Poverty In America
No wonder the federal government is going bankrupt. Just look at how they define poverty in America today:
Data from the Department of Energy and other agencies show that the average poor family, as defined by Census officials:
● Lives in a home that is in good repair, not crowded, and equipped with air conditioning, clothes washer and dryer, and cable or satellite TV service.
● Prepares meals in a kitchen with a refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave as well as oven and stove.
● Enjoys two color TVs, a DVD player, VCR and — if children are there — an Xbox, PlayStation, or other video game system.
● Had enough money in the past year to meet essential needs, including adequate food and medical care.
The accompanying chart is very enlightening. Even 0.6% of people the government says are living in poverty have a jacuzzi while 18% have a big screen TV.
9 Responses to “Poverty In America”
Rotf, This just to crazy. what is wrong with these people?
[...] Poverty In America (via Virginia Virtucon) Posted on July 19, 2011 by wdednh No wonder the federal government is going bankrupt. Just look at how they define poverty in America today: Data from the Department of Energy and other agencies show that the average poor family, as defined by Census officials: ● Lives in a home that is in good repair, not crowded, and equipped with air conditioning, clothes washer and dryer, and cable or satellite TV service. ● Prepares meals in a kitchen with a refrigerator, coffee maker and m … Read More [...]
How dare those poor people have ovens and TVs.
According to the Heritage Foundation you aren’t poor until your nakes and homeless, damnit!
Arent you all a little naive? I mean like you have never seen poverty? You honestly think there really is no poverty if you keep your heads in the sand. Ride around the front part of dale city….then yorkshire……and when you do, have your eyes open!!!
PS…..and dont forget the Homelss Shelters and their new campsites…….
Ken, those are the people the government should be counting as living in poverty, not people meeting the definitions the census is currently using. And if you want to see real poverty, get outside of the main cities in Central America and you will see things that break your heart.
Central America has nothing to do with what we are talking about. The poverty benchmark is set by law or regulation and does not exclude someone or a family from having a.c., tv, etc. I’m sure you know that our homeless people have generators, and therefore tv, etc…………….they are in poverty!!!
I know all about the homeless camps, Ken. As you know, I’m on the Housing Board and am supportive of the plans to eliminate homelessness in the county. I’m doing my best to help oversee the $20M per year that we get for the county from the Feds on housing issues. What I’m saying is that if someone owns a widescreen (as opposed to a portable TV running off a generator in the woods) and an XBOX and a DVD player and live in a home in good repair, then perhaps the government’s definition of poverty is screwed up. Central America comes into the equation when comparing what true poverty is to the above example.
I am aware of your service on the Housing Board and cannot understand how one with that responsibility would ‘pick and choose’ who is and is not in poverty. The benchmarks are based, as you know, the amount of income for a family of 4 (?????$16,000)…………there is NO way the govt can or should break this down………what if someone has a rich uncle and/or won a widescreen in a raffle……i hope you wouldnt argue to check each home and base your view of poverty on that. I have seen some sorry places in Central America and also have seen similar poverty in work camps in the US. I admire your attempts to wipe out homelessness, but notwithstanding the COC goals, there will always be people who want to live in the woods. The best way to approach the matter in my opinion is on a case-by-case basis: help people apply for aid and match them up with what is available………
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