Poverty in America ... what a joke
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Poverty in America ... what a joke
Poverty in America ... what a joke
Neal Boortz
July 19, 2011
Statistics released yesterday by the Heritage Foundation show that 30 million Americans are living in “poverty,” according to the US Census Bureau. Wow, that’s a pretty sizable number … until you remember that what it means to be “poor” in America has become a colossal joke. How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs. So the Social Security Administration came up with a definition that is so absurd that we can inflate to unbelievable heights the supposed number of people living in poverty in the US. These statistics are based on 2005 figures, but after reading the study you can conclude that these figures are pretty similar to our current economy.
The average “poor” household in America claims to have sufficient funds to meet all essential needs. What they are struggling to afford is air conditioning and cable TV, not food.
Neal Boortz
July 19, 2011
Statistics released yesterday by the Heritage Foundation show that 30 million Americans are living in “poverty,” according to the US Census Bureau. Wow, that’s a pretty sizable number … until you remember that what it means to be “poor” in America has become a colossal joke. How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs. So the Social Security Administration came up with a definition that is so absurd that we can inflate to unbelievable heights the supposed number of people living in poverty in the US. These statistics are based on 2005 figures, but after reading the study you can conclude that these figures are pretty similar to our current economy.
- The typical “poor” household in America has a car.
- 78% of “poor” households in America have air conditioning.
- 64% of “poor” households in America have cable or satellite TV .. most have two TVs, along with a DVD player and VCR.
- Most “poor” households in America with children have a gaming system such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
- 38% of “poor” households in America have a personal computer.
- Most “poor” households in America have a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. They also have other household appliances such as a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
- The typical “poor” American has more living space than the average European.
- The typical “poor” American family is able to obtain medical care when needed.
The average “poor” household in America claims to have sufficient funds to meet all essential needs. What they are struggling to afford is air conditioning and cable TV, not food.
TexasBlue
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
TexasBlue wrote:How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs.
Hm. So his aim was not to help the poor; that was just a pretext for his real aim: to expand social welfare programs. Social programs were the ends, not the means.
Why, according to this view, did he seek the expansion of social welfare programs as an end in itself?
Curious to know.
kronos
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
kronos wrote:TexasBlue wrote:How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs.
Hm. So his aim was not to help the poor; that was just a pretext for his real aim: to expand social welfare programs. Social programs were the ends, not the means.
Why, according to this view, did he seek the expansion of social welfare programs as an end in itself?
Curious to know.
I can't answer that because that's Boortz's opinion. Maybe a means to an end?
TexasBlue
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
kronos wrote:TexasBlue wrote:How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs.
Hm. So his aim was not to help the poor; that was just a pretext for his real aim: to expand social welfare programs. Social programs were the ends, not the means.
Why, according to this view, did he seek the expansion of social welfare programs as an end in itself?
Curious to know.
I think Johnson's intentions were largely sincere. Apparently he was greatly influenced by the highly questionable statistics about poverty contained in Michael Harrington's book The Other America. According to Lawrence Wittner (Cold War America - From Hiroshima to Watergate) LBJ simplistically treated poverty as an enemy to be defeated, thus the "War on Poverty."
Since Boortz neglects to source his assertion that LBJ asked the Social Security Administration to come up with "a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs," I can only assume this to be conjecture or hyperbole.
But when push comes to shove, it really doesn't matter what his motives were, the end result is all that matters. And the end result was not good; particularly for the black nuclear family of urban America.
dblboggie
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
TexasBlue wrote:Poverty in America ... what a joke
Neal Boortz
July 19, 2011
Statistics released yesterday by the Heritage Foundation show that 30 million Americans are living in “poverty,” according to the US Census Bureau. Wow, that’s a pretty sizable number … until you remember that what it means to be “poor” in America has become a colossal joke. How did this happen? It happened with Lyndon Johnson. He was looking for ways to expand government social programs. So he went to Social Security Administration and asked them to come up with a definition of poverty. He made it clear – we need a definition that will enable us to expand our social welfare programs. So the Social Security Administration came up with a definition that is so absurd that we can inflate to unbelievable heights the supposed number of people living in poverty in the US. These statistics are based on 2005 figures, but after reading the study you can conclude that these figures are pretty similar to our current economy.
- The typical “poor” household in America has a car.
- 78% of “poor” households in America have air conditioning.
- 64% of “poor” households in America have cable or satellite TV .. most have two TVs, along with a DVD player and VCR.
- Most “poor” households in America with children have a gaming system such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
- 38% of “poor” households in America have a personal computer.
- Most “poor” households in America have a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. They also have other household appliances such as a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
- The typical “poor” American has more living space than the average European.
- The typical “poor” American family is able to obtain medical care when needed.
The average “poor” household in America claims to have sufficient funds to meet all essential needs. What they are struggling to afford is air conditioning and cable TV, not food.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh it's those undeserving "typical" poor again… let’s get rid of them
Guest- Guest
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
cable2+1 wrote:Ahhhhhhhhhhhh it's those undeserving "typical" poor again… let’s get rid of them
Got anything more substantial than that? If not, then leave it be.
TexasBlue
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
TexasBlue wrote:cable2+1 wrote:Ahhhhhhhhhhhh it's those undeserving "typical" poor again… let’s get rid of them
Got anything more substantial than that? If not, then leave it be.
I thought my comment was very substantial.. those words "the undeserving poor" is so full of meaning.. not only historically but much today, not just in America but all over the Western world.
What better way to turn a suffering man way from taking to the streets and burning down all in front of him.. then to give him some one blame for his suffering.. and why not give him some less human then himself.. the lowest of the low "the undeserving poor"
Guest- Guest
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
Your post is nothing but babbling. How about debating the actual issue???????????
TexasBlue
Re: Poverty in America ... what a joke
TexasBlue wrote:Your post is nothing but babbling. How about debating the actual issue???????????
Golly Gosh... babbling
or mayhap you don't understand what is said or meant ... how poor must the poor be before they become expectable.. how poor must the poor be before those who are a little richer don’t feel that those poor have taken some thing away from them.
in the 1930's the poor of England could not receive government aid if they owned property any value.. if they owned a clock they had to sell it or if they owned too many clothes then they had to sell them or if the owned a valuable bed they had to sell it or.... so on and so on.
"the undeserving poor" where those who owned property of any value and still wanted aid from the state..
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