the fact that our legislators don’t even try to pass legislation to address poverty in America.. Nope let’s talk about women’s reproductive organs every day for 10 years for the rest of eternity. That way we’ll never have to solve any problems or create any jobs or do anything but steal everyone’s money, and blame it on the most invisible people of society who have no way to defend themselves.
This fundamentalist, individualism theory is extremely problematic because it denies society’s role in creating the circumstances that have perpetuated this disparity, and shifts the blame onto the victims… Yeah.. You certainly fix stupid and as long as people continue to blame the poor for being poor, the homeless for being homeless, and rape victims for being raped; innocent mothers and children suffer increased poverty and homelessness and ignorant people find more and more ways to excuse themselves from accepting reality by placing the blame on the victim. This prevents anyone from even trying to find solutions to these problems which only compounds the problems.. When it finally hits you.. You’ll realize that the “denial based social fictions” to which you are compelled to adhere to, are what has kept this country in the dark as to how the system is robbing you blind and blaming it on the most vulnerable in society. By the way… poor people pay taxes too.
This is total made up ******************** just like global warming. You should be ashamed of yourselves for printing this garbage.
Which of the facts presented in the article do you dispute?
Michael
cisconchip is absolutely right and indigo is COMPLETELY wrong. The Democrats did have a super majority for quite some time and they still control the govt. You cannot bring up the poor by bringing down the rich. Is it just a coincidence that the disparity has increased as the liberal progressive Democrats have increased their power? Their Marxist beliefs are easier shoved down the throats of the impoverished. Therefore the more poor people, the stronger the Democrat Party! It’s time to re-empower the people with a lower tax burden and less govt regulation.
I have a solution: more handouts! It is completely unfathomable that the unfortunate would keep pumping out kids to get more welfare so lets keep giving them more! How about a million dollars each for the unemployed? I am sure they are searching far and wide and willing to do ANY job but are simple unable to find work.
Yep, it’s our fault
Dear Earl,
Your theory is 100% unsupportive. Since 1996, because of Ronald Reagan’s ************ stereotype of the “welfare queen,” and ignorant attitudes such as yours, the Department of Human Services created the “maximum family grant rule.” So contrary to your rant about poor people pumping out kids to get more money is complete fiction. The maximum family grant rule determines any child born into a family that has received 10 consecutive months of aid ineligible for cash aid for the entirety of its life.. In other words, a woman with 1 child will receive $555.00 a month once she reaches 10 months she can have as many kids as she wants… Her amount stays the same. .So before you go spouting off your bullshit which condems the poor, why don’t you read up on the facts instead of spouting the fiction spread by fox news. The abject poverty is for real and blaming the poor for being poor is a sign of your complete ignorance and deteriorated state of mind.. How disgusting this society has become to deny the reality of humanity and be content with consoling itself by creating a reason why women and children should deserve what they get?
HOmelessness in Los Angeles alone has increased 110% in the last 5 years… That’s a fact.. No worries.. Eventually, if you seek the truth, you’ll find that you’ve been had.. Keep believing the lie.. It will come to bite you in the long run when they attack your stability as well. Amazing how the privileged do not recognize that they are privileged.
I am 68 years old and thought I had provided for my retirement but….
I have taken a job in retail making 11.25 per hour plus some spiffs occasionally. I get by.
Why aren’t the poor flipping burgers or whatever? They would be well above the poverty line. If not, get two jobs. I’ve done that as well.
Show me a poor person and, for the most part, I’ll show you a self-inflicted wound.
Flipping burgers for $8.00 an hour does not put you “wll above the poverty line.” Especially when you consider that childcare for one month sums up to $649 a month.. That equals half of your monthly pay… doesn’t leave enough to pay rent or bills…. Wow…. You people are amazing.. how you’ve been socialized to blame the poor for being poor. Amazing.. do you realize that women still only make 77 cents to the dollar as compared to men? That our legislation needs to insist on a livable wage, family friendly work place policies and the provision of childcare if it really wants to address poverty? A self inflicted wound my ass… I suppose you blame rape victims for getting raped as well? Amazing how public opinion is shaped by politicians and the media.. Victim blaming is how the government avoids addressing our problems, and continues to suck you dry… You blame the poor for being poor, and the greedy bastards at the top continue to steal your money, as well as the money provided for what used to be the safety net… and will continue to rob you blind as long as you believe their lies… A self inflicted wound…. How sick.
