Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Blog Action Day - On Poverty


Poverty. This is certainly an appropriate time to be discussing poverty, when the economy is in a shambles and people are worried that their life savings are evaporating into thin air. Some are wondering how to make ends meet and whether they will hold on to their home as foreclosures continue to rise. Still others are facing reality and realizing retirement may not be feasible as soon as they had hoped...if ever. Some are losing their jobs.

But even these situations, unfortunate though they are, are not necessarily official poverty. The government currently defines poverty based on various annual income levels, depending on the size of the household. For instance, for an average 4-person household, the poverty threshold is $21,203 annually. There are also poverty guidelines, which are similar to the thresholds and are used to determine eligibility for various programs. These guidelines have higher thresholds for those living in Alaska and Hawaii, where living expenses are higher.

Unfortunately, although legislation was proposed back in 1994 to account for differences between the cost of living in the various states, it apparently never passed, as the poverty line is still the same throughout the contiguous United States. As someone who lives in the metropolitan New York area, I find the idea of any family of four surviving on only $21,200 a year hard to imagine.

According to Robert E. Rector, published on the website of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, although about 37 million people were officially under the poverty line in 2005, a large number of these people apparently live in relative comfort compared to what we ordinarily think of as poverty.

"The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various gov­ernment reports:

Forty-three percent of all poor households actu­ally own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

Only 6 percent of poor households are over­crowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.

Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.

Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.

...While the poor are generally well nourished, some poor families do experience temporary food shortages. But even this condition is relatively rare; 89 percent of the poor report their families have 'enough' food to eat, while only 2 percent say they 'often' do not have enough to eat."


However, the full analysis does indicate difficulties in making ends meet among those designated as poor, and Rector includes the following paragraph in his conclusions:

"But the living conditions of the average poor per­son should not be taken to mean that all poor Amer­icans live without hardship. There is a wide range of living conditions among the poor. Roughly a third of poor households do face material hardships such as overcrowding, intermittent food shortages, or difficulty obtaining medical care. However, even these households would be judged to have high liv­ing standards in comparison to most other people in the world."

To me the takeaway from this particular discussion of poverty is that a) conservatives don't like to admit that there is real poverty in this country, and b) generally, people in the United States are still a lot better off than, say, people in parts of Africa or other countries where real famine stalks the land and people truly have nothing.

That said, there are more subtle effects of poverty in the United States that, while not as devastating as actual starvation and complete penury, are nevertheless deeply harmful.

This site summarizes the consequences of poverty as follows:

"More than any other social class, the poor suffer from short life expectancies and health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and mental illness. Reasons include the following:

Poor people are often not well educated about diet and exercise. They are more likely than people in higher social strata to be overweight and suffer from nutritional deficits.

They are less likely to have health insurance, so they put off going to the doctor until a problem seems like a matter of life and death. At that time they must find a public health facility that accepts patients with little or no insurance.

Living in poverty brings chronic stress. Poor people live every day with the uncertainty of whether they can afford to eat, pay the electric bill, or make the rent payment. Members of the middle class also have stress but have more options for addressing it.

Poor people usually do not have jobs that offer them vacation time to let them relax.

High levels of unresolved stress, financial problems, and poor health can wreak havoc within a relationship. Poor people report more relationship problems than do people in other classes and have higher rates of divorce and desertion. The children of such families are more likely than their middle-class counterparts to grow up in broken homes or in single-parent, female-headed households.

...Anthropologist Oscar Lewis coined the term 'culture of poverty,' which means that poor people do not learn the norms and values that can help them improve their circumstances; hence, they become trapped in a repeated pattern of poverty. Because many poor people live in a narrow world in which all they see is poverty and desperation, they never acquire the skills or the ambition that could help them rise above the poverty level. Since culture is passed down from one generation to the next, parents teach their children to accept their circumstances rather than to work to change them. The cycle of poverty then becomes self-perpetuating."


Another reason the poor tend to suffer from obesity and undernutrition is that they don't have as much access to stores that sell healthy foods as those living in more affluent areas; plus there are more fast-food restaurants in their neighborhoods. In addition, healthier food costs more than less healthy food.

