Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?

[Freeper]

ProSense (85,373 posts)

 
Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?

Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?

By PETER EDELMAN

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The first thing needed if we’re to get people out of poverty is more jobs that pay decent wages....This isn’t a problem specific to the current moment. We’ve been drowning in a flood of low-wage jobs for the last 40 years. Most of the income of people in poverty comes from work. According to the most recent data available from the Census Bureau, 104 million people — a third of the population — have annual incomes below twice the poverty line, less than $38,000 for a family of three...Half the jobs in the nation pay less than $34,000 a year, according to the Economic Policy Institute. A quarter pay below the poverty line for a family of four, less than $23,000 annually...It’s not that the whole economy stagnated. There’s been growth, a lot of it, but it has stuck at the top...Low-wage jobs bedevil tens of millions of people. At the other end of the low-income spectrum we have a different problem. The safety net for single mothers and their children has developed a gaping hole over the past dozen years. This is a major cause of the dramatic increase in extreme poverty during those years. The census tells us that 20.5 million people earn incomes below half the poverty line, less than about $9,500 for a family of three — up eight million from 2000.

Why? A substantial reason is the near demise of welfare — now called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. In the mid-90s more than two-thirds of children in poor families received welfare. But that number has dwindled over the past decade and a half to roughly 27 percent.

One result: six million people have no income other than food stamps. Food stamps provide an income at a third of the poverty line, close to $6,300 for a family of three. It’s hard to understand how they survive.

At least we have food stamps. They have been a powerful antirecession tool in the past five years, with the number of recipients rising to 46 million today from 26.3 million in 2007. By contrast, welfare has done little to counter the impact of the recession; although the number of people receiving cash assistance rose from 3.9 million to 4.5 million since 2007, many states actually reduced the size of their rolls and lowered benefits to those in greatest need.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/why-cant-we-end-poverty-in-america.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021040316

bemildred (62,351 posts)
1. We don't want to give people money just because they need it.

That's why we "can't end it". It wouldn't even take that much.

If we just gave out free money who would bother to do the work that is required for society to run? Why go out and bust your ass when you can get freebies?

ProSense (85,373 posts)
2. If they

"We don't want to give people money just because they need it."

...increased the minimum wage to anywhere from to $12 per hour, they could make a significant dent in reversing the poverty trend.

The fight against such an increase is to keep tens of millions of people in poverty.

Then we will have a whole bunch of people living in poverty making $12 an hour. Meanwhile a loaf of bread will cost $20. Great idea.

TransitJohn (4,708 posts)
4. Because we live under capitalism, which requires poverty. eom

n/t

Yet under capitalism one can work their way out of poverty, under socialism not so much.

[NHSparky]

Because we pay people to be poor and a permanent slave class to the Democrat Party.

Simple, ain't it?

[Vagabond]

There have always been poor.  They have been called peasants, serfs, slaves, and worse.   They were often born into their situations and kept there by a noble or tyrant class that truly did prosper off of them and tried to keep them tied to the land. 

It is not often a place where a man starts life in a poor household and can rise to the highest offices in the same land through his own hard work, but America is such a place. 

We offer public education, assistance with food, assistance with housing, assistance with medical and dental, clothes and other items are often donated and available at very low prices if one is willing.  Poverty would have been ended if it were just about things.  Poverty is more of a deficit of the soul than of the body.  DUmmies complain that the forest blocks the growth of a tree.

[Jasonw560]

Our poor are most countries' middle class. They want to see poor? Go to Africa, SE Asia, or our neighbors down south of us.

[GOBUCKS]

Our poor are most countries' middle class. They want to see poor? Go to Africa, SE Asia, or our neighbors down south of us.

Our poor have automobiles, cable TV, cellphones, internet service, access to medical care, and plenty of food, including meat.

In many, maybe most countries on earth, the middle class cannot possibly aspire to those luxuries.

[Bad Dog]

ProSense & "Peter" need to take a stroll through the ghetto on a Saturday night.  All their questions would be answered.

[jukin]

It's called the normal distribution or population distribution.

[JohnnyReb]

ProSense & "Peter" need to take a stroll through the ghetto on a Saturday night.  All their questions would be answered.

It would look like home and the perfect way of life to a DUmmie.

[diesel driver]

Seriously, why are there poor people?

Because poor people SUCK at life, that's why!

As a wise man once said:

"Fools, like the poor, will be with us always."

Looks like DUmmies went 0 for 2 on that one.   

[jtyangel]

They really are dense about human nature. You won't end it dummies because there will always be unmotivated people or people who don't want to work or people to mentally ****ed up to make positive decisions for themselves. And that's not even including the flaws in people for power that really do hold people down like dictators. Dummies denial of sin is the reason they never get this basic fact. You can't end poverty because you can't end human behavior. Trust me if I had that magic touch I'd make liberal thinking go the way of the dinosaur lol

[JohnnyReb]

They really are dense about human nature. You won't end it dummies because there will always be unmotivated people or people who don't want to work or people to mentally ****ed up to make positive decisions for themselves. And that's not even including the flaws in people for power that really do hold people down like dictators. Dummies denial of sin is the reason they never get this basic fact. You can't end poverty because you can't end human behavior. Trust me if I had that magic touch I'd make liberal thinking go the way of the dinosaur lol

Hits the nail on the head with a sledgehammer.

