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Are those in "Poverty" really "Poor"? It seems for most the answer is no.

Mr. Friscus

Governor
the Census Bureau announced that a record 46.2 million, or one in seven Americans, lived in poverty in 2011. For two decades, census officials have announced in most years that more than 35 million Americans were poor.

The Problem: There is a wide chasm between the public’s concept of poverty and “poverty” as it is defined by the Census Bureau.

  • The public generally thinks of poverty as substantial material hardship such as homelessness, or malnutrition and chronic hunger.
  • In a recent Rasmussen poll, adults agreed (by a ratio of six to one) that “a family that is adequately fed and living in a house or apartment that is in good repair” is not poor.
  • Interestingly enough, by that simple test, about 80 percent of the Census Bureau’s “poor” people would not be considered poor by their fellow Americans.
  • And even more interestingly, in the same Rasmussen poll, 73 percent said poverty was a severe problem.
  • Why the disconnect?

The Answer: Public perception of poverty in the U.S. is governed by the mainstream media, which invariably depicts the Census Bureau’s tens of millions of poor people as chronically hungry and malnourished, homeless or barely hanging on in overcrowded, dilapidated housing.

  • The media takes the least fortunate 3 percent or 4 percent of the poor and portrays their condition as representative of most to all "poor" Americans.
  • In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked parents living in poverty this question: “In the last 12 months, were [your] children ever hungry but you just couldn’t afford more food?” Some 96 percent of poor parents responded “no”.
  • Only 4 percent of poor parents responded “yes,” their children had been hungry at some point in the year.

Statistics About What the "Media-Defined Poor" Have:

80% of poor households have air conditioning.
(By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.)
92% of poor households have a microwave

75% have a car or truck
31% have two or more cars or trucks.

66% have cable or satellite television.
50% have a personal computer
50% of poor families with children have a video game system such as Xbox or PlayStation.
43% have Internet access.

66% have at least one DVD player
70% have a VCR.
33% have a widescreen plasma or LCD TV.
25% has a digital video recorder such as TiVo.

Statistics that defy what the media portrays:

At a single point in time, only one in 70 poor persons is homeless.

The vast majority of the houses or apartments of the poor are in good repair
(only 6 percent are over-crowded.)

The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Sweden, France, Germany or the United Kingdom.

10% of the poor live in mobile homes or trailers;
50% live in detached single-family houses or townhouses
40% live in apartments.

42% of all poor households own their home
(on average, it’s a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.)

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/277040/strange-facts-about-america-s-poor-robert-rector

After seeing all of this, do you still think calling everyone on this list as "poor" is justifiable or honest? Is it safe to say that media has embellished this so much that we are completely out of touch with just how much the overwhelming majority of our nation's "poor" actually have?

And just think of how much the "poor" are used politically by the Democrats in today's day and age? Would they hand out a flyer with all of this information on it?
 

connieb

Senator
the Census Bureau announced that a record 46.2 million, or one in seven Americans, lived in poverty in 2011. For two decades, census officials have announced in most years that more than 35 million Americans were poor.

The Problem: There is a wide chasm between the public’s concept of poverty and “poverty” as it is defined by the Census Bureau.

  • The public generally thinks of poverty as substantial material hardship such as homelessness, or malnutrition and chronic hunger.
  • In a recent Rasmussen poll, adults agreed (by a ratio of six to one) that “a family that is adequately fed and living in a house or apartment that is in good repair” is not poor.
  • Interestingly enough, by that simple test, about 80 percent of the Census Bureau’s “poor” people would not be considered poor by their fellow Americans.
  • And even more interestingly, in the same Rasmussen poll, 73 percent said poverty was a severe problem.
  • Why the disconnect?

The Answer: Public perception of poverty in the U.S. is governed by the mainstream media, which invariably depicts the Census Bureau’s tens of millions of poor people as chronically hungry and malnourished, homeless or barely hanging on in overcrowded, dilapidated housing.

  • The media takes the least fortunate 3 percent or 4 percent of the poor and portrays their condition as representative of most to all "poor" Americans.
  • In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked parents living in poverty this question: “In the last 12 months, were [your] children ever hungry but you just couldn’t afford more food?” Some 96 percent of poor parents responded “no”.
  • Only 4 percent of poor parents responded “yes,” their children had been hungry at some point in the year.

Statistics About What the "Media-Defined Poor" Have:

80% of poor households have air conditioning.
(By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.)
92% of poor households have a microwave

75% have a car or truck
31% have two or more cars or trucks.

66% have cable or satellite television.
50% have a personal computer
50% of poor families with children have a video game system such as Xbox or PlayStation.
43% have Internet access.