And of course, without enough money, the poor are less apt to attain higher education, and therefore are trapped in low-level, low-paying jobs, continuing the cycle of low income, stress and poor health. Studies have shown that people in low-level jobs feel less in control of their situation and suffer from a higher level of stress than those who feel they have some control over their fate. In addition, they cope less well with the stress, being more apt to deal with it by smoking or other unhealthy behaviors than those of a higher socioeconomic status.

All of these factors combine to leave the poor at a great disadvantage in our society.

Maybe they aren't starving or even lacking modern conveniences. But they are held back from the "pursuit of happiness" that the Founding Fathers saw as an inalienable right back when they wrote the Declaration of Independence. Surely as a nation, we can do better than this.

54 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not buying it. I was in areas of Texas 20 YEARS ago that rivaled anything the Third World has to offer. Given the Reign of Error, I shudder to think how bad things may be NOW.

Unknown said...

The Appalachia area is pretty horrible and has been throughout American history.

Which leads me to believe those idiots at the Heritage think tank are totally full of bat guano.

Great post for the Blog Action Day Mauigirl..glad you participated.

MRMacrum said...

Good post.

One of the problems with defining poverty in this country is it has somehow been linked to race. That it is a racial problem and not one that affects a wider cross section of America. I live in Maine. Maine is white folk country. Much of Maine is definitely below the the poverty line. My wife and I have flirted with it more than once or twice over the last 28 years. The culture of poverty is alive and well in our state. Adjusted from the 2000 census, 12.9% of our population lives below the official poverty line. Yet, our cost of living is on the high side of that equation. What makes our poverty so hard to pin down is the 150,000 or so residents who are considered poor are spread out over a large area.

Candace said...

I wonder how many people are now FORMER Republicans after losing their jobs and health insurance, then having to declare bankruptcy because of a catastrophic illness. Nothing like a reality check to open people's eyes.

Truly excellent post, MM.

Comrade Kevin said...

We had a War on Poverty, which taught us that no amount of throwing money at a problem will fix it.

Education is important, but I'd really like to find a strategy that would reduce this social ill. After all, Orwell insinuated that the Proles would always be with us as did Jesus.

Anonymous said...

I think the list of possession the poor have is really deceptive. None of the appliances they listed, except for cable need to be owned by the residents. The implication is that they could afford to buy them new but in fact they could be gifted,stolen, loaned or purchased at a thrift store. Its a white-wash intended to make it appear that the poor are nothing but whiners.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

Good post. The conservative analysis is ridiculous whitewashing.

In contrast, I thought your second set of quotations, about the effects of poverty on health and education, was very revealing.

kuanyin333 said...

Excellent post!

My Blog Action Day post is on my humor blog--Blog-Blond.

Fran said...

Wow- what a great post, so thorough and so filled with really good information.

This country is really sad, really sad.

Anonymous said...

interesting post.

whether the poverty is over there in your country, or over here in the philippines, or somewhere else, the feelings of helplessness and despair are similar.

it's great that you also posted for blog action day. :)

Billie Greenwood said...

Maui, you prepared a very thorough post for Blog Action Day.

It hurts me to see the cycle of poverty recycle from generation to generation due to the culture of poverty which deprives children of the social and psychological assets they need to thrive.

Yes, we in the USA--of all people who have ever lived--should do better.

Fran said...

Great post, because poverty comes in many different forms. It is suffering and struggling- of course the starving/famine variety is most dire form of poverty. But the family living in the US that is freezing through the winter because they can't afford heat, or just went homeless because medical costs bankrupted the family, have a different level of suffering that robs the humanity, and dignity.
such struggles have intensified in the Bush era because of the greater divide of the have mores.

Chris Dashiell said...

The rightists argue that if you have a TV and a microwave you should just shut up about poverty. Meanwhile our hospitals, schools and infrastructure continue to deteriorate while the rich predators rake in their ill-gotten gains. Great piece, Mauigirl.

Anonymous said...

In today's world, our bodies still require the complete balance of pure nutrients and energy provided by healthy foods. The modern demands of our fast-paced world have led to the processing of food to the point of non-nutrition.

Liza on Maui said...

Informative and inspiring us into action this post of your on poverty!