You older people…with your benifits, etc occupying burger flipping jobs are the reason young poor cannot. How are young inexperianced people to ever compete in any job when over qualified retirees or those who should live with their families. Its incredibly rediculous to have to produce a resume for a job at a fast food resturaunt. These young people are not indignant, and certainly not lazy. When all the entry level jobs are swamped by expert proffesionals it raises the bar to an impossible standard. The young are doomed to an endless catch 22: you need a job to get experiance, but you need experiance to get a job.
-A very unhappy unemployed young Navy veteran
What this “article” (piece of propaganda) fails to mention is that economic collapse can be avoided by ousting the Obama regime and Democrats and RINOs, repealing the so-called Health Care reform Act and the Fwank Dodd Bill, and erasing all the unconstitutional executive orders issued by the Marxist in Chief!
Have you considered that the definition of poverty in the US may be the problem? The average “poor” American is struggling to pay their cable bill, not put food on the table. In other words, our definition of poverty in America is an absurdity. Our method of defining “living in poverty” came from the Social Security Administration on instructions from Lyndon Johnson. Johnson needed statistics that would help him push his “Great (welfare) Society.” Funny though, if you ever look at a chart of “poverty” in America, you will notice that “poverty” declined every single year, since they started tracking in the 1950s. That was every single year … until Lyndon Johnson implemented his “Great Society!” Since then, the rate has always bounced between 12 and 15%.
Notice that none of these stories about the 2010 poverty statistics actually describe what it means to be “living in poverty” in America. That’s because this picture does not fit into their convenient storyline. Our government’s definition of poverty is absurd. Here’s a look at what it’s like to live in “poverty” in the United States:
The typical “poor” household in America has a car
78% of “poor” households in America have air conditioning
64% of “poor” households in America have cable or satellite TV .. most have two TVs, along with a DVD player and VCR
Most “poor” households in America with children have a gaming system such as an Xbox or PlayStation
38% of “poor” households in America have a personal computer
Most “poor” households in America have a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. They also have other household appliances such as a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
The typical “poor” American has more living space than the average European.
The typical “poor” American family is able to obtain medical care when needed.
The average “poor” household in America claims to have sufficient funds to meet all essential needs.
As of 2010, the poverty line was drawn at $22,314 (pre-tax) for a family of four. But there is one key element that we are forgetting – by and large these people are also part of the Moocher Class. This $22,314 in pre-tax income does not include any benefits or government handouts. Remember … in America you can do as well working one week a month at minimum wage as you can working $60,000-a-year, full-time, high-stress job. That’s right, “a one-parent family of three making $14,500 a year (minimum wage) has more disposable income than a family making $60,000 a year.” Means-test welfare assistance is on track to top $10 trillion in this decade alone! Sure sucks to be “poor” in America, doesn’t it?
I can’t read anymore of these comments…
Someone has to say it and so I will.
A lot of people here, like to compare our (the government’s) definition of poor to 3rd world poor.
Ok, so let’s look at it. People who are destitute, flat out living on the streets, dirt floors, scavenging for food and literally starving in the streets (3rd world poverty) would be considered poor. I think we all can agree on that.
Now, let’s consider a 1st world nation (USA) compared to a 3rd world country. Well, the cost of living is higher in a 1st world country, as well as expenses, such as food, recreation, transportation, standard of living, and the over all way of life.
So, this argument, that “Well, sense he has a refrigerator and a TV, he can’t be poor, in-fact he must be living “High of the Hog” ” Is absolute and complete nonsense.
Wow, somebody was able to afford a one time purchase of a TV or a gaming system or a computer or I phone, etc… and yet you think they are doing just fine?
