http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg2064.cfm
Conclusion The living conditions of persons defined as poor by the government bear little resemblance to notions of "poverty" promoted by politicians and political activists. If poverty is defined as lacking adequate nutritious food for one's family, a reasonably warm and dry apartment to live in, or a car with which to get to work when one is needed, then there are relatively few poor persons remaining in the United States. Real material hardship does occur, but it is limited in scope and severity. The typical American defined as "poor" by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians. But the living conditions of the average poor person should not be taken to mean that all poor Americans live without hardship. There is a wide range of living conditions among the poor. Roughly a third of poor households do face material hardships such as overcrowding, intermittent food shortages, or difficulty obtaining medical care. However, even these households would be judged to have high living standards in comparison to most other people in the world. Moreover, the United States can readily reduce its remaining poverty, especially among children. The main causes of child poverty in the United States are low levels of parental work, high numbers of single- parent families, and low skill levels of incoming immigrants. By increasing work and marriage, reducing illegal immigration, and by improving the skill level of future legal immigrants, our nation can, over time, virtually eliminate remaining child poverty. On Oct 5, 4:30 pm, "Mark Kahle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > yes, and it is on "living space" not quality of life. The average apt > in Germany is 40-60 sq. meters 400-600 sq ft. they have never thought > more tro be necessary.. I still don't. i live in a teak lined river > rock home with a/c and 12 volt lighting blah,blah... my doors are of > purple heart (my front door alone in the US would cost about 8,000 > dollars.. not hung or finished). Size of the residence is relevant to > your traditions and culture, NOT with standard of living. > > On 10/5/08, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > No I don't, I didn't do the Reasearch. > > > You are free to disagree with the FACTS all you like Mark... > > >http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg1713.cfm > > > America's poor compare favorably with the general population of other > > nations in square footage of living space. The average poor American > > has more square footage of living space than does the average person > > living in London, Paris, Vienna, and Munich. Poor Americans have > > nearly three times the living space of average urban citizens in > > middle-income countries such as Mexico and Turkey. Poor American > > households have seven times more housing space per person than the > > general urban population of very-low-income countries such as India > > and China. (See Appendix Table A for more detailed information.) > > > ========================== > > > Please note: that says our POOR compare with their "general > > population". > > > You understand what that means, right? > > > On Oct 5, 4:17 pm, "Mark Kahle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > you need to be WAY more specific than that.. these are (on left) > > > "normal" social welfare houses in Germany. The photo is five months or > > > so old and is from Grossostheim. > > > > your statement is an uninformed, outright lie regardless of your source. > > > > you need to be country specific. > > > > On 10/5/08, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > And yet... > > > > > The Poor in our Country Live in standards that the AVERAGE European > > > > does. > > > > > Imagine that. > > > > > Your ignorance notwithstanding. > > > > > On Oct 5, 3:35 pm, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > The fact that the poor and elderly constitute the biggest budgetary > > > > > expense is of no relevance when considering their standard of living. > > > > > The pensions they receive are not equivalent to poverty line wages, > > > > > they are an insult. > > > > > > There is a problem in that Medicaid, medicare and social welfare are > > > > > increasing at a rate that funds will be exhausted by about 2040. The > > > > > problem isn't the programs it is the lack of taxation contributions > > > > > from the wealthy. The top tax rate for business used to be 70%, now it > > > > > is the 35% and with the tax breaks passed by the bush administration, > > > > > 66% of business pay little or no tax at all. > > > > > > Because of these policies you have the situation where the top 10% of > > > > > society has 90% of all wealth and the poorest 40% has 0.2% and the top > > > > > 1% owes more than the bottom 90% > > > > > > The poor are not the problem, the distribution of the wealth is the > > > > > problem. The high tax rates of big business are what underpinned the > > > > > American Dream. If a business is collecting the combined surplus value > > > > > of thousands of workers it has to plough a considerable amount back > > > > > into society in the form of taxes to ensure social harmony. Extremes > > > > > of wealth polarization are incompatible with democratic norms.I know > > > > > you oppose such measures but this is the result. Either wealth > > > > > distribution is undertaken or you will have revolution on your hands. > > > > > Of course I am banking on the latter. > > > > > > On Oct 6, 8:29 am, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > Funny, isn't it? > > > > > > > You rail on about how bad the Poor have it, and how much Debt we > > > > > > have... > > > > > > > Yet the Single biggest expenditure in our Budget is to the Poor and > > > > > > Elderly. > > > > > > > Imagine that, we take care of our Poor and Elderly first and > > > > > > foremost. > > > > > > > No wonder you can't get them to Revolt. > > > > > > > On Oct 5, 2:18 pm, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Your debt is double what it was in 1929, and 5.5 million families > > > > > > > were > > > > > > > not about to loose their homes and you won the war, you are > > > > > > > loosing > > > > > > > this one, in-fact it has gone on longer than WWII and the > > > > > > > population > > > > > > > do not support it. The US is screwed big time. > > > > > > > > On Oct 6, 8:04 am, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > The