Poverty since 1970

[eflatminor]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

 

[Temerity]

More money! Throw more money at the problem!

Someone else's money of course...

 

[eflatminor]

More money! Throw more money at the problem!

Someone else's money of course...

But of course!

 

[bobcollum]

Poverty is one of those subjective terms...as long as someone has less than another, they'll be considered poor. You can never truly get rid of it.

What can I say though? I'm a stickler for seeing people not starve. In all seriousness, how should it be done in your opinion?

 

[Claudette]

Yeah, LBJ's war on poverty has been a rousing success.

Have loads of folks living off welfare, medicaid and every other taxpayer funded program out there.

Kinda have to wonder why theres any poverty left. Man that shit should be wiped out by now.

 

[eflatminor]

In all seriousness, how should it be done in your opinion?

The same way we did it from the founding of the country until the progressive began to take over in the early 20th century. During the first 140 years of the country, the American experiment of inalienable rights and limited government resulted in more poor becoming middle class and more middle class becoming rich than at any time in the history of the world. Then the Progressives came along, believing they know better, and inched us back, step by step towards more and more central planning. The result? The poor are no better off, we're in horrible debt, and the concept of liberty has been severely eroded.

How should it be done? By keep in the federal government out of the business of charity and within the enumerated powers in the Constitution. That's my opinion.

 

[eflatminor]

No defenders of LBJ's dream?

 

[waltky]

Granny says dat's why she needs dat 2nd stimulus check...

Census: New gauge shows high of 49.7M poor in US
Nov 14,`12 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The ranks of America's poor edged up last year to a high of 49.7 million, based on a new census measure that takes into account medical costs and work-related expenses.

The numbers released Wednesday by the Census Bureau are part of a newly developed supplemental poverty measure. Devised a year ago, this measure provides a fuller picture of poverty that the government believes can be used to assess safety-net programs by factoring in living expenses and taxpayer-provided benefits that the official formula leaves out.

Based on the revised formula, the number of poor people exceeded the 49 million, or 16 percent of the population, who were living below the poverty line in 2010. That came as more people in the slowly improving economy picked up low-wage jobs last year but still struggled to pay living expenses. The revised poverty rate of 16.1 percent also is higher than the record 46.2 million, or 15 percent, that the government's official estimate reported in September.

Due to medical expenses, higher living costs and limited immigrant access to government programs, people 65 or older, Hispanics and urbanites were more likely to be struggling economically under the alternative formula. Also spiking higher in 2011 was poverty among full-time and part-time workers. As a result, the portrait of poverty broken down by state notably changes. California tops the list, hurt by high housing costs, large numbers of immigrants as well as less generous tax credits and food stamp programs to buoy low-income families. It is followed by the District of Columbia, Arizona, Florida and Georgia.

In the official census tally, it was rural states that were more likely to be near the top of the list, led by Mississippi, New Mexico, Arizona and Louisiana. "We're seeing a very slow recovery, with increases in poverty among workers due to more new jobs which are low-wage," said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison economist who specializes in poverty. "As a whole, the safety net is holding many people up, while California is struggling more because it's relatively harder there to qualify for food stamps and other benefits."

MORE

 

[auditor0007]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

While your argument is not absurd, your facts are. I won't get into all of them, but I will address the most absurd, which is your statement that over 150 million households are getting handouts. There are only around 112 million households in the US total.

 

[Care4all]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

WOW! That's a pretty good rabbit trick! To have 150 million households getting handouts WHEN we only have 117 million households in the USA!

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

WOW! That's a pretty good rabbit trick! To have 150 million households getting handouts WHEN we only have 117 million households in the USA!

Actually, your 117 million figure is for 2010. This is almost 2013. Oops! Want to try again?

 

[editec]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

My god, this is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too easy

Speaking of wasted money and efforts?

We've also spent tens of trillions on defence so we can live in peace.

Despite that we've been at war continuously since 1941.

Clearly the road to living in peace is not paid for by sending troops all over the world to fight in wars, eh?

 

[Colin]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

WOW! That's a pretty good rabbit trick! To have 150 million households getting handouts WHEN we only have 117 million households in the USA!

Actually, your 117 million figure is for 2010. This is almost 2013. Oops! Want to try again?

Perhaps you can bring forward the next census, due in 2020, if you want the updated figure.