[BlueStateSaint]

Hits the nail on the head with a sledgehammer.

Or, with a teleprompter.

[USA4ME]

ProSense

2. If they increased the minimum wage to anywhere from to $12 per hour, they could make a significant dent in reversing the poverty trend.

As many have noted here before, why just $12/hr?  Why not $20 or $50 and hour?  In that line of "reasoning," we could really make a significant dent in reversing the proverty trend.

.

[JohnnyReb]

As many have noted here before, why just $12/hr?  Why not $20 or $50 and hour?  In that line of "reasoning," we could really make a significant dent in reversing the proverty trend.

.

Art Linkletter could have had a real winner with "DUmmies say the damnest things".

DUmmies want to keep illegal aliens around to do the jobs they don't have to do because of welfare, free housing, WIC, foodstamps and other government freebies. If we were to deport all illegals then there would be a shortage of labor and wages would necessarily skyrocket.....then we cut out government freebies and bring wages back in line with their actual value.

[md11hydmec]

The other reason there aren't more jobs in this oconomy, is that when business' were laying off to get trimmer, they learned how to do business more efficiently.  Now they don't need to hire back to the original compliment.  And as has been pointed out before here and elsewhere, business is in the business to make money for their shareholders, owners, etc.

[dane]

DUmmies want to keep illegal aliens around to do the jobs they don't have to do because of welfare, free housing, WIC, foodstamps and other government freebies. If we were to deport all illegals then there would be a shortage of labor and wages would necessarily skyrocket.....then we cut out government freebies and bring wages back in line with their actual value.

Excellent summation.  I'm going to steal that, and use it from time to time.

[vesta111]

As many have noted here before, why just $12/hr?  Why not $20 or $50 and hour?  In that line of "reasoning," we could really make a significant dent in reversing the proverty trend.

.

Anyone check into what happens when a poor family wins a big Lotto ????  They and large family should be set for life, have trust funds for the kids education in the future and insure the Adult kids have a decent paid for home.  The rest is up to the kids to pay taxes and upkeep on. If they cannot do that much, no second chances.

So why is it that a good % of them are bankrupt in 3-5 years.????  Even those with little family go hog wild, head for a Casino and hope to keep the winning streak alive. Say it is found money so why not live it up today one could be hit by a bus tomorrow [ is the thinking.]

Poverty is relative to each person.   One living in India that has a place to sleep, 3 bowls of rice and beans a day and clean clothing feels middle class.  

Interesting that every so often a person that comes from a wealthy family will up and chuck the good life and decide to live on the streets.  Seems to me the live of day to day survival is more interesting then having a cook or butler.   We say these people are mentally ill-------Perhaps but some times Less Is More.

[jtyangel]

Anyone check into what happens when a poor family wins a big Lotto ????  They and large family should be set for life, have trust funds for the kids education in the future and insure the Adult kids have a decent paid for home.  The rest is up to the kids to pay taxes and upkeep on. If they cannot do that much, no second chances.

So why is it that a good % of them are bankrupt in 3-5 years.????  Even those with little family go hog wild, head for a Casino and hope to keep the winning streak alive. Say it is found money so why not live it up today one could be hit by a bus tomorrow [ is the thinking.]

Poverty is relative to each person.   One living in India that has a place to sleep, 3 bowls of rice and beans a day and clean clothing feels middle class.  

Interesting that every so often a person that comes from a wealthy family will up and chuck the good life and decide to live on the streets.  Seems to me the live of day to day survival is more interesting then having a cook or butler.   We say these people are mentally ill-------Perhaps but some times Less Is More.

What you've just pointed out is it was less about luck that got people into their poor money circumstances and more about their poor habits with money and their outlook on life. What that means to liberals is we should not be in the habit of supporting either poor monetary habits(especially with no incentive to CHANGE said money habits) nor should we be in the habit of supporting someone's life choices, especially destructive ones.

[Gina]

Our poor have automobiles, cable TV, cellphones, internet service, access to medical care, and plenty of food, including meat.

In many, maybe most countries on earth, the middle class cannot possibly aspire to those luxuries.

yeh, when the "poor" give up that stuff then maybe I will have some sympathy. Until then suck it.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

It's that other guy's fault.

[Happy Fun Ball]

Poverty in America: Why Can’t We End It?

Implying democrats actually want to end it.

They want as many people dependent on the federal government as possible, because the more of them that are, the more than can be scared ("REPUBLICANS WANT TO TAKE AWAY YOUR _______!!!1") into voting to keep the democrats in power.

[CSeeman]

The answer to the question of how to end poverty in the United States is to increase Capitalism and Freedom.

Period..


I am DONE.