66% have at least one DVD player
70% have a VCR.
33% have a widescreen plasma or LCD TV.
25% has a digital video recorder such as TiVo.

Statistics that defy what the media portrays:

At a single point in time, only one in 70 poor persons is homeless.

The vast majority of the houses or apartments of the poor are in good repair
(only 6 percent are over-crowded.)

The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Sweden, France, Germany or the United Kingdom.

10% of the poor live in mobile homes or trailers;
50% live in detached single-family houses or townhouses
40% live in apartments.

42% of all poor households own their home
(on average, it’s a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.)

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/277040/strange-facts-about-america-s-poor-robert-rector

After seeing all of this, do you still think calling everyone on this list as "poor" is justifiable or honest? Is it safe to say that media has embellished this so much that we are completely out of touch with just how much the overwhelming majority of our nation's "poor" actually have?

And just think of how much the "poor" are used politically by the Democrats in today's day and age? Would they hand out a flyer with all of this information on it?

The media absolutely has embellished it. We have discussed many times on this forum if you are hungry in this country it is because you can not or have not accessed the resources available to you. If you are homeless in more than a temporary situaiton it is because you either can not or have not accessed the resources available to you.

But, the democrats would have us believe that the poor in this country live like the sad pictures from some african or south american village where there are flies crawling all over the kids, their bellys' are distended, etc. To look at many of the poor in this country - you would probably not know they are poor.

And, honestly, I think that is part of the problem. When no matter how hard you worked - you would not be able to provide better than what you have on the Gov't dole why work? You likely have more disposable income because whatever cash you bring in is yours - it doesn't have to go towards your survival, its like you are a teen living in your parents house - most of the necessities are taken care of, but if you want to upgrade the offerings it comes out of your pocket. And, so ,what is the motivation to give up the niceties you are currently able to afford because you now want to pay for your own housing? Hell its why there are millions of 30'somethings lving in their parents basement - they got it too good and going out on their own means a drop in their standard of living. There is no financial motivation -at all to succed when you are on benefits. And, if the people had an internal motivation like pride - they wouldn't be on benefits for any duration anyway.
I am all for helping people who hit a crisis, but when crisis is your way of life and yet you are otherwise able bodied, you have got to consider other option and if that means doing stuff like breaking up your family, moving and living apart for work, etc - then do it. If it means like what people used to do that your kids go live with grandparents and aunts and uncles so you are unencumbered to work 20 hours a day- then that is what you have to do. The safeguards to not having to do that are adequate planning and saving before you are encumbered. If you fail to adequately plan and save, then your life will suck. I am not sure why we are so insistent on not forcing people to deal with the natural consequences of their poor decision making. But, it certainly contributes to the situation we see here in this country.

connie
 

Days

Commentator
God, this is stupid. What is poverty? It is an income level. The reason the poor are fed is because of food stamps; if you yank the food stamps, the poor will starve... I know we would.
 

Days

Commentator
The PREACHER that believes GOD will feed....take care of.......as Al & Jesse........you prove to community readers to be a fraud/insane poster/Preacher..........IMO

baby daddy of multi-baby mamas.................WHY?
say what? Is this directed at me? speak English.
Do you know why the Lord commanded that all the fragments from the feeding of the 5000 be gathered (12 baskets full)? ... So they would have food to eat the next morning. Jesus and his apostles were homeless. Ever been homeless? Its no cake walk.
 

Days

Commentator
You come here and claimed to be a PREACHER.............You.......IMO......Jesus would have knocked you out............turned your tables over and damned YOU......
YOU are a freak/make believe Jesus follower just like Al & Jesse.........

I've been lower than homeless you whay-whay-whay.....fraud..........homeless people posting on fray internets..........must be due to FREE PHONES........

JESUS...see's your damnation fake PREACHER.......GO MAKE MORE BABY MAMAS

MARTIN LUTHER DAYS...............
I think you are mad because of the thread on 09/11. You guys pretend to be stupid, to argue against something, I'll call you on your argument and call you stupid... it was intended to make you come clean, admit that you knew the subject. but neither you or festus were honest enough to admit what you knew. No one is so stupid that they don't know heat rises, I'm not buying that for a moment, but if that's the game you want to play, then I took the time out to teach you, and I peppered it with as many insults to your intellect as I could reasonably fit into the posts... but at least I did it in a nice way. The bottom line there is steel regains it's strength when it cools and the fire only weakened the steel it was in direct contact with... even that steel was not weakened enough to collapse. A paper or wood fire is not hot enough to collapse steel, never was, never will be. Ever see one of these?

 

Days

Commentator
The media absolutely has embellished it. We have discussed many times on this forum if you are hungry in this country it is because you can not or have not accessed the resources available to you. If you are homeless in more than a temporary situaiton it is because you either can not or have not accessed the resources available to you.