Let me tell you, I know poverty and I know rich (wealthy) I know people and have experienced for myself, both sides of the spectrum. People need to live in the real world, what is 20k a year in the U.S.? What can of livelihood can you honestly have making 20 thousand dollars a year? That’s not even enough money to buy a new Ford. I mean come one, do you actually see how “poor” people live? Trust me, they’re struggling and just because they decide to buy a new pair of shoes, or something nice, doesn’t mean, they came into some new found money.
The only thing that’s clear to me is that, a lot of here have little to no experience with poverty and it shows just how apathetic this country has become. I mean, honestly, they might not be destitute 3rd world poor, but living here in America, (Which is not a 3rd world country, so I don’t why people keep comparing apples to oranges)you tell me what kind of a “decent” living you can have on minimum wage, here in America.
“…People need to live in the real world, what is 20k a year in the U.S.? What can of livelihood can you honestly have making 20 thousand dollars a year? That’s not even enough money to buy a new Ford. I mean come one, do you actually see how “poor” people live?…”
This question really deserves an answer.
THAT BREAKS DOWN TO ABOUT $9.61 AN HOUR.
Minus taxes with 2 exemptions more like 15,000.
$15000 broken down to ACTUAL TAKE HOME hourly wage approx. $7.21 an hour.
Now check out #10 on the list and this is precisely why I refuse to go to Walmart.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes-400/
IF, they invested in PEOPLE instead, paid a living wage maybe. Perhaps we would know a new Michaelangelo. Alas, the poor people are too busy working low wage jobs in order to eat and pay their taxes, rather than having the freedom of any leisure time to pursue the arts themselves. There is no life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the poor serfs.
How are the ultra wealthy able to sleep at night?
Thank you.. finally a voice of reason in this pack of “know it alls” about what its like to be poor in America.. They seem to think that all the poor people in America actually have a place to live… Why don’t you (not you) call up a few of the DHS departments and ask the workers what they’ve been doing? they are not busy accepting applications.. They are busy providing triage for the emergency homelessness that has increased 110% in Los Angeles in the last 5 years.. I don’t know the statistics in other cities.. I only know about Los Angeles from listening to the testimony of the Director of Human Services at the HOuse Budget Committe Hearing in Sacramento last month.. It is simply sickening to read the ignorance spouted out on this page after I spent two days in tears listening to the reality of the poor at these hearings… Of the six year olds who sleep on the floor…. Of how the majority of their monthly income goes to paying rent, and if this amount is cut, a family can not pay for 20 days of rent… They will lose their housing.. Denial is a dangerous thing… And there is an abundance of it here…
Thank you
I’m tired of all the spin on both sides of this issue, and especially tired of the bad spin put forth by the Heritage Foundation, which seems to get repeated more than anyone else’s spin.
The government definition of poverty is so outdated it is essentially useless today for anything other than political spin.
The government definition of poverty was created in the 1960s when the average American spent one-third of their income on food.
The government definition of poverty was set at three times the cost of a Department of Agriculture (USDA) market basket of food it called its Economy Food Plan.
Food today represents one-sixth of the average American’s budget but the poverty definition was never changed and has become disconnected from reality and thus effectively irrelevant and useless.
Poor Americans often “have” things because housing in America is built and maintained to middle class standards whether the poor want or can afford those standards.
Thus, most poor Americans “have” air conditioning because houses are usually built with central air, and because aven apartments today typically are equipped with air conditioning. Of course, “having” air conditioning does not necessarily mean a person can afford to use it.
Poor Americans “have” refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and microwaves because landlords typically provide them in rental units. (Local practice may vary, appliances are not furnished in some areas.)
Similarly, poor Americans have more space per person that Europeans because in America, housing is built to American standards and not to European standards. The houses and apartments poor Americans rent are built to middle class American standards; very few rental units are built to “poor American” standards, and NIMBY policies across America often reject or prohibit construction, sale, and occupancy of housing intended for poor Americans. Basically, poor Americans typically occupy housing units which were built for the middle class but have become functionally obsolete or have otherwise lost favor with the middle class.
