USA: 37 Million Poor Hidden in the Land of Plenty

The Observer

Americans have always believed that hard work will bring rewards, but vast numbers now cannot meet their bills even with two or three jobs. More than one in 10 citizens live below the poverty line, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening

A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world. They are found from the hills of Kentucky to Detroit's streets, from the Deep South of Louisiana to the heartland of Oklahoma. Each year since 2001 their number has grown.

Under President George W Bush an extra 5.4 million have slipped below the poverty line. Yet they are not a story of the unemployed or the destitute. Most have jobs. Many have two. Amos Lumpkins has work and his children go to school. But the economy, stripped of worker benefits like healthcare, is having trouble providing good wages.


An America divided

• There are 37 million Americans living below the poverty line. That figure has increased by five million since President George W. Bush came to power.
  
  
• The United States has 269 billionaires, the highest number in the world.
  
  
• Almost a quarter of all black Americans live below the poverty line; 22 per cent of Hispanics fall below it. But for whites the figure is just 8.6 per cent.
  
  
• There are 46 million Americans without health insurance.
  
  
• There are 82,000 homeless people in Los Angeles alone.
  
  
• In 2004 the poorest community in America was Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Unemployment is over 80 per cent, 69 per cent of people live in poverty and male life expectancy is 57 years. In the Western hemisphere only Haiti has a lower number.
  
  
• The richest town in America is Rancho Santa Fe in California. Average incomes are more than $100,000 a year; the average house price is $1.7m.
  

I guess all is not Shiny in the Land of Plenty.

The Poverty was shown in the Katrina Disaster - where the Aftermath in New Olreans, looked like a Third World Country.

37 Million People Live in Poverty, yet Billions and Trillions of Dollars are just for WAR.

And None of them for Poor.

Great Job mister President!

Keep it Up!

Don't expect the President to do everything for you. I use to live in poverty myself. My dad had to work two jobs, one of them working at 7/11. My mother sew clothing. Had to do that for years. Finally, my father manage to go to college himself to become a computer engineer while my mother had to stay home and took care of me while still sewing clothing. Lived in bad neighborhoods, use to live in mobile homes, before moving to apartments, which was to me worse, before we finally manage to save up money to own a house. We worked hard. It depends on how you manage your life. My father always tell me to head to college after graduating highschool, education is important, don't want to be like those people standing in the corner streets holding up cut up cardboard boxes reading need money.

ummm.......
my grandmother raised my father, took care of her elderly mother, and managed to hold onto the family homestead DURING THE DEPRESSION, sewing clothes....

my dad was a taxi driver in a small town, was divorced so he had two families to provide for. my mom was a bartender.....we didn't have a car, we all helped carry laundry to the laudrymat every week, but well, eventually, my dad got a better job and even managed to buy a house.....maybe the ages of his other kids had something to do with it, maybe they reached adulthood, don't know really, but my mom got to quit work and we managed fine on one paycheck. at no time though, did we have three jobs running in the household, not unless you want to count taking care of us three kids as a job, which, believe me, it was!! both my mom and my dad took care of us, whoever was home at the time....by the way...

neither went to college, and never was there more than two paychecks.....low paying jobs at that...and we survived, without charity or government programs.....they made enough to pay the bills...

my grandmother did it on her own, with just sewing...

seems to be a gradual downgrade of the standard of living, at least for some members of society.....

This is not a partisan issue at all, under Clinton we still had staggering economic problems......bottom line is that our government is corrupt truly controlled by lobby and special interest groups that control all branches of government.

Credit Card debt is at unprecedented levels, so is foreclosure, tax deliquency, and we also have a prison population that has grown to a staggering 2.2 million convicts in prison. Also we are outsourcing jobs at a rapid pace, in essence our middle class being the consumer glutton that it is is so heavily in debt that they will be unable to retire EVER.

Get used to it you live in a wealth driven political aristocracy where the top 1% and above control government policy and representation. This is not a democracy it is a representative republic, and our lerned reps are controlled by money. Our so-called forefathers specifically Jefferson and Adams set up our governmental structure as a representative republic because they thought the masses were to stupid to make decisions for themselves. Look at our culture, how many people do you think have actually read the constitution, or even know they have one, we have a truly lazy, selfish, and ignorant culture Im sorry to say.

Put very simply it is the "golden rule", he who has the gold rules and that is reality. I make $100k a year and im 32, do you think that any politician will give a damn about what I think or feel??

Originally posted by Souljah
37 Million People Live in Poverty, yet Billions and Trillions of Dollars are ..