But, the democrats would have us believe that the poor in this country live like the sad pictures from some african or south american village where there are flies crawling all over the kids, their bellys' are distended, etc. To look at many of the poor in this country - you would probably not know they are poor.

And, honestly, I think that is part of the problem. When no matter how hard you worked - you would not be able to provide better than what you have on the Gov't dole why work? You likely have more disposable income because whatever cash you bring in is yours - it doesn't have to go towards your survival, its like you are a teen living in your parents house - most of the necessities are taken care of, but if you want to upgrade the offerings it comes out of your pocket. And, so ,what is the motivation to give up the niceties you are currently able to afford because you now want to pay for your own housing? Hell its why there are millions of 30'somethings lving in their parents basement - they got it too good and going out on their own means a drop in their standard of living. There is no financial motivation -at all to succed when you are on benefits. And, if the people had an internal motivation like pride - they wouldn't be on benefits for any duration anyway.
I am all for helping people who hit a crisis, but when crisis is your way of life and yet you are otherwise able bodied, you have got to consider other option and if that means doing stuff like breaking up your family, moving and living apart for work, etc - then do it. If it means like what people used to do that your kids go live with grandparents and aunts and uncles so you are unencumbered to work 20 hours a day- then that is what you have to do. The safeguards to not having to do that are adequate planning and saving before you are encumbered. If you fail to adequately plan and save, then your life will suck. I am not sure why we are so insistent on not forcing people to deal with the natural consequences of their poor decision making. But, it certainly contributes to the situation we see here in this country.

connie
money inflation and deflation doesn't require you to make poor decisions, all you have to be is dumb enough to invest your money into whatever commodity or business or real estate is viable in the market. NASDAQ lured a lot of Americans and then stung 'em, losing 84% of its value from crest to trough when it crashed... millions of smart Americans lost their asses. I have a brother-in-law who was a millionaire, he had worked hard and put himself through school and worked his way up for a solid corporation in the MIS industry, the hottest industry in America in the 90's. Over night, the entire industry vanished, as did his job and his half million in stock that was his retirement program, his employer went out of business and his stock was worth zero, whats more no employment has ever returned to that field... he was training CEO's to handle their transition to computers, he was pretty smart guy, made smart decisions and had your exact politics, still does. I went through the same experience, except I was never making that kind of money, but I was a damn gifted banker and was being groomed for Title, when the entire housing industry went bad. I have a brother who runs an international manufacturing corp, travels the world, he invested his wealth into the housing market; guess what happened? late in life he filed bankruptcy, moved back in with his parents... in his 50's. Then the 3/4 million dollar home my father built with his own hands (and mine and a few others) burned down and they lost everything, my brother had only moved in 2 months previous. I guess that was a poor decision, but you listed it here as the right thing to do. point is, a lot of real smart successful people lost their asses in the housing downturn, all you had to be was invested in housing, smarts has nothing to do with it. Some of us lost our careers also. I remember commenting to my wife when I went into mortgages; "at least this time they cant pull the whole industry out from under me, people will always need mortgages"... she agreed, it was inconceivable that what eventually happened would really happen. you know its funny, I scored so high on aptitude tests in school, the CIA asked my parents to donate me to the nation. That will happen when your dad is military and he scored the 5th smartest person in the state of Ohio. But my father died with nothing, he went from being 3 million in the black to one million in the red in 3 years time... he got too big, too fast and then suffered the consequences... even smart people have to guess what the future holds; guess wrong and you go broke; that's business in a nutshell. We pulled the business back from the brink, downsized it, but the market never returned to the boom times. My mother was too proud to ask for assistance while working her way through probate court after my dad passed last year, so I asked her point blank if she had any money... this was while waiting for insurance to come through... I actually had to send her money to survive a month. My mother makes you look like a saint, she is so cold hearted toward the poor, she would let them all starve; and she was a depression child, she should know better. She put herself through college on a scholarship for her grades, not many of those handed out in 1950. She was a RN, but my dad made her the Treasurer, my mom always owned half the stock, and my mom always asked me what to do, if she could have gotten my father to listen to my advice, or if I could have, we would still be millionaires today, cuz I'm damn good at reading the future, I wanted to stay small, and stay put, and concentrate on the corps (we had three) that were turning a profit. Had my father listened to me 30 years ago, I would be a multimillionaire, and way too snobbish to bother writing to you, ;) I was smart enough to make the right decisions and still ended up where I am today, btw, those 3 years when everything went south began when I quit to go into training for ministry and wasn't there. When I came back , I had to salvage the home branch and then rebuild the Cleveland branch; I had five permanent installations threatening to sue me when I walked into the Cleveland branch, I had to repair and redesign equipment all over the midwest, I had to take equipment that my brother and dad had built wrong and redesign it so it worked; thats not what a normal repair does, a normal repair restores the factory design, I also had to repair equipment made by God knows who and no clue what the factory design was... just look at it and rebuild it, make it work... and everything always did. I was the finest field technician on the planet, and by far, as in, I was way ahead of the rest of the planet. But I had a brother who wanted to run everything, and I had a marriage fail on me, so I quit and tried to make my marriage work, a 3rd time, and ended up homeless in Miami and completely broke; but I was able to find work, so I survived. If Hugo hadn't made that right turn and spared Miami, I would have surely died right there. I guess I made a poor decision trying so hard to make my marriage work, I guess I should have continued to put my job ahead of my family and forgot about my firstborn son... right? Because if you always put money first and don't give a damn about a calling to ministry or making your marriage work or anyone other than number one, that makes you a smart person, right? the gospel says if you do well for yourself men will speak highly of you... but God looks on your heart. And the heart is deceptively wicked, who can know it?
 

