What does it mean to be "poor" in America?
From The Morning Bell:
As Congress struggles to find a way to cut spending as part of raising the $14 trillion debt ceiling, they should take a close look at the more than $1 trillion spent every year on welfare. You’ll be surprised to learn that many of the 30 million Americans defined as “poor” and in need of government assistance aren’t quite what you’d expect—rather than homeless and on the streets, the average poor American household has luxuries like air conditioning, cable TV, and X-box video game consoles.
In their new report, What Is Poverty?, The Heritage Foundation’s Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield analyze what it really means to be poor in America. The reality they found is much different than the picture painted in movies and on TV:
According to the government’s own survey data, in 2005, the average household defined as poor by the government lived in a house or apartment equipped with air conditioning and cable TV. The family had a car (a third of the poor have two or more cars). For entertainment, the household had two color televisions, a DVD player, and a VCR.
If there were children in the home (especially boys), the family had a game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation. In the kitchen, the household had a microwave, refrigerator, and an oven and stove. Other household conveniences included a washer and dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
The home of the average poor family was in good repair and not overcrowded. In fact, the typical poor American had more living space than the average European. (Note: That’s average European, not poor European.) The average poor family was able to obtain medical care when needed. When asked, most poor families stated they had had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs.
By its own report, the family was not hungry. The average intake of protein, vitamins, and minerals by poor children is indistinguishable from children in the upper middle class and, in most cases, is well above recommended norms. Poor boys today at ages 18 and 19 are actually taller and heavier than middle-class boys of similar age in the late 1950s and are a full one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than American soldiers who fought in World War II. The major dietary problem facing poor Americans is eating too much, not too little; the majority of poor adults, like most Americans, are overweight.
Interesting.
1 comment:
I remember John Stossel doing a piece making a similar point many years ago on ABC. He went down to a government food handout station in a poor NYC (i believe) neighborhood.
He would say something like: "wow, it must be a relief for you to finally get something to eat, but where can you cook this?" to which the person in line would say "oh, I've got plenty of food over at my apartment". STossel would follow up with "but how can you pay the electricity bill?" etc, etc.
By the end, it was apparent that many of the poorest people still have quite a bit compared to what one might think - food, clothing, shelter, heat, AC, cable TV and a microwave. Not saying it isn't a hard life, but better than kings and queens lived in the distant past.
My grandma used to get a pound of free processed government cheese that they would hand out to elderly in her small town (300 people). She certainly wasn't what I considered poor and never struggled with any necessities. She probably didnt even like that crappy cheese. But it's always been a reminder to me that people love free shit, even if they don't need it.
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