... given away to foreign lands in aid.
... given away to develop an AIDS vaccine for Africa.
... given away to build schools in Iraq.
... given away to rebuild the areas destroyed by the tsumani.
... given away to the Palestinians even when they danced for joy on 9/11.
... given away etc. etc. etc.
... given away when it should be spent here at home FIRST.

It's definately something that should STOP.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by Souljah
37 Million People Live in Poverty, yet Billions and Trillions of Dollars are ..

... given away to foreign lands in aid.
... given away to develop an AIDS vaccine for Africa.
... given away to build schools in Iraq.
... given away to rebuild the areas destroyed by the tsumani.
... given away to the Palestinians even when they danced for joy on 9/11.
... given away etc. etc. etc.
... given away when it should be spent here at home FIRST.

It's definately something that should STOP.

You hit that nail right on the head!

You know that being rich isn't always about having the most toys, or the most anythings. It sounds trite, but if your happy, you're rich. I've been monetarily deprived most of my life, it was only recently that things have begun to turn 'round. It's because I worked my little hiney off. But you know something, I never really considered myself poor. My parents, until my mom died a few years back, were happily married; managed to raise 6 kids, all of whom turned out to be reasonably good people. That may have something to do with the fact we never considered ourselves poor. Calling oneself poor is saying you are a victim. Victims are helpless to alter their circumstances.

Are there circumstances where people are victims to things beyond their control? Sure there are. Katrina, and Wilma come to mind, but even there
people could have helped themselves by being willing to help themselves.
Personal accountability, don't expect to be helped or carried. If someone helps you great. That reflects well on that person. But don't expect it.

Souljah, you just can't help yourself can you? If it even remotely casts a bad light on America, you gotta go for it. In a twisted kind of way, I almost respect your blind hatred of America. You are consistent.

I got to admit it is horrible living under the poverty in America, I do.

I only have a 42 inch color TV with ony 300-400 channels, a Harley Davidson, a Computer, and sometimes I even have to eat AT HOME instead of going out.

Originally posted by Amuk
I got to admit it is horrible living under the poverty in America, I do.

I only have a 42 inch color TV with ony 300-400 channels, a Harley Davidson, a Computer, and sometimes I even have to eat AT HOME instead of going out.

LOL....I have you beat on the TV (61"), but not the harley.

I am so jealous, my TV is only a 27". Because despite my previous post above, I still like my toys.

amuk,

try going over a year having problems walking, not being able to work so of course no health insurance. having your kids blow the heck out of their school for the lack of clothes. finally falling while trying to walk, and then going nuts for over a week with your foot in a splint, trying to pull a few thousand out of a hat so you can have the danged thing operated on. try having a sick kid out of school until payday so you can buy his medicine. try having those lovely proverty stricken kids wispering one to another about how your kids are so poor someone has to give them their clothes......

and...well, all the while, you aren't in proverty, it's your money, along with everyone elses, that is paying for these kids clothes, their 42 inch color tv and cable, their gas bill, inflated of course, so the house can be aired out!! and of course, their shrimp for supper, and a few cases of beer for the nightly party outdoors so they can keep you awake all night....

It was easier being in proverty when we were kids, than being lower middle income now days in some places in the US!!!

[edit on 20-2-2006 by dawnstar]

Originally posted by dawnstar
amuk,
try going over a year having problems walking, not being able to work so of course no health insurance.

Try going through 3 major oppertations in a year, not being able to walk at all and then with just a cane. Then to make matters even better the job you had for ten years making supervisor of the year twice, being one of the companys top earners, suddenly "finds" a reason to fire you, of course it had NOTHING to do with health problems.

But of course you have your loving family right?

Well they werent to happy I lived through it so she filed assualt charges on me, never mind the fact that I could barely get out of bed and STILL had 40+ staples in me and about a 100 stiches. She then filed for divorce after having me restrained from the land that hand been in my family for 150 years causing me to lose it.

Moral of the story?

here less than a year later I am doing fine even if living under the poverty line, she on the other hand is turning tricks in a cheap motel to eat.

Bad times come and go you just have to take charge and change the situation

I feel for both of you. Keep on keepin' on seems to be the rule of the day.
Bad times come, and they go. It only seems like they stay. Respects to the both of you.

umm.......ya, tough....

the operation was originally denied me, no insurance, so they wanted the 2000 before they would operated....it wasn't until I had talked to a state senator and told him that I had just resigned to never walking again, and hell with all of them, that he got on the phone, and low and behold......the doctor soon called wanting to make arrangements to do the operation....

moral of the story, at least in new york, it helps to have a few aqaintances in gov't!!

then, while I was laying in that bed for a few weeks, well, no one, out of four flipping people could wash a dish, so of course no one could cook a meal!!! so, I kind of went hungry alot of the time, while my husband ate over at his friends house, and the kids scavaged around for whatever they could find...