 

[eflatminor]

The government now has a new method by which they measure poverty in America. According to this new measure, 13.7 percent of Americans were poor in 1969. After waves of federal and state regulations on housing, banking, health care and air quality, and amid increased financial aid for unmarried parents, youth, immigrants and unskilled people, the national poverty rate has climbed to 15.8 percent, according to the new Census Bureau measure.*

So, further proof that after decades and trillions of dollars spent, the problem of poverty is WORSE.

I ask again, at what point do we begin to think that all this government meddling to "fix" poverty is doing more harm than good?

Are there no defenders of the so called 'great society'???

*Golden State turns to lead, now leads poverty rankings | The Daily Caller

 

[Oddball]

Why do you hate the pooooooooor?

 

[eflatminor]

LBJ's Great Society...that's when the entitlement spending really took off.

The two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and racial injustice.

• Today, we're spending in excess of a $1.5 trillion dollars a year on LBJ's vision*
• We now have over 150 million households getting handouts
• Since 1970, means-tested entitlements have increased by 5,500%, while the regular rate of inflation during that period was 4%
• Wars and defense contribute a ton to our $16 trillion debt but entitlements contribute even more

Clearly, we've tried HARD to fulfill LBJ's dream.

How's it worked out? Poverty been eliminated? Hint: The poverty rate is up about 2% since 1970...bummer. But hey, the Black man thriving, right?

At what point do we begin the think that maybe all this spending and entitlement is doing more harm than good?

*Entitlement Spending Chart United States 1970-2011 - Federal State Local Data

While your argument is not absurd, your facts are. I won't get into all of them, but I will address the most absurd, which is your statement that over 150 million households are getting handouts. There are only around 112 million households in the US total.

It's been a while since I posted that, but it appears I made an error. I suspect I meant to say "150 million people", not "households". Mea Culpa.

But, to the point...and I'd really like to hear your take: We've spent trillions to fix poverty over the last 4 1/2 decades and the problem is worse. I say we're doing more harm than good. You?

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

WOW! That's a pretty good rabbit trick! To have 150 million households getting handouts WHEN we only have 117 million households in the USA!

Actually, your 117 million figure is for 2010. This is almost 2013. Oops! Want to try again?

Perhaps you can bring forward the next census, due in 2020, if you want the updated figure.

Nah, it would be easier just to assume the number of households is more than in 2010, with it being nearly three years later. Whether or not it would equal exactly 150 million, that I can not say but, I would suspect it's fairly close. And, making assumptions would be just as legitimate as trying to imply the number of households today equals exactly that amount of which existed in 2010. Only a dope would believe today's number of households is exactly as it was in 2010.

But, on the other hand, since the population of the U.S. in 2010 was estimated to be 308,745,538 and, it was estimated to be 311,591,917 as of July 2011, I guess trying to surmise there's 150 million households now as compared to 117 million in 2010 would be kind of stretching it. It's probably more like about 121 to 125 million. Possibly, even, 130 million, considering the population appears to have increased over 2.8 million between 2010 and 2011.

 

[df_tweets]

I think that poverty is a big issue and I think there are many ways to tackle the problem. Of course, solutions require money but politicians should use money wisely. How do you think we can re-direct current funds to create economic growth? If we would all collaborate in solutions instead of complaining, I'm sure something would get done...

 

[eflatminor]

I think that poverty is a big issue and I think there are many ways to tackle the problem. Of course, solutions require money but politicians should use money wisely.

Never has happened. Never will.

How do you think we can re-direct current funds to create economic growth?

As "re-directing" funds requires that we first forcible take those funds from our most productive citizens before running them through inefficient and corrupt government bureaucracies, I do not support your idea of central planning.

In other words, your idea of economic growth is akin to my robbing a grocery store of its till, taking some of that money for my efforts before giving the rest to a homeless guy...and then when that guy goes to buy beer at the same grocery store I just robbed, we call it 'stimulus'. It's a flawed, and immoral concept from the beginning.

If we would all collaborate in solutions instead of complaining, I'm sure something would get done...

We've been getting LOTS done in this war on poverty. Trillions and trillions of dollars wasted in our collaborations, over decades. Still, the problem is worse. At what point to you begin to think that maybe all this meddling has done more harm than good?

 

[bripat9643]

I think that poverty is a big issue and I think there are many ways to tackle the problem. Of course, solutions require money but politicians should use money wisely. How do you think we can re-direct current funds to create economic growth? If we would all collaborate in solutions instead of complaining, I'm sure something would get done...

The way you redirect current funds to create economic growth is to stop directing them to Washington D.C. and instead direct them into the pockets of the people who earned them.