Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?

[Deberg_1990]

Fascinating..


http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...k-ken-mcintyre



When Americans think of poverty, we tend to picture people who can’t adequately shelter, clothe, and feed themselves or their families.

When the Census Bureau defines “poverty,” though, it winds up painting more than 40 million Americans — one in seven — as “poor.”

Census officials continue to grossly exaggerate the numbers of the poor, creating a false picture in the public mind of widespread material deprivation, writes Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Robert Rector in a new paper.

“Most news stories on poverty feature homeless families, people living in crumbling shacks, or lines of the downtrodden eating in soup kitchens,” Rector says. “The actual living conditions of America’s poor are far different from these images.”

Congress is tying itself in knots figuring out how to cut spending and bring down a $14 trillion national debt. Lawmakers might well take a much closer look at the nearly a trillion dollars spent each year on welfare even though many recipients aren’t what the typical American would recognize as poor and in need of government assistance.

What is poverty? Americans might well be surprised to learn from other government data that the overwhelming majority of those defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau were well-housed and adequately fed even in the recession year 2009. About 4 percent of them did temporarily become homeless.

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.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I have a single mother across the street that seems to think I'll do plumbing or anything else for her for free simply because we live near each other. Every time she calls me over the first thing I tell her is the price I charge for those services. I'm all about being charitable and neighborly but I do this stuff 60 hours a week for a living...

If people are going to do that and expect it for free, the least they could do is give something in return every once in awhile.....a gift card, some beer, pay for your lunch, etc...

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

If people are going to do that and expect it for free, the least they could do is give something in return every once in awhile.....a gift card, some beer, pay for your lunch, etc...

Acknowedging that you'd even helped them 3 days earlier would be a nice start. A Thank you once in a while wouldn't hurt either. When I help young people with things like internships, or introducing them to people who can help them, or writing a letter of support when they're in trouble....I ask them to do one thing....Remember where you came from, and some day when you have the chance, reach back and help on a local project, or a local kid become somebody. Pay it back when you can. That's it.


In general, I help people because it's the right thing to do, not because I'm looking for something, but it's so easy once you become known as someone who will show up and work on a community project, volunteer, contribute and do things for people to get to the point where it's about all you do, and you don't have time for your own projects or your own family.

I'm there now, and have been making a conscious effort to draw that down to reasonable......it just gets hard to say no, when you're so used to saying yes. For some reason the more you do, the more people expect.

Many people sincerely appreciate it.....but it's amazing how often you end up treated like a hwy flagman for your time and effort.

You're a good dude, Iowanian. But you have to properly vet the recipients of your kindness or you're going to grown so bitter that more deserving people will not benefit from your kindness in the future. Don't do the work and bite your tongue... just walk away. When you've evaluated that the person doesn't actually need your help, walk. You think when you need help reaching something on the top shelf that one of those tall fat broads is going to come over and put you on her shoulders? No, she's not. Just walk.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

I'm a charitable person, probably to a fault.

Here is an example of what happens when you help the poor.
I've been mowing a couple of yards since 07-08 for up to 3 elderly people.
One who lives across the street knocked on my door and asked me to do it "as a gift" because they couldn't afford it. I wanted it mowed, so I've been doing and have received a grand total of 1 thank you in 3 summers.

Last week my home phone started getting messages from the guy, and one from his wife whom I've never seen in 4 years(Gilbert Grape's mama). "Our daughter is moving home to help my sick wife and you, our dear friend, said you would help, so come and help move her stuff into the house saturday"....8 days in a row of messages, of which I've never agreed to do. Progressively more demanding..."so be here at 8am, because our daughter will be tired". The old man says, as the wife bellows 1000wpm in the background on the messages.....

I'm out in a poker game until 3am saturday morning, but get up at 7 because I've got a long list of things to do at my home and the family is gone. 8am, not there, 9am, not there......so I begin on my projects, new light fixtures, interior door, fixing the odds and ends stuff I can't do when the family is home.

It's hot...12:30 I look out, and it's not a pickup, but a Uhaul van truck backed up to their house. I go over and find one other sucker, sweating trying to unload this truck. Guilt kicks in, and I tear into a pile of boxes to pack up the stairs(everything goes to 2nd floor).

I get to the top of the stairs and have 3 choices of rooms. I hear conversation and step to the room to find 2 fat hogs who look like bullfrogs sunning themselves stretched out on their backs on a bed. One points to the other room without saying a word.

