What is poverty in America

bailey bud wrote: I'm told my grandparents from Alaska lived in poverty. Additionally, I have a grandmother from Appalacia who grew up "in poverty" in the 30s.

I suppose poverty does exist in America - but having seen poverty elsewhere - I have less sympathies than I used to.

The poorest half of America lives better than 90 percent of the world.

+1
Look at the census number, more 2 car households, a/c, etc.

The poor I know live better than the middle class I knew in the 70's. And better than most of the world.

Rationalizing the condition of the poor in this country by saying they live better than most of the world is a cop out. It's our way of ignoring the problem, saying it isn't so bad to be poor here.....well who here is willing to try it? In many ways it may be worse, try being poor and then look around you and see the excess in the wealthy, the way some people live, how much is wasted that the poor would be more than grateful for. We throw away enough to feed all the poor every day. This is America, we can, and should, do better than that. The gap between the wealthy and the poor in this country is the largest it has ever been......going hungry in America is still hungry.......being homeless in America is still homeless......do you think living on the street in America is some sort of wonderful existence? I have seen people living in places that I wouldn't let a dog live in, children covered in bites, from bugs and rats, eating garbage....yeah, that seems to be OK with some, but not with me.

archer wrote: The gap between the wealthy and the poor in this country is the largest it has ever been...

Didn't the DEMOCRATS declare a war on poverty? Oh yes, another DEMOCRAT program that has gone to heck.

...going hungry in America is still hungry.......

True, - but hungry in America is define skipping a meal. Yet, we still let the immigrants in the country to consume our fine food stamps program and provide foreign aid to countries liberal socialist in US embrace.

being homeless in America is still homeless......do you think living on the street in America is some sort of wonderful existence?

Nope, but it's sad the Democrats caused the housing bubble and crashed the markets in 2008.

I have seen people living in places that I wouldn't let a dog live in, children covered in bites, from bugs and rats, eating garbage....yeah, that seems to be OK with some, but not with me.

...but you did nothing...but tax the producers instead of getting off your keyboard and high horse.

residenttroll wrote: ...but you did nothing...but tax the producers instead of getting off your keyboard and high horse.

Wow.....I didn't know I had the power to tax anyone.

and you have no idea what I have done, or not done, to help those less fortunate than myself.....do you.

But you sure do love to pontificate about the poor....yeah, going hungry is skipping a meal.....no RT.....that is a diet. You really don't have a clue about how many in this country live, what an insular world you live in.

What is so tragic is that now even having compassion for others, the basic tenent of most faiths, has become a partisan issue. It literally. Makes me cry that the party I belonged to my entire life has rejected the values I hold most dear; compassion, learning, hope and faith in your fellow man.

residenttroll wrote:

Local_Historian wrote: As to the article - the census does NOT distort the poverty index - it MERELY reports the numbers people put down on the census forms. It is the users of the information - like the writer of that article - that distort the numbers. The writer is full of crap from the get go.

As to RT's crap:

Free healthcare? where would that be? Please do point it out in this community, because there are people here that actually need it.

Local Historian, I wrote FREE EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE .... hospitals, by FEDERAL LAW, must accept all emergency patients with or without insurance.

Do a little research and find out why illegal hispanics live in Denver County and not in Jeffco or other surrounding counties?

It's call DENVER HEALTH ...and other benefits.

The homeless are in Civic City Park for one reason....there are benefits. You don't see the homeless in Bear Creek Park...why is that? You don't see homeless in other parks?

I know this first hand....There are several "homeless" folks who get over $1100 per month in federal government benefits (have 10's of thousands in savings) ...but live in the shelters...and pan handle for spending money. There are many illegals who file IRS returns and get $5000 per return, deposit the money and send it to Mexico.

Homeless go where there are benefits and transportation....the homeless in Denver ride the trains for free (illegally) to get to their corner along the ramps of 1-25....wait until the west leg of Fasttracks opens... you will find homeless from Golden to Denver on the exit ramps of 6th avenue and 70.