I was poor when I got my first computer, I earned a free Linux desktop by volunteering at a computer recycler. A home computer today is hardly a sign of affluence, used desktops today can be had for $25 and I have bought two good used laptops for under $75 each.
This is absolute ********************.. NOt gonna waste my time..
Unfortunately i’m not surprised there are so many shallow people on here who look down on the poor…who see themselves as superior.
Amazing how the privileged don’t recognize that they are privileged isn’t it? I especially love the one who claims that if you “show him a poor person, he’ll show you a self inflicted wound!” That one takes the cake… A true indication of self righteous ignorance at its best.. Oh… and that ‘flipping burgers will put you well above the poverty line… hee hee. That won’t even pay one month of childcare.. Forget about the rent.. .
Way to go Obama! You got everything you wanted: Stimulus, ObamaCare, Financial Reform, Slush Funds to hand out to Green Projects (i.e. loans to campaign bundlers and friends that will never be paid).
I feel so sad for the people that were duped into voting for this do nothing / know nothing President. A guy that won’t help his own family (hut brother in Africa) and other relatives here illegally (uncle and aunt) has no right to be in the White House.
To the Obamas I say:
Enjoy your last year of free golf, luxurious travel and waygu beef on our dime because you are going to lose in Nov 2012.
Elections have consequences. Michael Savage said it best, “Liberalism is a mental disorder”. Apparently, Indigo is the above is total clueless. Obama is corrupt and wants to turn this country into a marxist state. If you voted for Obama in 2008 don’t be stupid and vote for him in 2012.
The #1 cause for poverty is not working FULL time. Even in this economy places like Walmart are hiring. Oh I forgot Americans do not work for such low wages, let the immigrants do it! Quit letting Democrats and Republicans turn a blind eye to illegal immigration. If it were not for this, most of these Americans would have a job and wages would rise.
Not sure about “not working full time” as the #1 cause of poverty, I’d guess it’s #2. (Having one or more children to support puts many full-time workers into poverty range.)
Even with large employers like Walmart hiring, there are many more unemployed jobseekers than there are available jobs, which is to say that in this economy, millions of people seeking full-time jobs will not find them. Even those who land low-wage jobs with employers like Walmart might not escape poverty if they have kids to support. (Sometime in the future, visionary employers will provide affordable housing as an employment benefit.)
Cost considerations are often downplayed or ignored, but will become more important in the future. Rents are soaring in many parts of the country and for the past few years I have had a nightmare future scenario in which the working poor are squeezed between unaffordable housing (forcing them to live far from their jobs in order to afford housing) and high fuel prices (making long commutes unaffordable).
Hey all Mexican criminals, keep on comming so we have even MORE “poor” to care for. Our tax feed you and your kids. We will feed, educate, house, let you use our roads, medical facilities, everything we have is your for the taking. And if some rasist white man working 60 hours a week complains, we will just jail them so YOU can have more from the mouth of my child.
I’ve been saying this for a while now (see our blog), but it’s good to see other people are finally seeing it…better late than never, I suppose. One issue, though, but it’s a pretty big one; the author’s “be compassionate” conclusion. It’s not that I don’t advocate compassion (those who know me know that I am a big fan); however, in a nation in which income is down and poverty is rising, from where is the charity to come? The conclusion is destroyed by the overall premises of the argument; in fact, thanks to that ridiculous conclusion, the entire argument (which was, until the crap at the end, a good argument) is ruined.
I am really beginning to despise this blog. Whoever writes it is a poor writer and logically inconsistent. I’m sorry, but they are. They spend the entire article lamenting the growth in poverty, then end with “don’t expect the government to take care of you, rely on the kindness of others.” Seriously? Anyone who thinks that is the government’s only possible answer to the situation is astoundingly uniformed (see below for a real answer). And, as I said before, the entire argument is based on the growing problem of poverty…*sigh*…the mind reels.
Here is an adequate and logical interpretation of the Census Bureau’s findings (an interpretation that the report itself somewhat offers):
We have to realize what these numbers represent, the poverty rate is growing and will only get worse if this nation continues to give subsides to the rich and spend on the Dept. of Offense rather than invest in the economy, which is investing in we the people. If we refuse to put our money back into the our economy (this requires responsible government spending -”responsible’ being the operative word here) we will only watch as these statistics grow and pull more and more of us down with them.