Aloha! I googled the term Maui Girl and I landed here :) I am a blooger from Maui and I hope you can come visit soon :)

Aside from my personal mommy blog I also started a blog called A MAUI BLOG

Anonymous said...

In it something is also I think, what is it excellent idea. [url=http://cgi3.ebay.fr/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=acheter_levitra_ici_1euro&achat-levitra]acheter levitra[/url] You have hit the mark. In it something is also I think, what is it good idea.

Anonymous said...

remarquablement, ce message prГ©cieux viagra sur le net viagra sur le net [url=http://lettresdudroit.com]viagra en ligne[/url]

Anonymous said...

rzsjxtbrda vxqspxypoh [url=http://www.italtubi.com]levitra acquisto [/url] nmaknnaycj tiujzpgdrq levitra pdkajcsigr sixwcyzixv

Anonymous said...

yoo. amazing thread

Anonymous said...

Hi !.
might , perhaps very interested to know how one can manage to receive high yields .
There is no need to invest much at first. You may start earning with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you thought of all the time
The firm incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

Its head office is in Panama with affiliates everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your chance That`s what you desire!

I feel good, I started to get real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to choose a proper companion who uses your funds in a right way - that`s AimTrust!.
I take now up to 2G every day, and what I started with was a funny sum of 500 bucks!
It`s easy to join , just click this link http://lypujyty.lookseekpages.com/fehaqe.html
and lucky you`re! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money

Anonymous said...

Nous parlerons. http://runfr.com/tag/cialis-generique cialis generique achat cialis sur internet

Anonymous said...

votre idГ©e simplement excellent achat cialis http://runfr.com/acheter-cialis viagra posologie achat cialis en pharmacie

Anonymous said...

la Question est Г©loignГ©e ejaculation prematuree

Anonymous said...

Peut ГЄtre cialis 20mg http://runfr.com cialis cialis generique

Anonymous said...

Ich meine, dass Sie den Fehler zulassen. Geben Sie wir werden es besprechen. Schreiben Sie mir in PM. viagra viagra online kaufen [url=http//t7-isis.org]viagra[/url]

Anonymous said...

Welche anmutige Frage viagra kaufen viagra bestellen [url=http//t7-isis.org]viagra rezeptfrei kaufen[/url]

Anonymous said...

Oui c'est l'imaginaire http://runfr.com acheter cialis achat cialis sur internet

Anonymous said...

http://www.mlmbusinessschool.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41158&p=57048
http://golfstjournal.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2789&p=4823
http://ozzoo.org/mq/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=40469&p=52754

Anonymous said...

Je trouve que vous vous trompez. [url=http://runfr.com]viagra[/url] http://runfr.com/acheter-cialis vente viagra belgique achat viagra cialis ordonnance

Anonymous said...

Que ? http://runfr.com/acheter-cialis cialis 20 achat viagra

Anonymous said...

valet http://www.kindel.com/members/Popcorn-Machines.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Garage-Door-Openers.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Area-Rugs.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Omeprazole.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Vacuum-Cleaners.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Annuity-Calculator.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Bariatric-Surgery.aspx http://www.kindel.com/members/Electric-Blankets.aspx http://blogs-new.bestfriends.org/members/Furnace-Filters/default.aspx

Anonymous said...

мне кажется: восхитительно!! а82ч

Anonymous said...

buy viagra cialis online online KAMAGRA buy Buy no Prescription Lasix Online buy Clomid fed ex Ditropan Sale Cephalexin For Sale Pharmacy Online Order Clomid (Serophene) Florida Take Clomid (Serophene) Next Day Delivery specialist paxil ordering buy Flomax online

Anonymous said...