The other man and I unload the entire truck, while the old man attempts to help but physically can't....and the entire time, via a hallway, I can see Gilbert Grape's mama's Arm hanging off of a chair with a soda and her leg....and a 60" big screen. She's bitching about 500mph because the truck isn't unloaded fast enough, we're letting air out because I had to take the door off to get the F'ing sofa indoors and up the stairs.

Eventually we get everything unloaded in the sweltering heat......not 1 box..not a single box was carried by the 2 sows who now live across the street with the old people.

I'm pissed, have the truck unloaded and am putting the door back on, when one of the bullfrog twins trots to the door and starts in about how I need to put in the window AC in her room and switch headboards and on....and I finally have my fill and say "you know what, you are rested up enough to handle that shit yourself.

4 people in that home....not 1 thank you.

I've been mowing their yard for free for 3 years, they've got a bigger TV than I do. Ask for help, but bitch while I litterally do it all.


In short....This guy, is NOT feeling very sympathetic to the plight of people who don't take care of themselves.

And yes....Their AC was running to keep that house cooler than I can keep mine.

There's a difference between charity and stupidity.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I wouldn't mow a lawn for anybody but a widow or a disabled (legitimately) neighbor. I have several around me but they pay a service which is a-ok with me. I have a single mother across the street that seems to think I'll do plumbing or anything else for her for free simply because we live near each other. Every time she calls me over the first thing I tell her is the price I charge for those services. I'm all about being charitable and neighborly but I do this stuff 60 hours a week for a living...

This type of stuff makes me glad that normal people typically have no use for my services. I very seldom have a neighbor come over and say, "Hey, Rain Man, can you build me a mathematical demand model? And get the opinions of 384 people around the country for me?"

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

If people are going to do that and expect it for free, the least they could do is give something in return every once in awhile.....a gift card, some beer, pay for your lunch, etc...

Since it's a single mother, perhaps a pole dance...

[Iowanian]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

This type of stuff makes me glad that normal people typically have no use for my services. I very seldom have a neighbor come over and say, "Hey, Rain Man, can you build me a mathematical demand model? And get the opinions of 384 people around the country for me?"

"Iowanian, I saw you unloading some heavy things into your garage last weekend, I'm really tired from running this marathon and developing statistical data models to anticipate reproductive velocity of the ejaculation of the elbert squirrels in Rocky Mountain National Park.....could you come over and put these 2 large boulders in my back yard? If you don't mind hurry up and be quiet as I'll be relaxing in the hand made hemp hammock I traded a tribesman for in Madagascar"

[Okie_Apparition]

We're starting to wonder why Iowanian keeps going back... This won't be pretty...

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by Okie_Apparition

We're starting to wonder why Iowanian keeps going back... This won't be pretty...

I bet Gilbert Grape's mamma gives an excellent gumjob.

[Okie_Apparition]

Or he's growing wacky weed in their back yard

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

"Iowanian, I saw you unloading some heavy things into your garage last weekend, I'm really tired from running this marathon and developing statistical data models to anticipate reproductive velocity of the ejaculation of the elbert squirrels in Rocky Mountain National Park.....could you come over and put these 2 large boulders in my back yard? If you don't mind hurry up and be quiet as I'll be relaxing in the hand made hemp hammock I traded a tribesman for in Madagascar"

Hey, I only asked because you have a truck.

[RaiderH8r]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

There are lazy worthless non-workers that I have no sympathy for but to say if you have a house you rent and an xbox means you are too well off to be considered poor is absurd.

No, it means they should quit crying about needing more from working folks and just say, "Thank you."

In fact, every person on any form of government assistance should be writing a thank you check to a tax paying citizen every quarter of the calendar year. Dicks.

[Iowanian]

Update:

I ran home at lunch for a minute, 3 missed calls, 1 message on machine.
"hi, this is your neighbor, Husbandofgilbertgrape'smama, and we thought our daughters were going to be able to mow the yard and they can't, so you've been doing it a lot of times over the past few years and it's getting a little tall and we're still going to need you to do that, mow our yard. Thanks"




How in the hell does one respond to that without being the biggest prick on earth?

[MOhillbilly]

you had a gout attack. cant help em.

[Iowanian]

I was thinking about telling them you had some money under the seat of your truck.]


It would be much easier to be a prick about it if he weren't 200 years old, and being ridden to his deathbed by the 3 meanest, ugliest wenches in the county.