It is no coincidence that as the Bush tax cuts went into effect *and* the “War on Terror” began our economy took a nose dive. Since 1998 we lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs, 2.5 million of which have been lost since 2001 alone (the same year the tax cuts and the wars began). During the Bush years, more jobs were outsourced than during any other administration and very few new jobs have been created since. Lowered revenue, which resulted from the rich paying nothing and the unemployed paying nothing, combined with increased spending leads to?….If you guessed “economic ass-screwing,” well I’ll accept that as an answer
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/economicsunbound/archives/2009/06/a_lost_decade_f.html
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/exportingamerica/outsourcing_problems.cfm
We must, if we want to get out of this hole, be willing to admit that tax breaks for the rich have done *nothing* beneficial for this nation, that the “War on Terror” is a waste of time, money, and lives, and that free trade agreements are big black holes of finical despair. We must be willing to end the tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires (don’t believe the hype, when people talk about “the rich” they’re talking about people whose present worth is more than one million), slash the Dept. of Offense’s budget by more than half, and get rid of free trade (replace it with fair trade, because trade agreements are good when done ethically).
Then (and this is the part the Paul’s and the Ryan’s of Congress don’t tell you) we put that money back into the economy by investing in sectors that will create more jobs: green energy, research and development, education, and health care (these are the biggest, but there are more). As jobs are created and people go back to work, guess what happens? We have more people paying into the economy via taxes *and* spending money on consumer goods and services. This creates demand for goods and services, which in turn spurs production, which in turn creates more jobs….So and so forth until the economy reaches equilibrium.
*That* is a adequate solution to the problem. And *that* is how you draw a logical conclusion from the data presented.
We do need more compassion in our society. We have to help each other. Don’t expect the government to help you forever. Ha!
On the other hand, I’ll be glad to pick up where the late Andy Rooney left off. Sit at home and complain about everything. (I’m very good at that by the way.)
I love the trolls like you first you attack this blog you don’t like this blog leave. No one wants to hear you arrogant know it all opinion. Especially when you are wrong on some your points. Stay on your own blog and tell everyone how smart you are then the rest of us don’t have to listen to a arrogant windbag like yourself.
K.L. made some valid arguments and provided many facts to support the arguments explaining the reason for the poverty in our country.
You’re immediate dismissal of this person as a troll is ridiculous. Are you threatened, in some way, by K.L.’s extensive knowledge? Do you not care to understand why we are having such problems in our country, and do you not invite others to give their thoughts on possible solutions to this mess? If not, then why, exactly, are you even reading this site’s blog at all?
Both parties along with the rotten Catholic Church are to blame!
Its a very very sick socity that demands dirt poor people (including Illegal Invaders) pump out as many kids as they can and force us 53% that pay all the taxes to support them
If I was in charge I would go after the Catholic Church and seize everything they have to cover the costs of their Overpopulationist attitude!
please tell us how you really feel…
If there is an overpopulation problem, I would say that you and I are part of the problem too because we are two members of the population, aren’t we? Shame on our parents for “pumping us out”! Apparently you are not Catholic. So lets go after the church your parents were members of “to cover the costs of their Overpopulationist attitude” too.
Anyway, may God bless you and your loved ones. And may the Holy Spirit guide you daily.
The Catholic Church “demands dirt poor people (including Illegal Invaders) pump out as many kids as they can and force us 53% that pay all the taxes to support them”?
Demands people pump out…? Really? Wrong.
And how many non Catholics with only one or two children are on welfare? Or no children? None? Really? Wrong again.
I agree with 53% er. If all the idiots whose genes do not need replication stop having a ton of children, this planet will be a better place for all of us. 7 billion and counting, people… I am not saying do not have kids, but please, do not have so many kids! Unless you are very educated, successful in your field, and with time and means to dedicate to raising children, you really should not be having more than 1 or maximum 2 kids. Ultimately, it is the hard working people in the middle paying all their taxes who end up supporting the ones with bad choices; example: the octo-mom: if you made bad decisions in life, you do not deserve to leave 8 times more of that behind living off of government support that comes from our paychecks. You should have thought of the consequences before you got knocked up for the 5th or 6th time.
