Published on August 28, 2007 By Island Dog In US Domestic

I came across an interesting article this morning that shows some facts about the "poor" in this country. Read the full article for all the information, but here are a few that I found quite interesting.

  • 46 percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
  • Nearly three quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.
  • 97 percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
  • 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

There is no doubt that are some people that are really poor, but these people are very few in numbers. The problem is that people (democrats) want to define what they feel is "poor" and tell the rest of us it's our responsibility to help them. Someone who owns their own home, has two cars, cable tv, etc. are not "poor" regardless of what people like John Edwards and the rest of the democrat candidates tell you.


Comments
on Aug 28, 2007
In other words, most of America's Poor fall in the top 1% of the richest people in the world.
on Aug 28, 2007
The other problem with poverty is that it's becoming increasingly more difficult to live a lifestyle without certain things available. Like Gid has blogged on before, laws are going on the books that basically make it illegal to be poor. Americans don't have outhouses anymore because they can afford indoor plumbing, but there are laws in some places that say you can't HAVE an outhouse... you MUST have indoor plumbing, regardless of your ability to pay for it. In other, less regulated countries, people can be poorer, and live worse than us, because it's legal to have a shack built out of paper if that's what they can afford. Here, we have building codes. You can't build a paper shack.

Are we better for it? Maybe. After all, you don't have to worry about your rented apartment not having indoor plumbing. But if you don't want it, you need to get it anyway, and can't try to save money that way. Plus we pay the taxes that pay the regulators their salaries.
on Aug 28, 2007
There is no doubt that are some people that are really poor, but these people are very few in numbers.


The question is not how many of these 37 million are actually poor, below not having all these unnecesary stuff. The question should be why are these few people actually poor, really poor? Is it because they are physically impaired and incapable of providing for themselves, are they mentally ill, are they illegals, are they too old? If any of these reasons are legit then why are they not taking advantage of the programs the Go't has for people in these situations (except the illegals anyways, but even then)?

In my opinion, the reality is that poor people live better that most poor people of other nations and live pretty good for being under the poor category of this country. Those who are really poor must have some kind of situation that impairs them from seeking help but there is help for them as well. Poverty should not even exist or should not be as bad as some want us to believe due to the amount of Gov't programs to help people not only survive but even move out of poverty into a better lifestyle.

I don't think I should be forcefully responsible for sustaining and maintaining people who are fully capable of sustaining and maintaining themselves and their families, but I do believe it's OK to give them a hand to, not live off the system, but to use it to improve themselves and survive on their own.
on Aug 28, 2007
wow if I would have known how well off I could have been I would have never strived so hard for riches. I coulda had all I have now and still been considered poor. Come to think of it I am poor.
on Aug 28, 2007
liberal man comes to the forefront. I have read the propaganda that you sourced on the National review a Republican machine bent on the destruction of all fair minded Democrats that have nothing but the best intrest of all mankind at their hearts, to take a great benefactor like the Former Senator Edwards who has forced himself to live well beneath his means and deeply cares for the poor people of America who does not have that third car or that fourth color t.v. is beneath shows how much the Republicans hate the poor people of America!
on Aug 28, 2007
I'm sure there are poor people in America but their poverty pales in relation to those who are poor in Africa. SOME of the poor Americans could get off their butts and do something about it. Many Africans have no choice.
on Aug 29, 2007
Why is there no comments from the "gloom and doom" crowd now?
on Aug 29, 2007

2 Cars?  I should have applied for welfare back when I first got married!  We only had one car for the first 6 years!

Better to be poor in America than Rich in latin America.

on Aug 29, 2007
Damn, the "poor" are WAY better off than I am!  I have one car, rent and just a single television.
on Aug 29, 2007

Damn, the "poor" are WAY better off than I am! I have one car, rent and just a single television.

So where do I send my check to the "Support Your Zoomba Foundation"?

on Aug 29, 2007
I'm starting to think that "me case es su casa" saying was invented by a Democrat.
on Aug 31, 2007
The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau, taken from a variety of government reports
I wish that the source was referenced. We all know the adage about lies and statistics. I believe the stats are correct though. After Hurricane Katrina I heard some Hollywood elite justify some looting by saying that "Some of those folks only have one TV!" I was stunned . . I *ONLY* have one TV. Am I poor? Can I loot without remorse or guilt? It's always interesting when foreign visitors come to the US at work and see what we have and what we classify as "poor". We have the richest, fattest, poor in the world. {You know what we should do now to prevent poverty? We should raise minimum wage again! --sigh--}