49385.....33119

Anonymous said...

viagra frau viagra dänemark rezeptfrei viagra viagra österreich kamagra lutschtabletten 100mg viagra generika viagra erfahrung apotheke niederlande viagra viagra online bestellen rezeptfrei viagra de nitrolingual viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra münchen viagra in deutschland kaufen herbal viagra wikipedia cialis viagra levitra viagra für windows viagra testbericht viagra bestellung wirkung der viagra costa rica viagra rezeptfreie viagra

Anonymous said...

wirkungsdauer viagra nebenwirkungen bei viagra sofia viagra viagra bei apotheke viagra meinungen viagra rezeptfrei holland viagra und nebenwirkungen viagra überdosierung preisvergleich viagra 100 mg viagra schweiz kaufen

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra lizenz wirkt viagra immer consumo de viagra nebenwirkung viagra viagra einzeln viagra versand aus deutschland viagra sicher kaufen viagra herzinfarkt viagra apotheke preis viagra bestellen rezeptfrei

Anonymous said...

viagra im internet kaufen viagra per nachname bestellen viagra ablaufdatum viagra nur auf rezept viagra arzt viagra für die frau papst viagra viagra für die frau kaufen viagra erlebnisberichte spanische viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra im ausland viagra gelb wenn viagra nicht hilft viagra apotheke preis viagra wie lange haltbar viagra usa kaufen viagra ch viagra täglich viagra schädlich nebenwirkungen bei viagra

Anonymous said...

versand viagra viagra preiswert viagra arzt viagra und poppers schlange viagra viagra generika rezeptfrei viagra und betablocker viagra herz besser als viagra viagra rezeptpflicht österreich

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

vatikan viagra viagra angebot viagra bestellen viagra funktionsweise viagra sicher online kaufen viagra original merkmale viagra zutaten alternative für viagra vergleich viagra cialis hat viagra nebenwirkungen

Anonymous said...

viagra folgen viagra oder ähnliches ohne rezept viagra preisvergleich witze viagra viagra wirkungsdauer rezeptpflicht viagra viagra dealer viagra von pfitzer viagra oder cialis besser anwendung von viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra drogen alles über viagra gbl viagra herzinfarkt viagra viagra für windows viagra verträglichkeit tapir viagra viagra belize viagra spanien rezeptfrei viagra ohne rezept auf rechnung

Anonymous said...

viagra aus china viagra aus türkei viagra bestellen rezeptfrei viagra aus den niederlanden alternativen viagra ax viagra viagra aussehen ähnliche tabletten wie viagra selbstversuch viagra viagra frei

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra kaufen in österreich viagra testbericht viagra nutzen gruppa viagra viagra gegenmittel viagra gesunder mann halbe viagra preisvergleich viagra 100 mg viagra erektionsdauer gleiche wirkung wie viagra

Anonymous said...

pfitzner viagra ephedrin und viagra generika von viagra viagra bezugsquellen viagra preis apotheke emea viagra viagra aus der apotheke unterschied cialis viagra bizrate viagra günstiger viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra versand schweiz gegenmittel viagra wie wirkt viagra viagra spermien poppers und viagra viagra privat kaufen anwendung viagra diovan viagra charite bio viagra washington post viagra

Anonymous said...

viagra in brasilien viagra therapie viagra gut bestellung von viagra cuba viagra viagra mit 25 viagra mit 16 gloria viagra myspace viagra in kiel viagra philippinen

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

gibt es viagra rezeptfrei kaufe viagra viagra joke gel viagra viagra und extasy chinese viagra logo viagra tapir viagra viagra online apotheke viagra und nitrate

Anonymous said...

viagra unverträglichkeit viagra russische gruppe apotheke viagra logo viagra efectos viagra viagra rezeptfrei in holland sildenafil viagra echte viagra kaufen viagra wie wirkt es viagra für die frau

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra unverträglichkeit viagra mails viagra tablette teilen viagra 100mg fta viagra österreich wirkt viagra viagra kopfschmerzen preise viagra preise von viagra viagra oder levitra

Anonymous said...

viagra generika preisvergleich powerful viagra viagra kaufen niederlande viagra per nachnahme viagra original merkmale viagra wie wirkt es viagra zum kaufen arzneimittelgesetz viagra viagra bestellen schweiz viagra partnerprogramm

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

herbal viagra manufacturers viagra auf rechnung bestellen potenzpille viagra viagra nitrospray viagra bestellen ch viagra mg viagra vorteile nachteile viagra 20mg viagra wann wirkt es viagra aus belgien

Anonymous said...