I have my own standards that I live by, when I found I could no longer do my job, and they really needed that job done, I kind of quit, so they could replace me.....so, well, a year or so before I even broke the foot, I was without insurance, and without income.....

by the way, my husband and me are still together, until the last kid moves out and is settled into his own life, then he can go his way, I will go mine...

but, believe or not, and I really don't care one way or a nother anymore....

our income was less than what the value of what the fine government gave to the less fortunate for most of the years my kids were growing up! in other words....being "in proverty" would have been an improvement.

but well, whatever....it just bugs me when people make lite of proverty in america, the only reason why many of those under the proverty line have what they have is because taxpayers are footing the bill....
and well, it seems like many want that taken away...so, well, soon, many just might see just how ugly it can be.

I did volunteer work over my Christmas break at the Mens Emergency Winter Shelter in Charlotte. I was speaking to the manager who is also a preacher at a church nearby, he told us before we open that at least 30-35% of the men that come in here are homeless by choice. Some have jobs and choose to live out on the street either to save money for a place or they dont want to put down roots for some reason. Some like to live this way, its nothing new at all, not in the US anyhow. You also have people who are simply drifters that come in, they are a much smaller percentage. Records are kept of everyone that stays, they must check in any weapons or other personal belongings at the door(except toiletries). They are fed 2 meals a day, dinner when they come in, and breakfast when they leave, they are given a bed, a blanket, and a pillow. There may be 37 million homeless or poverty striken people in the us, but thats is 3.7% of our population. You cant keep everyone out of poverty, a lot of it is personal decision and accountability. Some choose not to work, others do get screwed over. What was your intent with this thread anyhow Souljah?

While this thread is certainly making a turn for "Who has it worse", and I could add another horrible story about "making it happen".. but I won't. Because now it seems that no matter where you stand on the "Social Status" aka Income Status all that it takes is a small bump in the road to make everything you've worked for crumble under you.

Yeah, we've all been through them. Layoffs (reasons to be fired), unexpected incomes, price of living (cars, houses, gas, and food have all dramatically gone up in price yet wages have gone down.. go figure).. but either way, it just aint easy to live in America anymore. Yeah sure, some of party it off and pretend nothings wrong, but thats just an excuse to cover up the fact that they're trapped in their social status.

I went from a 160k house, nice cars, big tv's.. to a $400 per month apartment and 2 cars falling apart faster then I can repair them by the stroke of a CEO's layoff pen signature. After losing the job I had for 9 years, I had to make a decision. Work a few jobs and downgrade my 'status', or work a few jobs and downgrade my status even more and go to college.

Either way, I had to understand I was losing my social status.

And the number one problem with America is that everyone is too lazy to climb out of their self dug holes, that they'd rather sit around and blame it on someone else. The someone that's "keeping them down". That phrase goes several ways, for all races equally. There's always a "someone" keeping you down.. or atleast you let them

Pick yourself up, get a new job and/or go to college and get a real job. That's what I say to all you "poor" people. The word poor goes so many ways right now its almost ironically funny.





[edit on 2/20/2006 by QuietSoul]

Souljah you have given me one more reason why we should stop illegal immigration into the US, keep up the good work.
Who do you think is increasing the poverty percentage, it isn't the hard working people. Government isn't there to give you a hand out, its there to make sure you have the proper institutions to use to give yourself what you need.

Souljah puts these threads out there because his unrelenting dislike of America, and his hatred of President Bush will allow him to do nothing else. Plus I'm sure he gets some sort of twisted satisfaction out of our sometimes testy responses. He'll deny of course, and spout off some sort of high minded drivel about exposing the hypocrisy of America, or something of the sort.

Souljah!!!!

You really need to stop posting this kind of propagandish garbage every single day on ATS. Every dam day its something else with you, trying to find anything you can to bash my country. Man, im getting really sick of your antics and your garbage. Its called capitalism and the ones WHO WORK HARD will be rewarded. You know why poverty exists, because there is a such thing as LOSERS in this world pal. These people in new orleans were poor black, no skilled suck off the government SCUM. They looted not because they were hungry, but because they are scum rats. These losers in new orleans deserve NOTHING, you hear me souljah, NOTHING.

Souljah, you need to go live in a cave for a while.

Train

Most Americans are about two paychecks away from losing their homes.

Most Americans would be wiped out financially by a major illness.

1 out of 2 American men will get cancer sometime in their lifetime; 1 in 3 American women will. Chronic disease is epidemic, and the big three are cancer, heart disease and stroke. Historically, these 3 diseases were considered "age related" - but now they commonly hit people in their 40's and 50's, not their 70's and 80's.

...The writing is on the wall. Ignore it at your peril.