How do you define "poor"?

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

In any given election cycle, and politics in general, we hear a lot about "the poor." Most often, liberals invoke the devastating consequences to the poor of any efforts to curtail spending. And most people of any political persuasion would agree that the government should provide a safety net for the poor, but maybe it's time to redefine what poor means. A new study re-confirms that America is a pretty darned good place to be "poor."

As President Obama crafts a reelection income equality message aimed at punishing the rich and rewarding the poor, his own government finds that the 46 million living below the so-called “poverty line” live and spend pretty much like everyone else.

Forget the image of Appalachia or rundown ghettos: A collection of federal household consumption surveys collected by pollster Scott Rasmussen finds that 74 percent of the poor own a car or truck, 70 percent have a VCR, 64 percent have a DVD, 63 percent have cable or satellite, 53 percent have a video game system, 50 percent have a computer, 30 percent have two or more cars and 23 percent use TiVo.

“What the government defines as poverty is vastly different from what most Americans envision,” he writes in his newly released book, “The People’s Money.” Consider other details from two recent Department of Agriculture surveys cited in the book:

--On an average day, just 1 percent of households have someone who is forced to miss a meal.

--On any day, children are hungry in .25 percent of U.S. homes.

--96 percent of poor parents say their children were never hungry during the year because they couldn’t afford food.

--83 percent of the poor said they have enough to eat.

Says Rasmussen, “About 40 million Americans are officially defined as living below the poverty line. Yet most of those have adequate levels of food, shelter, clothing and medical care. Sixty-three percent of American adults believe such a family is not living in poverty,” he writes. “Only 16 percent believe that a family is living in poverty if it has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR, but that’s what the average family living in poverty has as defined by the U.S. government,” he adds.

[gokatgo]

Don't poor people get free food? Of course they're not hungry.

And WTF with "color" TV?

[michigancat]

And WTF with "color" TV?

How else are they supposed to enjoy their VCR's?

<---poor people watchin' their VHS tapes on their color TV's.

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

Real poor versus American poor.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Real poor versus American poor.

Nobody should have to suffer with a rear projection hi def tv. That is so 2004.

[0.42]

The new conservative paradigm of "there aren't any ACTUAL poor people in this country!" is so laughable it's not even worth addressing.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

The new conservative paradigm of "there aren't any ACTUAL poor people in this country!" is so laughable it's not even worth addressing.

Nobody is saying that.

Props for being right on cue though

[0.42]

The new conservative paradigm of "there aren't any ACTUAL poor people in this country!" is so laughable it's not even worth addressing.

Nobody is saying that.

Props for being right on cue though

Yes they are.

You're welcome

[sys]

i've seen some really poor people, and they were pretty happy.  no cops.

[puniraptor]

Poor people have to tie their shoes because they can't afford loafers.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

The uhh Republicans, the uhh the other guys, they'll have you believin' uhhh they'll be sayin' bein' poor ain't so bad errrr bein poor is easy or uhhhh what they're actually sayin is we don't care about the poor!!!.  Well I care about the poor, because that's all of you and that's me, I was poor, and if elected for a second term I'm gonna tax the rich, and make them errr the rich, pay their fair share, and build an economy that works fer everyone, and then everyone is better off.  

 

[Kat Kid]

74% own cars/trucks.  Fantastic spin there.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

70% own cars/trucks.  Fantastic spin there.

really flies in the face of this comment, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure all poor people take public transit so they don't really care about oil prices.

I don't know who to believe

[Kat Kid]

Well clearly someone has never caught an episode of repo men.

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

Real poor versus American poor.

Nobody should have to suffer with a rear projection hi def tv. That is so 2004.

I think that picture was taken around 2007 or 2008, so I'm sure she's upgraded by now.

Real poverty versus American poverty.

[michigancat]

70% own cars/trucks.  Fantastic spin there.

really flies in the face of this comment, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure all poor people take public transit so they don't really care about oil prices.

I don't know who to believe

LOL. So cute.

[felix rex]

I have a high school friend who has the cheap subscription to Netflix and only goes to Whole Foods like once a month. I help him out when I can and don't blame him for voting Democrat.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

70% own cars/trucks.  Fantastic spin there.

really flies in the face of this comment, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure all poor people take public transit so they don't really care about oil prices.

I don't know who to believe

LOL. So cute.

you didn't make that up did you?

http://goEMAW.com/forum/index.php?topic=18625.50

[LickNeckey]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/angry-about-inequality-dont-blame-the-rich/2012/01/03/gIQA9S2fTQ_story_2.html

good read

[LickNeckey]

as comparatively generous?

who knew?

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-0228-greed-20120228,0,5965885.story

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

as comparatively generous?

who knew?

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-0228-greed-20120228,0,5965885.story

DNR. I stopped at UC Berkeley researchers. 

[Rage Against the McKee]

I would say you are poor if you make less than $35,000 per year.

[LickNeckey]

Piff, who is writing a paper about attitudes toward the Occupy movement, said that his team had been accused of waging class warfare from time to time.

"Berkeley has a certain reputation, so yeah, we get that," he said.

But rather than vilify the wealthy, Piff said, he hopes his work leads to policies that help bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

I would say you are poor if you make less than $35,000 per year.

That's like $17 per hour, and you aren't going to be paying any taxes if you have even one child. Doesn't seem that poor to me.

[LickNeckey]

agree with this ^

now if you make 15-17K that is a fair number for the working poor