I should be so rich and that's not counting healthcare.   

snip~
(CNSNews.com) - Americans who live in households whose income is below the federal "poverty" level typically have cell phones (as well as landline phones), computers, televisions, video recorders, air conditioning, refrigerators, gas or electric stoves, and washers and dryers and microwaves, according to a newly released report from the Census Bureau. In fact, 80.9 percent of households below the poverty level have cell phones, and a healthy majority—58.2 percent—have computers.

snip~
Here are the percentages of households below the poverty level that the Census Bureau estimates had the following appliances:

Clothes washer: 68.7%

Clothes dryer: 65.3%

Dish washer: 44.9%

Refrigerator: 97.8%

Food freezer: 26.2%

Stove: 96.6%

Microwave: 93.2%

Air conditioner: 83.4%

Television: 96.1%

Video recorder/DVD: 83.2%

Computer: 58.2%

Telephone (landline): 54.9%

Cell phone: 80.9%

more @
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/census-americans-poverty-typically-have-cell-phones-computers-tvs

America is the place where they build low income housing - and always include a parking lot.

Our poverty line is upper middle class in 99% of the rest of the earth.

Poverty a King could only dream of attaining.

In most countries, poverty is measured in terms of caloric intake.

In America, the "poverty line" is drawn between those who can and cannot afford a personal trainer.

Quote from: kopema on September 13, 2013, 05:28:06 PM
In most countries, poverty is measured in terms of caloric intake.

In America, the "poverty line" is drawn between those who can and cannot afford a personal trainer.

Excellent analogy...

Hey! They don't have HD!

Quote from: The Boo Man... on September 13, 2013, 05:52:22 PM
Hey! They don't have HD!

YES!!  They do.   

Quote from: walkstall on September 13, 2013, 06:08:19 PM
YES!!  They do.   

Yeah but not in every room....

Oh the humanity...

Back in the mid or late '90s a CA Bay Area news article stated that many "poverty level" families received more than $80k per year in cash and benefits. These benefits included:

1. Free housing (often in upper-middle class, or better neighborhoods).

2. Free, or very low-cost, daycare for their children (which, in the Bay Area, often exceeded $650 per child per month for non "poverty level" parents).

3. Free school busing, including "front doorstep" service. Non "poverty level" parents could expect to pay $200 per student per month (with absolutely no "front door" service availability).

4. Free and virtually unlimited electricity and natural gas.

5. Free health care.

6. Free dental care.

7. Free eye care.

8. Free and excessive food stamp handouts (you can always tell when someone is probably on the F.S. program because they often never even glance at the prices of the food they pile into their shopping carts).

9. Excessive "cash" benefits that allowed these so-called "poverty level" consumers to buy multiple cell phones, large screen TVs, expensive home theater systems, $200 sneakers, $60 causal pants, $40 sports logo baseball caps, $30 sports logo T-shirts, and $4K rims and tires for their luxury vehicles (they almost always have a clunker car around to use for when they visit their case workers).

Note: also keep in mind the profits that certain businesses take in from these welfare state funded parasites.

Yep, it pays to be "poor" in this country. These poverty level consumers only need to vote "early and often" for the Dem political candidate of their choice (and businesses only need to bribe the Demrino politicians via the lobbyists they employ).

 

After more than a decade in third world countries the concept of "Poor" in America is some kind of sick joke.

You want to see poverty...step outside the USA.

Quote from: kopema on September 13, 2013, 05:28:06 PM
In most countries, poverty is measured in terms of caloric intake.

In America, the "poverty line" is drawn between those who can and cannot afford a personal trainer.

A. So what? So Americans by and large have it better off than folks in most other nations.

And the problem with that is?

B. Hell by that standard everyone I know is "poor" lol.

Even those I thought were upper middle class to "richish" lol.

Look I'm not saying Americans don't have it good.

There is no doubt that the poor in this nation have it way better than the "poor" in most other nations.

This is why not only do I for one thank God I am an American.

But also why I get so upset when other Americans denigrate and disrespect this nation of ours.

But the and not to attack you, the OP makes it sound in this thread as if that's a bad thing, or if somehow we should be ashamed that Americans have it that good.

I"m sorry but if that's the intention then I have to say bull shit.

Yes Americans have it good. But Americans have also worked their proverbial ass's off to have it that good too.

Chk out the work stats sometime, wherein they compare the hours the average American works, to say the average Frenchie.

And you'll see why Americans have it so good. Americans (up until just the past few decades) had a good work ethic.

They werne't afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to earn/make a living.

It's not rocket science, it's not a state secret.

Our willingness to work, in conjunction with our support of Israel, and our faith in the one true living God and his son Jesus Christ, is why America has been so blessed.

And our turning away from that, is why we see today well what we see, recession and an economy in the crapper.

Quote from: daidalos on September 14, 2013, 05:33:28 PM
A. So what? So Americans by and large have it better off than folks in most other nations.  And the problem with that is?

I have absolutely no idea - and, based on the rest of your disjointed post, no way of even beginning to guess - what you think the problem with that might be.

The fact that free enterprise has generated tremendous amounts of wealth is, of course, a wonderful thing.  The problem is that liberals try to characterize America's "poor" as something out of a Charles Dickens novel:  constantly on the verge of starvation, and downtrodden by the "evil" wealth-creators of our society.  And that utterly insane and idiotic delusion is what our entire Social Welfare system is based on.

Quote from: kopema on September 14, 2013, 06:30:45 PM
I have absolutely no idea - and, based on the rest of your disjointed post, no way of even beginning to guess - what you think the problem with that might be.

The fact that free enterprise has generated tremendous amounts of wealth is, of course, a wonderful thing.  The problem is that liberals try to characterize America's "poor" as something out of a Charles Dickens novel:  constantly on the verge of starvation, and downtrodden by the "evil" wealth-creators of our society.  And that utterly insane and idiotic delusion is what our entire Social Welfare system is based on.

Right on, let's make those welfare chilluns wash those lunchroom trays their free meals are served on, and sweep the floors of the schools that aren't teaching them, to earn an education they can't use because their own actions often make a criminal record their own worst enemy.

And if you're a Democrat in Detroit, it is ALWAYS the Republicans' fault because they are in power now (at the top, statewide) whereas for the city and Wayne County, the party causing the problem has had 50 years of criminality and criminal neglect in which to steal their community's future. It isn't the GOP.

Numerous city council and pension-board members (and a select handful of other corruptocrats) have all been purged or defeated at the polls.  Meanwhile they just tore down the infamous local welfare-rat-hole, the Brewster Projects, and the media STILL can't get it straight how many abandoned buildings their city actually has.

Poverty will exist as long as there is a greedy dirtbag union rat who will keep everyone else dependent on their services, to justify their own paycheck. Poverty will exist as long as union-run public schools can't (or deliberately won't) teach kids how to read after ten years or more of trying. (It could be the same job-protection.)

Democrats declared the war on poverty. Like Vietnam, they blew that one, too.

Poverty, real or imagined, will exist as long as there's a profit in it.

These "poverty profiteers" include those who receive public assistance benefits, those who make money doing businesses with them, and those who receive their political votes.

Reducing any one of the above would do much to end the chronic "poverty of profit and votes" cycle that has been harming this country since LBJ.