[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('basil_hayden', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('basil_hayden', 'd')sula -

I ca't wait for the advancing wave of poverty hits you.

I wonder, will you be man enough to come back here and admit it?

[gollum]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'T')he powers that be have reset the poverty levels in India

A recent recommendation by the Indian Planning Commission to set the poverty line at 32 rupees (65c/40p) a day has stirred up a major debate across the country.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15542957

When you get this poor, your PISS POOR. Coming to us all in the west, soon.

Gas

[DomusAlbion]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gollum', 'I') see Poland poor in our future but not India poor, we're just too resource rich for it to come to that. Although we do hog resources from the rest of the world we're still very naturally wealthy as a country.

[Loki]

The Heritage Foundation. Now there's a reliable source on what it's like to live in low-income America.

The gutting of the middle class, the stark inequality of wealth, the massive increase in food aid, the outsourcing of jobs and the flooding of the remaining labor market through overimmigration, the steep spike in income gains for the 1% while working Americans have seen stagnant/declining wages for decades, hyperinflation in health care, education, housing, etc. These are all irrelevant, apparently. The decline of America is irrelevant.

It's clear that the conservative agenda is to reduce the United States to a Second, or preferably, Third World country. Peak oil, climate change, and the Ponzi economy may achieve this result regardless of what the Ayn Rand cultists and assorted other wingnuts do, but there's no need to rush it.

[Serial_Worrier]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', 'T')he Heritage Foundation. Now there's a reliable source on what it's like to live in low-income America.

The gutting of the middle class, the stark inequality of wealth, the massive increase in food aid, the outsourcing of jobs and the flooding of the remaining labor market through overimmigration, the steep spike in income gains for the 1% while working Americans have seen stagnant/declining wages for decades, hyperinflation in health care, education, housing, etc. These are all irrelevant, apparently. The decline of America is irrelevant.

It's clear that the conservative agenda is to reduce the United States to a Second, or preferably, Third World country. Peak oil, climate change, and the Ponzi economy may achieve this result regardless of what the Ayn Rand cultists and assorted other wingnuts do, but there's no need to rush it.

[Oakley]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Serial_Worrier', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', '
')
It's clear that the conservative agenda is to reduce the United States to a Second, or preferably, Third World country. Peak oil, climate change, and the Ponzi economy may achieve this result regardless of what the Ayn Rand cultists and assorted other wingnuts do, but there's no need to rush it.

[smiley]

Well before we starting accusing the poor of living a life of leisure on our costs, I think that it is good to verify the statements made in this article. Peronally I get a bit skeptical when an institute with a clear political agenda publishes a seemingly independent piece of research. I want to know their sources and methodologies before I can take over their conclusions.

At first glance this report looks genuine enough with all the footnotes (which do not work), but when you do a bit of digging into this report you'will notice that it is a mix and match of different data, poorly treated, and presented with one goal in mind.

Take for instance the airconditioner claim which reportedly comes from.
the American Housing Survey for the United States: 2009
The problem is that he is fabricating this number from different survey items. For instance if you have a central Airco system and you have some mobile units standing somewhere, he basically distributes the number of Airco's you have over the whole pool. Using this methodology it appears that 110% of the households in the USA southwest have an Airco.

Another large part of his data is drawn from the RECS. Well it appears that this survey is conducted in 16 states. It includes the richest states, but omits all the poorest states as can be seen on the map (poverty in US) so it will be naturally biased. Even then he is picking random data out of the report in a way that is misleading to say the least.

I can't be bothered to sift trough all the data. But for me the picture is clear that this author wants to sent the message that the poor are not poor at all, and he is going trough a lot of effort of finding data, taking them out of context and and presenting it in such a way that it colloborates his message, counting on that people don't look up his sources.

[Shaved Monkey]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'D')espite dsula's snarky response the article is a good one. The point being that though these people are defined as poor in America they live a rather good life when compared to the rest of the world, especially the third world.

[Outcast_Searcher]

Reading through this thread, I suspect there may be a big semantics problem here. I noticed references (direct and implied) to wealth distribution for example -- which is **NOT** a real indicator of true (absolute) poverty.

A good, balanced, discussion of absolute vs. relative poverty is on Wikipedia. (I suspect the balance is due to a heavily moderated fight between wildly differing viewpoints). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measuring_poverty

One thing I found interesting was this:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Others, such as economist Ellen Frank, argue that the poverty measure is too low as families spend much less of their total budget on food than they did when the measure was established in the 1950s.

[Shaved Monkey]

Its all about the distribution
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')t found Australia's median wealth, the mid-point between the wealthiest adult and poorest, was $US222,000 ($213,800), the highest in the world.
Wealth in Australia is more evenly distributed than in other countries, particularly compared to the US, which has median wealth of about $US53,000.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', 'T')he Heritage Foundation. Now there's a reliable source on what it's like to live in low-income America.

The gutting of the middle class, the stark inequality of wealth, the massive increase in food aid, the outsourcing of jobs and the flooding of the remaining labor market through overimmigration, the steep spike in income gains for the 1% while working Americans have seen stagnant/declining wages for decades, hyperinflation in health care, education, housing, etc. These are all irrelevant, apparently. The decline of America is irrelevant.

It's clear that the conservative agenda is to reduce the United States to a Second, or preferably, Third World country. Peak oil, climate change, and the Ponzi economy may achieve this result regardless of what the Ayn Rand cultists and assorted other wingnuts do, but there's no need to rush it.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Shaved Monkey', 'I')ts all about the distribution

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('smiley', ' ')But for me the picture is clear that this author wants to sent the message that the poor are not poor at all

[gollum]

I wonder, are people angry at "poverty" or is it more about uncertianty and lack of security.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gollum', 'I') wonder, are people angry at "poverty" or is it more about uncertianty and lack of security.

[careinke]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', '
')The gutting of the middle class, the stark inequality of wealth (Yea, we should take Bill Gates, and Warren Buffets money away from them. I'm sure the govt has a much better use for it.), the massive increase in food aid (Johnson's war on poverty, an abject failure), the outsourcing of jobs (Thank Clinton for NAFTA) and the flooding of the remaining labor market through overimmigration (You mean future democrats?), the steep spike in income gains for the 1% (Clintons repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act helps?) while working Americans have seen stagnant/declining wages for decades (Supply and demand, more workers/immigrants = Less demand = lower wages) , hyperinflation in health care (Worsened under Obama Care), education (run primarily by Liberals), housing (Go Barney Frank!), etc (yes there are a lot more examples). These are all irrelevant, apparently. The decline of America is irrelevant.

[Serial_Worrier]

This is about class envy, not real poverty.

[Revi]

We have real poverty already.

[gollum]

Maybe some of the anger is the contempt with which the "less fortunate" are treated in this country, and the impunity with which the rich operate in the political, legal, and economic systems. It seems to me that while we don't have the poverty we see in third world countries we do have the class system that leaves the wealthy with one set of rules and the rest of us with another. Take for example Herman Cain who tells us it's our fault we're not rich, but the system allows him to put his hands up a woman's dress and when she files suit his employer pays the bill. I dare anyone making under $100k a year to try the same thing and see what happens in your life afterwards.