Posted on Mar 21, 2023
Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor
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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/03/21/ [login to see] /poverty-by-america-matthew-desmond-inequality
Over 11% of the U.S. population — about one in nine people — lived below the federal poverty line in 2021. But Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond says neither that statistic, nor the federal poverty line itself, encapsulate the full picture of economic insecurity in America.
"There's plenty of poverty above the poverty line as a lived experience," Desmond says. "About one in three Americans live in a household that's making $55,000 or less, and many of those folks aren't officially considered poor. But what else do you call trying to raise three kids in Portland on $55,000?"
Growing up in a small town in Arizona, Desmond learned firsthand how economic insecurity could impact a family's stress level. He remembers the gas being shut off and his family home being foreclosed on. Those hardships would later drive his research — specifically the question of how so much poverty could exist within a country as wealthy as the U.S.
Over 11% of the U.S. population — about one in nine people — lived below the federal poverty line in 2021. But Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond says neither that statistic, nor the federal poverty line itself, encapsulate the full picture of economic insecurity in America.
"There's plenty of poverty above the poverty line as a lived experience," Desmond says. "About one in three Americans live in a household that's making $55,000 or less, and many of those folks aren't officially considered poor. But what else do you call trying to raise three kids in Portland on $55,000?"
Growing up in a small town in Arizona, Desmond learned firsthand how economic insecurity could impact a family's stress level. He remembers the gas being shut off and his family home being foreclosed on. Those hardships would later drive his research — specifically the question of how so much poverty could exist within a country as wealthy as the U.S.
Private opulence, public squalor: How the U.S. helps the rich and hurts the poor
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Boy...am I going to catch hell for this response, but here we go.
(/rant on/)
There are a lot fewer "poor" people in this country, than you think, or than statistics say there are. Most of these "poor" people are simply making really poor life choices. You see these people smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, drinking a six-pack a week.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the US is $6.28, which totals to around $223 per month or $2,676 annually for someone who smokes one pack per day. This does not include costs associated with other smoking-related expenses such as lighters, ashtrays, and breath mints. The cost of smoking also extends beyond these tangible items; research has found that medical bills related to smoking could exceed an additional $170 billion dollars each year in America alone." - https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/cigarette-prices-by-state/
Now imagine that's 2 packs a day. That's an average cost of $446/month. Imagine that BOTH parents smoke 2 packs a day. That's $892/month, on average. Good grief!! We haven't even taken into account the cost of alcohol.
My wife used to work in the public health care sector, working for the local Health Department, in the WIC section (Women, Infants, and Children). Every month, these people claiming to be "poor" would roll up to the county offices in their new Escalade or F-150, with their designer clothes, fancy nails, with the latest new cell phone. The majority of the people that she took care of over the course of 13 years were simply working the system. The biological father was working a job under the table, paying no taxes, living with the family. Momma was claiming to be a single mother with 3, 4, 5 kids and getting rent supplement, food stamps, WIC checks, and free healthcare from the state. Then in addition, most of them were getting free school lunches for all the kids as well. Back when I was growing up or when my kids were little, we would have been too ashamed to go to the county offices with our hand out, asking for money. Now, there is NO shame! People think they're OWED money, simply for existing! The only thing you're owed in this country is life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness. You're not owed happiness. You have to go out and find it on your own.
Now lets talk about taxes. NOBODY should EVER get back more money from the government, than they paid in! Nobody. I don't care if you can find a way to get it ALL back, because personally, I believe that taxation (especially now) is theft. I don't care if you made $10K, $100,000k, or $10 million...you shouldn't get more back than you paid in. Case in point...I had a friend who had 3 kids, made a decent living as an electrician, lived in a triple-wide mobile home and was married. His wife stayed home, mainly because she was an alcoholic. They were on food stamps and WIC. One year I went over to his house because he wanted to show me something. When I got there, he had a brand-new (65"-75"?) flat screen TV on his wall. Keep in mind, this was at least 10 years ago, when these things weren't as cheap as they are now. In addition, he had gotten his kids the latest brand-new gaming console. Since I knew I couldn't afford that and I was working a good IT job at the time, I asked how he paid for it. He said, "Oh! I got my tax return back!" I asked how much he paid in? $3,000. How much did he get back? $8,000! If someone was REALLY as poor as they claimed to be, that money should have gone to fix a vehicle, pay bills, or just be put in the bank for a rainy day. But this is the mentality of the majority of people in this situation.
