Nearly 36 Million Americans Living in Poverty

[tpahl]

thats because the first candidate to speak out against the welfare system is going to get a barrage of ads to the effect of "Candidate X doesn't like helping poor Americans".

And then all the people who don't bother themselves with becoming informed will see them and eat it up.

At one time the republicans used to make such stands. They were attacked and yet they still won about the same percentage of the time they do now.

I personally doubt that there are many people that are planning on voting for Bush that would stop if he came out and said that the federal government is not supposed to be in the business of handing out welfare. Most Bush Supporters in fact would love to hear the man say that. Unfortunately judging from Bushs past, he beleives that the federal government SHOULD hand out welfare.

Travis

 

[krisy]

Sure they could, a single person who will work 40 hours a week, at our state minimum wage, which is currently $5.35 hr. can make $11,128.00 a year.


Here's the ? . Will they actually go to work 40 hours a week?

And the reality is,there are tons of jobs paying way more. Therefore potential to have a descent life. In our local paper alone,there were four postal job ads paying 16 to $51 an hour!!!!! No experience necessary. Like you said,do they want to work 40 hours,or do they even want to work?

 

[freeandfun1]

Just curious.... does anybody actually know anybody making only minimum wage?

Here in Vegas they are having to advertise on TV and make requests on the news for school crossing guards. It pays $8.50 an hour and you are guaranteed a minimum of three hours per shift. If you work the morning and afternoon shifts, you are guaranteed six hours and very rarely will one work more than two of the six (1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM).

They say they can't find enough people to take the jobs.

I know it is not full-time, but if somebody needs to eat, wants to make a little extra money or whatever, it would be an easy and decent job.

Go figure.

 

[dmp]

My wife worked 3 hrs a night delivering papers...we took home $1,000 a month.

I know a guy, kid really...around 20 years old. My dad did his taxes last year to the tune of over $80,000.

This guy delivered newspapers, phone books, pizzas - every job he could take...he worked probably 12 hrs a day average.

Ambition.

 

[krisy]

Just curious.... does anybody actually know anybody making only minimum wage?

Here in Vegas they are having to advertise on TV and make requests on the news for school crossing guards. It pays $8.50 an hour and you are guaranteed a minimum of three hours per shift. If you work the morning and afternoon shifts, you are guaranteed six hours and very rarely will one work more than two of the six (1 hour in the AM and 1 hour in the PM).

They say they can't find enough people to take the jobs.

I know it is not full-time, but if somebody needs to eat, wants to make a little extra money or whatever, it would be an easy and decent job.

Go figure.

Personally,I don't know anyone making minimum wage(I don't think).8.50 an hour isn't bad. All the crossing guards in our area are old guys. Hey,it gets em out of the house!!!!

 

[Annie]

Always seems that statistics need to be 'analyzed' something that just seems beyond the ability of today's press. There are links at the original site:

http://prudentpolitics.com/content/view/94/2/

American Poverty Rates: A Prudent Perspective
Written by Cody Hatch

Thursday, 26 August 2004

The Census Bureau, which is the souce for all of these news stories today, makes historical statistics regarding poverty available online. For example, you can find a graph illustrating the number and percentage of poor in the United States since 1959, at the following link [PDF file]:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty03/pov03fig03.pdf

The first thing that stands out to me when looking at this graph is that the years with the lowest number of poor were in the booming years of the 1970's.

I also noticed that a poverty rate of 12.5 percent is still one of the lowest poverty rates since 1959. Any idea why AP didn't report this?

What's especially interesting, however, is when we compare 2003 with 1996 (the last year of Clinton's first term). The number of poor in 2003: 35.9 million; 1996: 36.5 million. How about the percentage of poor? 2003: 12.5 percent; 1996: 13.7 percent. Surprising, huh? Strangely, I don't recall the mainstream media running stories similar to today's.

You can view the Census Bureau's poverty statistics for 1996 here:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty96/pov96hi.html

 

[Moi]

If one third of the so-called poverty stricken people are children, some 11.66 million, perhaps we should be blaming their parents and not the President, Congress, Colin Powell or conservatives. How about saving money before you procreate so that your children don't have to be affected. How about once you do have them you work your fingers to the bone.

Yes, I'm sure there are people who thought they were secure before having children but ran into some unfortunate circumstances- it just isn't 11.66 million worth.

And also, if 11.66 children are poor, even accounting for death, it seems that there is more than one child per poor parent- otherwise that would mean that only people with children are poor. I am quite sure that's not the case!

There would be so much more assistance available to those who NEED it if those who just didn't want to provide for themselves were left off the goverment dole.

 

[Mr. P]

Smoke and mirrors?
Don't be fooled.

It's a fact, folks. When the government measures poverty they're only concerned with paychecks, not with what you have already earned. The government doesn't look at your bank accounts, your balance sheets or that jewelry hanging around your neck. Only your paychecks.

Let's say you are a remarkably successful stock broker. You decide to take a year off and travel the country in your $800,000 Blue Bird Wanderlodge motor home. Guess what? For that year, our government says you're "living in poverty."

Why is it so? It started back during the LBJ "Great Society" years. Johnson wanted to create a method of measuring poverty that would provide a continued excuse for expanding the scope and nature of Johnson's war on poverty programs. That method of measuring poverty -- by only counting income -- is still alive today, and it is still being used by government hacks as a reason for ever more government and ever more government spending.

http://boortz.com/nuze/index.html

 

[fuzzykitten99]

Just curious.... does anybody actually know anybody making only minimum wage?

Not me. Hell, even my sister, who is 16 and works part time during school, and full time in summer, makes $8.50/hr as a dishwasher and food prep at the local retirement home. Shit...I only made $7 at Mcdonalds when I worked there. But then again, that was 4 years ago. Crap...now I feel old.

She pays for her insurance, gas, cell phone bill, and is saving up for a down payment on a new car when she graduates. She also pays for her own school clothes and supplies. When our mom got laid off this summer, Samantha helped pay the bills, and making mom promise to not even try to pay her back. She pulls A's and B's and last year, made the honor roll both semesters. I couldn't be more proud of her.

If my 16 yr old sister can work this hard, a full-grown adult can.