What percentage of Americans are poor?

[Al B. Sure!]

So you're saying that at least 50% of the population is below the median income?

who is kucinich and is he pretending to be stupid?

[Dis]

Originally posted by Pax Africanus
Many americans are a paycheck away from poverty.
Many americans are a step away from poverty.
That's what it means that what I meant.
It's also not the american way.
The American way would be life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I don't believe that. Worse comes to worse they have to declare bankruptcy. But they still get to keep their house if they do that. So they aren't exactly in poverty.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Albert Speer
who is kucinich and is he pretending to be stupid?

Did you not see the post two above yours?

I was trolling

[Al B. Sure!]

don't forget welfare and unemployment...

[Master Zen]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Shows what you know.

No, all it shows is you have no ****ing clue about how bad poverty is in the third world. I've seen slums in the US, and slums in my country and trust me, there's a HUGE difference.

[Al B. Sure!]

our poor in america wear Ralph Lauren, Sean John, and Nike...
poor in other countries wear rags...

[Dis]

In my city many people cannot afford cars. But that doesn't stop them from carrying cell phones.

I'd like to know how many poor people in other countries carry cell phones.

[:) Smiley]

Darn pessimists. On the flip side, if an American were able to save a month's paycheck and invest it, they'd be on the road to prosperity.

[Master Zen]

Originally posted by Dissident
I'd like to know how many poor people in other countries carry cell phones.

You'd be surprised. The lady who cleans my house once a day each week for only $6 has a cell phone.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Lets get are terms strait.

Poverty is the lack of "wealth" Cars, houses, clothing and in exteram cases FOOD.

Poor and Rich are relativistic terms, your Poor if you have less money and stuff then most other people. Conversly your Rich if you have lots more.

Depending on if we take a look at the US in isolation or look at the whole world we will get a differnt result for weather the average American is "poor".

Its more meaningfull to ask what kind of WEALTH DISTROBUTION their is in the US. Many people note that their are lots of "Rich" people in 3rd World Countries who live confortable lives comparable to the lives of the Rich people in the US. They often have an amount of raw money that would be only middle class in the US but the Purchasing Power Parity in their country means they get more "stuff" for their level of wealth. Everyone else in the Country though is exteramly poor and in genuine poverty.

The suprising thing is that the US has almost ADSACTLY the same Wealth Distripution as a 3rd world country. A tiny % hold a huge % of all Wealth. The only difference is that in the US EVERYONE has 10 times as much wealth and thus their is little or no poverty among the working class (unemployed people are ofcorse in poverty in any country that has a poor social safty net).

In Europe though their is a much flatter wealth Distributions, this combined with a strong social safty net means that no one is in Poverty or as proportionaly rich or poor. So even with only 2/3 the Per capita GDP europeans on average enjoy a standard of living as good as in the US (and its rising faster as well).

Its clear that the EVEN distribution of wealth is best for society as a whole, Consentraion of wealth leads to conservative idealogies which ultimatly harm the economy and make the majority even more impoverished. Coversly Liberal efforts at wealth redistribution create and sustain a vibrant middle class that can create a powerfull economy that ultimately enriches everyone including the wealth to higher levels of REAL wealth at the expense of lower levels of proportional Richness.

I can only conclude that Conservatives value being Rich over being wealthy, so for example it would be beter to have 10 Dollars and everyone else having 1 then for you to have 100 and everyone else 50.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Those who think the poor in America are better off than most o the rest of the world have no idea what real American poverty is like. There are parts of the Unites States where people live like they live in the Third World.

Actually it's the people who claims this who have no idea what third world poverty is like.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Conservatives like to blame the victim.

People like to argue about whether others are victims or not.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Albert Speer

finally another guy here who wasnt born with a silver spoon in his mouth. where you used to run? and where you at now and what do you do?

Yea Albert, no one from outside the ghetto has ever been anything but wealthy.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by Sikander


Yea Albert, no one from outside the ghetto has ever been anything but wealthy.

Yep my so called wealthy parents were so affluent they had to rely on begging for milk from local farms and raise their small garden at their rented place in order to feed my brother sister and myself. Many a night the only thing we had was corn on the cob and fresh milk.

OTOH Dad working two jobs and putting himself through school to get a phD in Biology, my mom working nightshift as a nurse, allowed them to Gasp own property buy a small farm and instill in my family the ideals of hard work and the need for good education.

You'll pardon me if I don't necessarily buy the arguement that once poor you and yours will always be poor. Plenty of social mobility exists if people want it.

But I suppose the left would very much like to have them shot now as their reward for making it a go.

[Pax]

I'm not saying that it's impossible to improve your circumstances. I'm saying that it's easier to get to $200,000 in the bank if you start with $100,000 than it is to get to $100,000 if you start out with nothing. Anything is possible.
I like the idea mentioned above of flatter wealth distribution. I would rather more people in the lower levels of income increased there earnings before the rich got richer.
The term ghetto was used as a generalization. Of course their are poor people living outside of city projects.
I don't think all poor people have cell phones or big screen tv's. Some may. This represents a misuse of the monies that were available to them. It does not mean that they are not poor. Let's not pretend that there are no poor people in America. Let's also not pretend that we all have the same advantages.
We don't have to feel sorry for poor in America. Just recognize that it is to every Americans benefit to push the poor youth of America out of poverty into productive society. The every man for himself mentality will be one of the downfalls of the U.S.
A prime example is my current situation. I live in an affluent neighborhood that is a few blocks away from a poor neighborhood. Just recently we had a 17 year old kid riding around shooting out windows. He could have easily killed someone. He's in jail now. Luckily, no one died. If someone could have reached out to him before this, there would have been no damage to property and no potential loss of life.
This kid was poor and did not see a reason not to act stupidly. It's up to us as Americans to fix these problems before it gets to this stage. Especially, when the parents are not doing there job.