Okay...and let's talk about the "Earned Income Tax Credit." There's nothing "Earned" about that. It's simply the government giving money to people, based solely on the basis that they fall under a certain yearly amount in earnings. All that means, is that they took it from someone else, in order to give it to them.
All that to say this; are there some genuinely poor people in this country that could use help? Yes.
How do we get the help to those that honestly need it? I don't know.
Is the system broken? Absolutely.
How do we fix it? I don't know, but I'd be willing to have an HONEST conversation about it.
(/end of rant/)
That is my $.02 which, with inflation, is still only worth $.02.
Hoo-AH! Peace out.
(/rant on/)
There are a lot fewer "poor" people in this country, than you think, or than statistics say there are. Most of these "poor" people are simply making really poor life choices. You see these people smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, drinking a six-pack a week.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the US is $6.28, which totals to around $223 per month or $2,676 annually for someone who smokes one pack per day. This does not include costs associated with other smoking-related expenses such as lighters, ashtrays, and breath mints. The cost of smoking also extends beyond these tangible items; research has found that medical bills related to smoking could exceed an additional $170 billion dollars each year in America alone." - https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/cigarette-prices-by-state/
Now imagine that's 2 packs a day. That's an average cost of $446/month. Imagine that BOTH parents smoke 2 packs a day. That's $892/month, on average. Good grief!! We haven't even taken into account the cost of alcohol.
My wife used to work in the public health care sector, working for the local Health Department, in the WIC section (Women, Infants, and Children). Every month, these people claiming to be "poor" would roll up to the county offices in their new Escalade or F-150, with their designer clothes, fancy nails, with the latest new cell phone. The majority of the people that she took care of over the course of 13 years were simply working the system. The biological father was working a job under the table, paying no taxes, living with the family. Momma was claiming to be a single mother with 3, 4, 5 kids and getting rent supplement, food stamps, WIC checks, and free healthcare from the state. Then in addition, most of them were getting free school lunches for all the kids as well. Back when I was growing up or when my kids were little, we would have been too ashamed to go to the county offices with our hand out, asking for money. Now, there is NO shame! People think they're OWED money, simply for existing! The only thing you're owed in this country is life, liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness. You're not owed happiness. You have to go out and find it on your own.
Now lets talk about taxes. NOBODY should EVER get back more money from the government, than they paid in! Nobody. I don't care if you can find a way to get it ALL back, because personally, I believe that taxation (especially now) is theft. I don't care if you made $10K, $100,000k, or $10 million...you shouldn't get more back than you paid in. Case in point...I had a friend who had 3 kids, made a decent living as an electrician, lived in a triple-wide mobile home and was married. His wife stayed home, mainly because she was an alcoholic. They were on food stamps and WIC. One year I went over to his house because he wanted to show me something. When I got there, he had a brand-new (65"-75"?) flat screen TV on his wall. Keep in mind, this was at least 10 years ago, when these things weren't as cheap as they are now. In addition, he had gotten his kids the latest brand-new gaming console. Since I knew I couldn't afford that and I was working a good IT job at the time, I asked how he paid for it. He said, "Oh! I got my tax return back!" I asked how much he paid in? $3,000. How much did he get back? $8,000! If someone was REALLY as poor as they claimed to be, that money should have gone to fix a vehicle, pay bills, or just be put in the bank for a rainy day. But this is the mentality of the majority of people in this situation.
Okay...and let's talk about the "Earned Income Tax Credit." There's nothing "Earned" about that. It's simply the government giving money to people, based solely on the basis that they fall under a certain yearly amount in earnings. All that means, is that they took it from someone else, in order to give it to them.
All that to say this; are there some genuinely poor people in this country that could use help? Yes.
How do we get the help to those that honestly need it? I don't know.
Is the system broken? Absolutely.
How do we fix it? I don't know, but I'd be willing to have an HONEST conversation about it.
(/end of rant/)
That is my $.02 which, with inflation, is still only worth $.02.
Hoo-AH! Peace out.
Cigarette Prices by State 2023 - Wisevoter
The average price of cigarettes in the United States is one of the highest in the world. In 2020, the average cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes was $6.71 compared to an international average price of $4.52 for a pack of 20 cigarettes. This means that Americans pay about 50% more than the global […]
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