Let the Good Times Roll: 1 Million More Americans in Poverty in 2004

[Pekka]

Here I agree with Che. When someone is off the income, has something but not too much, they shouldn't have to sell their stuff only to survive 3 more weeks and then be out of everything. They should get the poor help right then.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Does that apply to entities known as corporations as well?

[DanS]

The idea that 14000 is plenty to live on for 3 folks is insane.

It's not insane in many parts of the country. The poverty line doesn't distinguish among areas of the country (rural, suburban, city), so its utility is limited.

My sister is probably technically in poverty because of the number of kids she has. However, she lives in BFE, her and husband own their own very nice house, 2 cars, a truck, and send their kids to parochial school. They do have hand-me-downs, but there's nothing wrong with that. They have lots of family support (they can take their kids to their grandmother's house, f.e.) I'm sure it would be extremely difficult to live like this in the city, but the poverty line makes no distinction.

Edit: To be clear, by being below the poverty line, each member of the family (9) is below the poverty line. But they are in no way impoverished to my mind.

[chequita guevara]

That's very definately true, DanS. We would be materailly better off with the same income in Jacksonville as we have no in Ft. Lauderdale. FtL has roughly the baseline cost of living with the U.S. as a whole, while Jax is at around 67%. That's like having a 33% increase in pay. I'd have to make $90K here to have the same standard of living. However, it's (theoretically) easier for me and the wife to get a job here than there. And moving is expensive, especially when you're low income.

It's not so easy to just pack up and leave the city and move to the country. On top of that, your job prospects diminish, there are far less social services, and assistance doesn't last forever.

[Sava]

DanS: By that same reasoning, you must take into account the many people that live in parts of the country that have higher costs of living. So it's possible that people with higher incomes could be living in poverty than, no?

[DanS]

Sure. But there are all sorts of criteria that determine how people live with a given amount of income. For instance, rent is expensive, but most non-immigrants in the US don't think to share homes. Going through college and having roommates, it was pretty damn easy to live on $9,500 or whatever is considered pauper's wages, even in the city. You might not live in a ritzy neighborhood, on the other hand. You might lack proper beer money too.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people in poverty are really just college students. I'm sure I was technically in poverty all 4 years of college, although I don't feel like I was impoverished.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Originally posted by DanS


It's not insane in many parts of the country. The poverty line doesn't distinguish among areas of the country (rural, suburban, city), so its utility is limited.

My sister is probably technically in poverty because of the number of kids she has. However, she lives in BFE, her and husband own their own very nice house, 2 cars, a truck, and send their kids to parochial school. They do have hand-me-downs, but there's nothing wrong with that. They have lots of family support (they can take their kids to their grandmother's house, f.e.) I'm sure it would be extremely difficult to live like this in the city, but the poverty line makes no distinction.

Edit: To be clear, by being below the poverty line, each member of the family (9) is below the poverty line. But they are in no way impoverished to my mind.

Dan i seem to think ur sisters income is not 14000 a year i am going to assume she has a husband that helps with income. Even if they are on a farm i am willing to bet that 14000 isnt they only income they have. Alot of folks dont have the home and or shack to call home. and make 14000 a year. The poverty line was designated by the economy. The rate of inflation has to do where that line is drawn. Che is right a house that looks like a shack in a safe part of a certain town can go for a million bucks to where a house in a nother part of town that is nicer and stil in the safe part of town makes a difference. I learned the costs of living when i went to hawaii. Good lord i couldnt by a pound of hamburger for less then 6 bucks when i can get it in texas for 1.09

[DanS]

They have 7 kids under 18, so the poverty line for them is a little under $38,000 (9 household members), according to the table that I linked earlier. All 9 household members are impoverished by the government's figuring.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Patroklos


No, what he was saying that a good portion of the poor are only considered that because of the retarded way we calculate it. As such, while our government might all you poor because of an arbitrary number they picked, many are not poor by any stretch of the definition.

Many are.

There is no definition of poor in any dictionary that has a percentage.

Doesn't matter.

Regardless of what that line means, 1 million more people are under it.

This means 1 million more people have less financial means to live a good life, any way you want to look at it, or in your case, sugarcoat or minimize it.

And this trend has gone down for 4 years straight.

[Ted Striker]

Commie and Mrs. T made excellent points

14,000K a year isn't going to raise a family nowhere, nohow.

[Ben Kenobi]

I couldn't imagine 14k myself. I used to live off around 9K a year, just fora tiny basement room, and half of that would cover my rent. Rent at 500 a month, Bus at about a 100. Leave me 200 for food and the rest.

[Saras]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
Of course there are tough places in the rest of the world, duh. The whole point of this thread is talk about the American economy and living conditions SPECIFICALLY.

Just because there are other "tough places" doesn't mean the conditions, which are bad, and which you and Saras have shown complete ignorance of, don't matter, and the conditions for those people is a "walk in the park."

Maybe we'll compare d1ck length next, and you will lose.

:vomit:

heartless bastard. yes, you.

[Patroklos]

This means 1 million more people have less financial means to live a good life, any way you want to look at it, or in your case, sugarcoat or minimize it.

And this trend has gone down for 4 years straight.

Since when does having "less financial means to live a good life" = poor? I have less means to live a good life than Bill Gates, but I am not poor. I am poorer but not impoverished.

The line is arbitrary, well probobly not as I am sure alot of politicing went into choosing that number. But if I move that line to to 25,000 on three kids today, does that instantly make all those millions of people poor overnight when nothing actually changed?

The posts by Che and DanS prove how ridiculous having a poverty lline is, and how ridiculous your dogged defense of it is. $15,000 dollars is different everywhere you go, and $15,000 dollars will also get you far more depending on how you spend it. All due respect Mrs. Tub, but your experiance is not a rule, and is why I think such a line is crap. The circumstances in which you live as a whole make you poor or not, not just some income statistic.

I didn't realize taking a quatified look at individual situations was more callous than lump millions of people and labeling them because of a number. Where is the sugar coating?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
Does that apply to entities known as corporations as well?

.0000001/10

[Mrs. Tuberski]

Pat You need to define ur defenition of good life. To you what does that entail. A roof over your head food on the table or maybe electricty? I dont know how u see good life. If u think that scrapping wondering were ur next meal will come from or even that hey how long i s this roof going to last on 15000 a year is a good life then i must say ur in need for a wkae up call. Do folks do it yes they do is it hard **** yeah it is do folks like bill gates give a **** prolly not. When any body here can say hey i had to live on this salary and try to raise kids then talk to me about this line, when it is only you and u have a net to fall back on like parents i dont ****ing want to hear it. Poor is poor!! my point has and will remain people dont choose to be this way, do u think if these folks had a choice they would choose to stay this way??