We're used to thinking about poverty as a measure of income: poor people make very little money, and as a result, they're unable to afford to buy the basics like food, housing, and health care. The U.S. Census Bureau decides each year what the income threshold is going to be to define the federal poverty line; in 2016, that threshold is around $16,000 per year for a family of two, and a little over $24,000 for a family of four.
But is income the only data point we should collect when we're trying to learn about poverty in America? Other countries like Bhutan, Colombia, Chile, Malaysia and Mexico all measure poverty with a multidimensional index — Mexico, for instance, looks at income alongside education, housing, health, social cohesion, and access to food. But every country is different, and a multidimensional poverty index should look different in a country where living in a house without electricity, a permanent floor or sanitation facilities isn't all that uncommon, compared to the United States, where many people in poverty have those things that in other places might be considered luxuries.
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I would suggest that even though you may not have a job, if the government is giving (right - giving) you food money, rent money, and spending money (that allows you to buy a big flat-screen, ciggies, booze, and the new iPhone), while your boyfriend/baby-daddy hauls you around in his Blingillac, you are not in poverty...rather, you are living better than most of the working middle class!
ReplyDeleteI think I just defined what is wrong with this country!
You sure did!
Deletethat threshold is around $16,000 per year for a family of two, and a little over $24,000 for a family of four.
ReplyDeleteUtterly ridiculous that the baseline is 16K for 2 people. That is only minimum wage for one person. The baseline should be higher because you are still living in poverty @ $10 and $12 an hour.
And that's what employers in this sewer of a town thinks is a stellar living wage.
12:03 - considering some of the people and their capabilities, it is a stellar wage! Granted, we have a too-large population that is underemployed with better potential that the job market simply will not support.
ReplyDelete12:12 you are an idiot because you ARE already paying more thru higher taxes to subsidize that they are not making
ReplyDeleteIt is called CORPORATE WELFARE.
Not everyone can be a brain surgeon, doesn't mean they should be living in poverty.
I would rather pay more for a shirt knowing they were making a livable wage because then it is MY CHOICE than be forced to pay them thru taxes
You are stupid.
I'm not 12:12 but I believe you're not so bright either. Anyone in this country that wants to earn a living wage can do it, if they are motivated.
Delete12:03 - considering some of the people and their capabilities, it is a stellar wage!
ReplyDeleteYou did not fully read their comment and are not very bright to think it is a good wage. No one can live on that.
Ridiculous.
2:17 nailed it.
ReplyDeleteNo it is not a stellar wage to live on...I'm considering the idiots that are getting that wage that are not qualified for it either...is what makes it stellar for them!
Being without money and poverty are two totally different things. Being without money is a temporary situation for most people but being poor is a frame of mind that one must overcome in order to get out of poverty.
ReplyDeleteMy middle daughter is in poverty having been brought up the same as her older and younger siblings. For the last 15 years, she has excelled in the reach for stupidity! She just called me because she had stolen and hocked a camera lens from her boyfriend heroin dealer's dad and needed $50 to get it out on the last day.
ReplyDeleteNobody I know tries harder to find out how much stupider they can be than I have ever met. Heroin addiction in the "past", and now she can't figure out that she's still living with her heroin dealer why she has to hock stolen crap, but still can't seem to get a job or a room from anyone who will put up with her ship.
She has had 2 kids, has lost custody, owes child support so avoids legitimate employment.
Sorry, but there are just people out there who make it a point to make a bad decision at least once a day, each one being stupider than the last.
My other two kids? Just fine, shooting for the moon and growing up successfully!
So, you just plain can't fix Stupid. I've tried!