I can’t believe all the trolls who comment here and have no compassion. Without compassion the poverty rate will only rise and then the rich will have more crime from people in desperation. When someone breaks into your home and steals all of your food, you will know that America has hit rock bottom. Are you ready for total anarchy and lawlessness? There are only so many police to protect you and they can’t be everywhere at the same time. What will you do? People who are starving quite often see prison as a way to get the food they desperately need and you will just be in the way of their next meal.
Anyone breaking in hear will have to deal with a 12 gauge shotgun. It’s the final solution…
“here”… dangit!
what if the person breaking in has a 10 gauge or AK?
What if there are hordes? You can not kill them all.
Gary that is popular myth about a horde storming you. You see their a thing in all humans called survival instinct when the pink mist floats out the back of the lead guy the rest of the crowd suddenly remembers they are late for appointment else where. That is actual evidence in riots that has happen and the horde quickly disappears. Sometime it’s 2 or 3 that get shot before the crowd figures out to leave but they do ALWAYS. Doesn’t matter if they have a 10 ga and I only have a .22 When defending my property they well quickly learn that anywhere but here is the place to be.
“final solution” – yes, I am sure you will have this in the U.S. too, sooner or later.
Don’t know if YOU will come to like it – maybe it depends, if one is on the giving or the receiving end…
Greetings from Germany
Well there are responses here which suggest the way to prevent poverty is Arbeit Macht Frei.
USA
Caused Drought – Now they have drought.
Starved Millions – Now millions are starving.
Caused Floods – Now they have floods.
Destroyed Millions of Homes – Now Homes are being destroyed.
Destroyed the Infra-structure
of Many nations. – Now theirs are being destroyed.
Killed Millions – Now they are being killed.
Plundered Nations – Now they are being plundered.
Tortured Millions – Yet to happen in a big way.
Enslaved Millions – Yet to happen in a big way.
God Is Not Mocked
http://www.peterjamesx.com/docs/God%20Is%20Not%20Mocked.htm
Are you blaming the USA for everything that’s bad in the world? Because that’s the impression I’m getting. Have you forgotten that the USA (along with its allies) liberated Europe TWICE in two world wars in the last century? That it stopped Soviet Communist advance into western Europe?
Yeah , yeah , yeah , but what has the USA done for us lately ? And what did you mondodobeyondo have to do with liberating europe or stopping the soviet advance ? What level of participation did YOU have that would warrant any credit for these actions ?
The USA revisionist version of two world wars yet again. Britain and her empire kept the evil hordes at bay until Wilson and Roosevelt felt that it was close enough to bankruptcy to weigh in. As for the Pax Americana, that villainous part negro muslim you idiots elected will destroy that along with rendering America bankrutpt. It is now unavoidable save for the Grace of God, which you as a nation are doing your collective best to avoid.
Antionetta, sounds like you get off on punishing innocent people who live in the USA and have nothing to do with the death and destruction orders that the powers that be (tptb)execute without our permission.
Let’s say, you’re from Italy–would you want to be held accountable for the evils the Catholic Church has done without your power, desire or ability to stop? From where I’m sitting, your-mean spirited religion is sending yours and other adherents’ souls to a very dark place…devoid of compassion and tender decency. Gee, that reminds me of another religion…one that rules the world currently–L U C I F E R I A N I S M. I just can’t tell the difference between these two religions…wonder why?
Antoinetta Ferrari
I take it that you don’t care much for the USA. Excuse me, but you failed to mention the billions of dollars we give in aid every year to nations who cannot feed their own people. You also failed to mention the hundreds of thousands of Americans who were killed attempting to free people in nations who weren’t able to do it themselves. There are dozens of examples I could cite, but thinking and educated people and loyal Americans already know them.