Zam-Zam

Senator
God, this is stupid. What is poverty? It is an income level. The reason the poor are fed is because of food stamps; if you yank the food stamps, the poor will starve... I know we would.

Poverty is a relative term. People living in poverty in the United States often own televisions and cell phones. People living in poverty in the third world often have no shelter or food to eat.
 

Days

Commentator
Poverty is a relative term. People living in poverty in the United States often own televisions and cell phones. People living in poverty in the third world often have no shelter or food to eat.
In the common vernacular, Zam, sure it is, but when they ask if they have food to eat; that's totally misleading; it gives the impression that American poor people have money to buy food and they don't, what they have is food stamps.
 

Zam-Zam

Senator
In the common vernacular, Zam, sure it is, but when they ask if they have food to eat; that's totally misleading; it gives the impression that American poor people have money to buy food and they don't, what they have is food stamps.

Not just vernacular; If you live alone and have an income of $11, 670.00, you are officially considered below the poverty line. Eleven grand would go a long way in the third world.


http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm
 

Days

Commentator
Not just vernacular; If you live alone and have an income of $11, 670.00, you are officially considered below the poverty line. Eleven grand would go a long way in the third world.


http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm
But it doesn't even pay the rent on an apartment around here. Its amazing how much the dollar is worth everywhere except in America. If you make less than 12 grand in America, you don't have money to eat, in Chicagoland, I guarantee you will starve, unless you have food stamps.
 
A truly aspirational peoples feed and house every one within their society/civilization - they are dignified as is every one within their realm.

We are all occupied by an evil and dark force - No true people allow some to starve when there is food enough.
 

Days

Commentator
A truly aspirational peoples feed and house every one within their society/civilization - they are dignified as is every one within their realm.

We are all occupied by an evil and dark force - No true people allow some to starve when there is food enough.
There is two ways to get rich:
1) take from everybody until you have more than everyone and everyone hates you
2) give to everyone until everyone is helped and everybody loves you
 
There is two ways to get rich:
1) take from everybody until you have more than everyone and everyone hates you
2) give to everyone until everyone is helped and everybody loves you

It shouldn't be about every one loving anyone person in particular - it should be about true morality and love.

What is rich? Happiness is, only happiness is. The rest, money, is fundi -
 

Days

Commentator
It shouldn't be about every one loving anyone person in particular - it should be about true morality and love.

What is rich? Happiness is, only happiness is. The rest, money, is fundi -
there are riches in the holy spirit that far surpass the riches of this earth. But most cant see... money brings sorrow, not happiness. Godliness brings joy; joy beats happiness hands down, in my book.
 

Craig

Senator
Supporting Member
there are riches in the holy spirit that far surpass the riches of this earth. But most cant see... money brings sorrow, not happiness. Godliness brings joy; joy beats happiness hands down, in my book.
I have long heard that Godliness brings joy, but I know a boat load of self proclaimed people of faith who are miserable. Constantly asking, questioning, wondering why their faith isn't as wonderful as they always say it is.
 
there are riches in the holy spirit that far surpass the riches of this earth. But most cant see... money brings sorrow, not happiness. Godliness brings joy; joy beats happiness hands down, in my book.
I don't believe in the same God as you, a supernatural one, but I do agree in essence - that though sounds as though we should all just give up and fall on our knees - we do not, love is the thing -love put into practice.
 
I have long heard that Godliness brings joy, but I know a boat load of self proclaimed people of faith who are miserable. Constantly asking, questioning, wondering why their faith isn't as wonderful as they always say it is.

Dogma is not Godliness it is dogma -
 
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