Right - that's free healthcare - amazing how they hand me a bill on the way out, just like any other health care agency does. And I am indeed expected to pay it, just like everyone else is expected to pay their hospital bill. Just because it's emergency care doesn't mean you aren't still expected to pay a bill. This is the same in any county, in any state across the country - go to an emergency room, get a bill as you walk out. NOT FREE. But nice try.

Yes, there is a benefit of being close to the shelters in downtown Denver, and there is the benefit of being close to the soup kitchen in downtown, and the hope that some folk will be willing to fork over some cash. But YES, you DO see homeless lving in the state parks and open spaces, and on private land when they can get away with it, and YES I have been approached by homeless right here at the Aspen Park Safeway and King Soopers. No, they do not all stay in Denver. I've also been to a lot of parks in the Denver area - homeless are there too, RT - since you're the expert on where the homeless are, why oh why are they in parks in Arvada, and Wheatridge, and Lakewood, and Aurora? I see them - how do you not?

Illegals live everywhere - but again, nice try.

So they filed their taxes - OH NO, HOW HORRIBLE OF THEM! and yes, they got the same return that someone of the same income did. How unfair. And they use it to support their families, also so horrible. Wait, isn't this one of you alls biggest bitches, that they aren't filing taxes? And now you bitch because they DO file their taxes??? And of course, they NEVER pay sales taxes, right? Cause no Mexicans buy stuff at Walmart and Target and Sam's Club, right? Please - pick a story and stick with it, not this bullcrap.

So some people work the system - that must mean ALL people work the system, right? Holy hells - and when your social security gets cut, you'll be the first one here screaming about it- it will do you well then to remember that you bitched about people recieving it in the first place.


Right now, RT - you find homeless everywhere, on the street corner of EVERY Major street - all the way to County Line Road, and all the way out near the Jeffco airport. I'm sure their range extends further; however, my range right now doesn't because it has no need to, so I'll only speak of what I've seen.

Nice lot of holes and hot air there, RT - but no real substance for your bluster and bullcrap - do try again.

Oh and the did nothing bullcrap? Exactly how do you know how much time and effort anyone else here has put into helping people who needed it? YOU DON'T - you just open your blowhole and assume.

Tell me, when's the last time you opened your house to someone homeless? I can tell you when last I did - I offered it last week. When is the last time I had someone take me up on those offers? Just before christmas, two years ago. They only stayed two days, and we were able to get them on to their family.

When's the last time you donated to a food bank? I will tomorrow on my way out to so something else - about the 4th time this year.

How about the last time you donated anything? I did a couple months ago; for the moment, I don't have any other decent stuff to get rid of, but I am planning my christmas toy donation.

Last time you even bothered to notice a homeless person, let alone talk to one? Me, last week as well.

But let me guess - you bought one of those discount cards off of the football players at King Soopers this last week, and counted that as a charity.

See how assumptions come back to bite you in the ass?

Oh, and I'm not an illegal, but I got a sizeable tax return as well - note that it is a RETURN, meaning they already took that money out of my pay, used it for a while, then gave a part of it back. Which I immediately gave back to the state in the form of property tax - ironic.

Sheesh LH, now that you paid your taxes, and property taxes, aren't you supposed to be whining and crying that those taxes might benefit someone who didn't pay as much as you did?

I'm not RT.

But no, it means you'd better check to make sure I'm not an illegal, doing all that responsible adult type stuff. Just cause I say I'm not...oooOOOOOooooo!

Before the Obama recession, food and housing as a percentage of living expenses were the lowest ever in American history. And while this is costlier than it used to be, it is still better than it has been for years.

I would love to see the numbers on what percentage of Americans are actually going without daily meals. I think it is pretty low. Even $3 will get you a meal at McDonalds. And Michele Obama says obesity is a bigger malnutrition problem than starvation.