May I suggest that you move elsewhere Antoinette! The Middle East shares your views and you might like it there better!
1. Get the illegal immigrants out
2. Get the illegal immigrants out
3. Cut foreign aid, especially to Israel
4. Stop voting for the Republicrats
5. Get the illegal immigrants out
6. Demand an end to illegal and disastrous foreign wars
7. Did I mention the illegal immigrants?
amen brother!
that funny Steve the Demo Dummies call illegals unregisters Dems. Some people can’t see the truth when it is right in front of them. Yes vote for more Obama he is setting records of helping people to get on food stamps something you Dems should be proud of.
8. VOTE FOR RON PAUL
9. End the war on drugs
10. End the war-wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya…oh yeah i forgot Iran now…AM I FORGETTING ANYONE ELSE??
11. Reduce the fed size
12. Try and convict all the sociopaths of Wall Street, D.C., The Fed, and the Rothschilds and Rockfellers for theft, and lock them up forever.
13. Vote for libertarians ONLY
14. Get the illegal immigrants out
15. DID I MENTION RON PAUL?
Antonietta; I think your tinfoil hat is too tight and is restricting the blood to your brain.
our very own Michael on RT
That channel always makes me look like I need a haircut.
Michael
Meet Catwoman.
No, not Batman’s accomplice. She’s the lady caring for a couple of kittens while she cooks for herself outside her tent in a vacant park.
Too many comments hating on those of little means. Appalling.
Poor in America may be rich in Ecuador, but this does not change poor in America. Those very very poor places may be incredibly corrupt with a very big chasm between the rich and poor, is that what you would like to see in the states to define poor in America?
Some come here to make American dollars and go back home to live rich on those American dollars made here. Others try to make it here but not long before they find out too, that the American dream is not possible on low wages. Some come here looking to marry an American. Notice the common denominator of trying to make a better life for themselves regardless of means, isn’t that what we all want!
Forget your hate of foreign born people in the states and be friendly, you may learn something.
As to the poor in America depicted as slothful lowlifes picking your hard earned pocket that smugly got you a better life, blaming people for their own poverty, if only it were so simple there would be no poverty now, would there? It’s not a lifestyle choice for many I am quite sure!
Being poor SUCKS and it a choice no sane person would ever make.
The best welfare is a good job. Notice I said GOOD job and not the crap low pay ones.
From my research into these safety net programs for the poor (first hand as I am in them) between 2-5% of the people using these programs are gaming the system. Its closer to 3%. These folks need to be pursued and prosecuted etc as it is fraud. (Not on the scale of Wall Street type who none have been prosecuted but I digress)
So lets say 5% are cheating the system. That means that 95% are not cheating the system. I would say that is a success.
A person needs to jump through a lot of hoops to be in and continue in these programs. No one would want to go through all this when they could have the alternative of a good job.
Oh yeah-the republicans are constantly assaulting these programs and cuts/changes (for the worse) are a regular occurrence.
So in summary-the 95% who need and are not gaming the system do not make the headlines. The 5% who do game the system are not representative of the 95% who really need these programs.
Again-it is closer to 2-3% who game the system and not even 5%
The real problem is not the illegal aliens but oddly enough the disability FRAUDS who rake in thousands every month and are not injured or disabled but somehow got “approved for life”. When someone tells me they are on disability and I ask them how they did it it’s basically because they are OBESE and can’t work but yet they can happily hold a job that pays under the table. Then when I try to report a fraud, I am told “once they are approved, they’re approved” eseentially FOREVER unless they somehow screw up and get a paying job that takes out taxes then they can actually work making so much money a month before a dime of their fraudulent benefits are touched. Get thrown off disability is a fallacy. Won’t happen. Only get more on the dole courtesy of all the tv disability attorney commercials. Notice how the tv attorneys are now cashing in on disbility and have stopped the ambulance chasing as disability is a sure thing but sometimes takes a while versus go to court and maybe win an accident victim’s case where they would actually have to do some real work to collect their fees from. The latest moneymaker for attorneys now is the disability scam. It’s a regular gold mine requiring very little actual attorney time as they usually farm the stuff out to their paralegals to do or their legal secretaries to do. I know this first hand as I used to be a paralegal in a disability law firm. I did all the work and the attorney spent less than one hour at the disability hearing (including travel time) and of course he got the big bucks from the lump sum settlement.
