Modern Poverty

by CABPRO Staff

Some interesting data about the "poor" in America. Despite the news reports of America's poor living in shanty towns and tent cities, the reality is far different.

"Data from the Department of Energy and other agencies show that the average poor family, as defined by Census officials:

● Lives in a home that is in good repair, not crowded, and equipped with air conditioning, clothes washer and dryer, and cable or satellite TV service.

● Prepares meals in a kitchen with a refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave as well as oven and stove.

● Enjoys two color TVs, a DVD player, VCR and — if children are there — an Xbox, PlayStation, or other video game system.

● Had enough money in the past year to meet essential needs, including adequate food and medical care."

A few relevant statistics; percentage of "poor" folks who have various items

65.1% have more than one TV
63%.7 have cable or satellite TV
54.5 have a cell phone
49.3 have a non-portable stereo
38% have a PC
29.3% have internet service
29.3% have a video gaming system

Let's not suggest that folks are having difficulty maintaining their lifestyle during these economic hard times.

Let's stop with the nonsense that someone with two TVs, cable TV service and video games is poor. These are the folks who receive taxpayer subsidies, what the left calls a "safety net".

I doubt that most taxpayers would consider satellite TVs and cell phones vital components of the social safety net. Most would consider food, medical care, clothes and housing a safety net.

It's time to be clear on what the current debate is all about and that is about redistributionism and socialism. Is it any wonder that the minority of folks who pay the taxes in this country don't want to pay more?

It's about time we had an honest discussion about what the objectives of our social policy are really all about because the current one, the one we have employed since the Great Society in the 1960s, has been plain old socialism. The debate today is all about how far we want to extend it.

(Sources: U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Census Bureau)