point is, that the last time we were this indebted was > > > > > > > > during and > > > > > > > > directly after a time of War... > > > > > > > > > And we are currently at War. > > > > > > > > > On Oct 5, 1:48 pm, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > What's the point Gaar? It paints a very negative picture of > > > > > > > > > US debt > > > > > > > > > excluding war funding, and another 5.5 million home defaults > > > > > > > > > to come. > > > > > > > > > Instead of just throwing data about, read what your own > > > > > > > > > financial > > > > > > > > > experts are saying on Bloomberg's, they are convinced of a > > > > > > > > > deep > > > > > > > > > prolonged recession. > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 6, 7:25 am, Gaar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt > > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 5, 12:06 pm, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > You should avoid paying taxes, as it the working class > > > > > > > > > > > that support > > > > > > > > > > > the wealthy, which you see very clearly in relation to > > > > > > > > > > > the acquisition > > > > > > > > > > > of public funds to bail out the parasites on Wall St. > > > > > > > > > > > > The fact that you are having credit cards shoved down > > > > > > > > > > > your throat in > > > > > > > > > > > the middle of a credit crisis has its own logic based in > > > > > > > > > > > the > > > > > > > > > > > contradictions of capitalism which you will start to > > > > > > > > > > > notice occur on > > > > > > > > > > > all sorts of levels and you don't have to be an account > > > > > > > > > > > to work it > > > > > > > > > > > out. > > > > > > > > > > > > No matter how bad the financial situation is, the banks > > > > > > > > > > > must lend out > > > > > > > > > > > money, that is how they make their profits. So the fact > > > > > > > > > > > that they are > > > > > > > > > > > in trouble makes it even more imperative to do more > > > > > > > > > > > business to create > > > > > > > > > > > profits and generate liquidity. Of course with Americans > > > > > > > > > > > in record > > > > > > > > > > > debt and the proliferation of job loses and housing > > > > > > > > > > > defaults, it is a > > > > > > > > > > > practice that is bound to backfire, but they have no > > > > > > > > > > > other choice. > > > > > > > > > > > > Markets and resources are finite, yet capitalism requires > > > > > > > > > > > the never > > > > > > > > > > > ending expansion of capital, this is just not possible > > > > > > > > > > > and this crisis > > > > > > > > > > > is the result. > > > > > > > > > > > > Out of interest in 1929 the US debt was 150% of GDP, now > > > > > > > > > > > it is 300%. > > > > > > > > > > > About 1,000,000 housing defaults have occurred so far, > > > > > > > > > > > while another > > > > > > > > > > > 5,000,000 are expected in the next 2 to 3 years. Puts > > > > > > > > > > > things in > > > > > > > > > > > perspective a bit doesn't it? > > > > > > > > > > > > Regarding a Wall St police, the government and Big > > > > > > > > > > > Business are > > > > > > > > > > > intertwined to a degree when it is impossible to know > > > > > > > > > > > where one ends > > > > > > > > > > > and the other begins. Together they consciously rob the > > > > > > > > > > > American > > > > > > > > > > > worker blind. The average congressman is worth $3.9 > > > > > > > > > > > million, the only > > > > > > > > > > > new police force the US public will see is the Nazi brown > > > > > > > > > > > shirts, > > > > > > > > > > > which are in training as we speak in the guise of > > > > > > > > > > > Northcom. > > > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 6, 12:49 am, margareth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > Do you think tha t the IRS will pay each of us for > > > > > > > > > > > > reporting him? Fat > > > > > > > > > > > > chance. I avoid taxes the way that rich people do. I > > > > > > > > > > > > make income > > > > > > > > > > > > disappear...and hopefully into good investments. I > > > > > > > > > > > > think that all the > > > > > > > > > > > > politicians have frauded many of the taxpayers. Through > > > > > > > > > > > > thist past > > > > > > > > > > > > week, I have had three calls from credit card companies > > > > > > > > > > > > offering to > > > > > > > > > > > > lend me money, so, unless you are an accountant, it is > > > > > > > > > > > > difficult to > > > > > > > > > > > > understand what has been happening. What really needs > > > > > > > > > > > > to happen now, > > > > > > > > > > > > is that there would be a police force on Wall street. > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 4, 10:17 pm, Frank <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Let's see how stupid this post is. 66% of business > > > > > > > > > > > > > pays little or no > > > > > > > > > > > > > tax according to the US government. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The richest 1% of Americans own more wealth than the > > > > > > > > > > > > > bottom 90% > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The poorest 40% own just 0.2% of total wealth. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Any idiot can see, and granted Mark is not just any > > > > > > > > > > > > > ordinary idiot, > > > > > > > > > > > > > that the problem within the economy is that the rich > > > > > > > > > > > > > have hoarded > > > > > > > > > > > > > everything for themselves while blaming the most > > > > > > > > > > > > > impovershed layers > > > > > > > > > > > > > for the economic crisis, while they live in obscene > > > > > > > > > > > > > wealth. This > > > > > > > > > > > > > commonly know as blaming the victim. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The only defense of such actions can come from the > > > > > > > > > > > > > most ignorant > > > > > > > > > > > > > sections of conservative politics, who defend the > > > > > > > > > > > > > "American > > > > > > > > > > > > > Nightmare", built on death and barbarism > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Oct 5, 5:21 am, mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh is warning Americans > > > > > > > > > > > > > > about the 30 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > percent of the people in > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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