Granted, some disability recipients are actually for real but those are few and far between now.
you are correct about the disability scams. In my line of work I come across some of those you describe. Their only disability is that they are sick of working.
Those type of people abusing the system ruin it for the truly needy.
They need to be kicked off.
BTW-They are only getting about 700-800 per month. It is not thousands per person. That in no way changes that they need to be kicked off disability.
I know first hand about these disability scams and how much they cost both the state and feds. Case in point: Out of a class of 24 8th graders I taught in a Title 1 school (before the mass lay-of in the state), fully 1/4 of the student population was on SSI disability. For what you may ask? Was it spina bifida, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury?
No–they all were diagnosed with ADD or ADHD!!! The month payments for this “disability” was approximately 450.00-525.00 per month. The money of course was handled by the parents (mostly single moms) who in turn bought cigarettes, booze and crap GM junk food for the kids furthering the ADD!
I am on disability. I have had 3 brain surgeries, and am acutally missing my entire right temproral lobe. I wish I had my career instead. My memory sucks, my fine motor skills are shot, I live in pain every day. If you look at me I “look fine”. I got judged, a lot, because I look fine. Never judge what you don’t know. I would love to give up my disability, I would love to making more then twice what I get. I would love to stop being judged by those who have no idea the shoes I habe walked in. Be careful not to judge without knowing people’s whole story.
Thank you Gary.. you make light of very good points…
Hey Michael-given the number of comments this was a pretty popular post. Suggestion-do more on this topic.
I am amazed that article got as much attention as it did. I originally thought that it would pass fairly unnoticed.
Michael
I am finishing school for a job on most short lists and going oversea to a non euro EU country. I help where I can but the reality is everyone is hurting so bad we can’t help each other.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/22/947061/-Poverty-101:-The-Official-Poverty-Statistics-are-a-Fraud
[...] 20 - America is rapidly getting poorer. Today, more than one out of every seven Americans is living in poverty and more than 20 million of them are considered to be living in extreme poverty. [...]
Thanks for this article! It’s a good reminder to all of us that we should not consider the government, the media, and wall street as our mommy and daddy.
It’s so easy to get sucked in to the lies that are pumped into our lives by these people on a daily basis.
[...] U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that a higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty than has ever been measured before. Unfortunately, it looks like things are going to get a lot [...]
I know for a fact that the reprogression with most of the people in the us is purpessly done so that poorer coutries can be ellevated so that it apears that all of the poeple or doing the same.So that means a handful can get richer. overseas investments.
Prepping for the future ,
the pink mist comment is my favorite……
Japan did not invade US in ww2 because most homes have weapons …..if occupy wall street tries to occupy my street and my front porch…..the pink mist will coat the stragglers in the back row.
[...] right now. The number of Americans that fell into poverty set a new all-time record last year and extreme poverty is at the highest level ever measured in the United [...]
http://phreedomphan-lostliberty.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas.html
I didn’t mean to post that comment yet. I wanted to say that I thought the merry-christmas post was applicable to your post.
those living in extreme poverty make the price of land and natural resources more affordable. they reduce traffic on the roads. the poor offset costs they may collect in food stamps. they’re in extreme poverty because they don’t collect benefits.
You seem to think American money has the same limited power in third world countries as it does in the USA. Trust me, poverty in other countries is measured by the strength of the AMERICAN dollar there, not 1 a day of their money. One American dollar a day in this country might feel a lot more like over 100 American dollars a day in Nigeria in how far it goes. All of you selfish, spoiled, ignorant, and hateful people up here go overseas to a third world country and see how much further American money goes than it does here. Then, live in the Badlands here for a year with no escape route except the El and see how good everybody really has it here in comparison and how easy it is to do everything you seem to think it really is.
Boohoo, sad. absoultely sad. who cares? they will just die in a week -.-