viagra graz ax viagra original viagra rezeptfrei geschmack viagra viagra erfahrungen forum pfizer labs viagra viagra arzt rezeptfrei viagra viagra ohne arzt thai viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra schweiz dinamico viagra viagra versandapotheke rezeptpflicht viagra generisches viagra pfizer labs viagra viagra generika kaufen viagra entstehung viagra pflaster wirkt viagra

Anonymous said...

viagra langzeit viagra in verbindung mit alkohol viagra und blutdruck viagra 100 dosierung viagra und poppers alternativen für viagra viagra rezeptfrei eu herbal viagra wikipedia viagra bei jungen männern viagra ausprobieren

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

logo viagra viagra wann viagra levitra oder cialis viagra in der schweiz kaufen viagra antidepressiva viagra kupic viagra dealer viagra packungsgrößen viagra selbst machen viagra tropfen

Anonymous said...

kgr 100 viagra viagra ablaufdatum viagra kostenlos viagra dauererektion viagra zeit viagra generika online viagra verkaufen spam mail viagra viagra funktionsweise viagra halbe tablette

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra versagt viagra nürnberg viagra für die frau viagra n1 fälschungen viagra myspace gloria viagra lungenhochdruck viagra viagra für was viagra bei ms costa rica viagra

Anonymous said...

arginin viagra cialis oder viagra was ist besser viagra cialis rezeptfrei viagra ne ise yarar viagra oder cialis viagra antidepressiva viagra aus nl viagra generika günstig viagra beratung pfizer viagra 50mg

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra im ausland kaufen cuba viagra viagra beihilfe ibro berilo viagra viagra zum testen viagra wie lange wirkt es pele viagra viagra benutzung dosierung viagra china viagra

Anonymous said...

nitrolingual viagra viagra fälschung viagra vor dem essen viagra nachwirkungen viagra privat kaufen gratisprobe viagra washington post viagra viagra sofort kaufen viagra erfahrungen forum viagra anbieter

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra unverträglichkeit viagra selbst gemacht viagra günstig ohne rezept ssri viagra viagra erfahrungsberichte viagra i alkohol viagra 1 tablette viagra preis apotheke viagra wirkungsweise jetlag viagra

Anonymous said...

viagra topliste viagra aus deutschland bestellen cgmp viagra viagra generika preisvergleich hamster viagra viagra philippinen viagra synthese viagra rezeptfrei ausland viagra aus china viagra thc

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

splitting viagra viagra nachteile viagra gut viagra frei bestellen viagra vorteile nachteile bluthochdruck viagra warum viagra effekt viagra viagra pulmonale hypertonie max raabe viagra text

Anonymous said...

wirkung der viagra viagra vectra viagra anbieter original viagra rezeptfrei geschmack viagra viagra beipackzettel meinungen zu viagra powerful viagra viagra bergsteigen online rezept viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra n1 generika für viagra viagra schneller versand viagra preiswert kaufen viagra frei lilly viagra viagra mit 21 viagra amerika viagra gut viagra partnerprogramm

Anonymous said...

viagra rezeptfrei seriös tablette viagra viagra und co viagra todesfälle viagra lastschrift logo viagra kaufen viagra viagra mit 21 viagra hannover grupa viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra pflaster viagra 100mg preis viagra ganz billig wie lang hält viagra viagra und sport generika für viagra horn herbal viagra viagra nebenwirkung herbal viagra manufacturers viagra vorteile nachteile

Anonymous said...

viagra beihilfe viagra droge apotheken viagra viagra bestellen rezeptfrei viagra nasenspray pfitzner viagra sex mit viagra viagra bericht chinese herbal viagra spanische viagra

[url=http://www.turbo-slim.com/index.php?productID=11]viagra kaufen[/url]

viagra indien viagra zu früh kommen kokain viagra viagra nitro diovan viagra viagra tipps viagra billiger viagra für die frau kaufen viagra ohne zollprobleme max raabe viagra text

Unknown said...

replica bags supplier read here n1y41u2s58 replica bags ebay replica bags philippines replica hermes handbags g1y43q8g36 replica bags sydney 7a replica bags philippines visit homepage h9k35f7b36 replica bags london