Poverty Measures
 

The boilerplate assertion of Obama and progressives that income inequality has increased in America doesn't account for the migratory nature between quintiles nor does it account for the increased consumption by the lowest quintile over the same time span. Hence, the "us versus them" meme of Obama's campaign is wrong.

The absolute absurdity of Buffet's secretary assertion and the concomitant conflating of investment income tax rates with salaried worker tax rates either demonstrates an utter lack of economic knowledge or, worse, an underlying political goal of instigating crass class warfare. I'm thinking the latter precisely because Obama has nothing else to use as an effective campaign strategy. What exactly was the "hope and change" that he so eloquently put forth back in 2008? Has he fulfilled the "hope and change" rhetoric of 2008? Has the country ever been more polarized than it is today under his divisive strategy? How effective has "lead from behind" been in reigning in ascendant states like North Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Turkey?

From WaPo:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...Q_story_2.html

You want to see how poor people are, go sit in front of a WIC clinic, or up here "Denali Kid Care" and watch the "poor" people walking in and out, talking on their iphones and driving their SUVs.

Oh bullshit.i worked with the poor in the US. There are some damn poor people down there. Would not want to trade places with any of them!

Right.

We're all rich, so there is obviously no need for social safety nets
or worker protections of any sort. In a nation where everyone is
independently wealthy such things are obviously passe'. Got it.

After all, I have everything I need, so there is no problem. Correct?

Thanks for clearing that up.

Dave

Buffet's secertary makes $250,000.00 a year. According to the Prez, that makes her a millionaire.
Just saying...

But she still pays income tax at a higher rate than he does.

If you believe all that horse hockey you will be interested to know that we are running a special in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge this weekend.:rolleyes:

Why don't you provide us with a log of your observations. Be sure to quantify, with comparisons with those who used public transportation to get to the aid offices; make sure you have observed that all of the telephones being used are iphones; that the people receiving the aid were driving the SUV's and were not being provided a ride. Don't forget that when gas prices skyrocketed, some of the cheapest vehicles available were used SUV's. Let's see if your stereotype survives against hard data.

Regards,

D-Ray

How about this. You hold your breath until I deliver that report.

So if I am living high off credit I am rich! per Wapo.

In other words, it never happened.

Let's face it folks, there are genuine poor people who have had a rough go through no fault of their own, and there are the parasites who have handed down the ways to play the system through generations. In the first group I would include people that would rather work for 200 a week, than draw 300 unemployment. In the second I would include people that will draw the 250 a week welfare, WIC, food stamps, 90% rent paid housing, and sit at home with kids running all over while they watch Springer. I've seen it first hand several times. Sometimes there is a "boyfriend" involved who either hangs in the hood, or sells drugs. That's where the SUVs come from. They are just now talking about a law that will make cell phones a right!:eek:

I count myself and the Missus in the first group. While Obama was crying about housing having the worst year since records were kept, my wife was hiring a third paperwork person for her Real Estate team. I can still (and do) outwork any young buck in my trade, which keeps me busier than I want to be. When I get home I work on Audio gear most nights, which doesn't pay much but it is work.

I don't know about the rest of the country (obama says Detroit is finally booming again):confused: , but there are plenty of jobs around the KC area, you just have to make the effort and be willing to work your way up. I think with this 99 week UE BS, too many folks are holding out for management positions.:(


I gave quite a bit of money to "the poor" last year as did my wife (we gots separate monies) but they won't be seeing a penny this year. All my charity from now until I croak is going to "No Kill" dog shelters.:) Humans surely have more of a leg up on fending for themselves than do dumb animals I'd hope.


Edit, Ha no pun intended on the leg up. Now back to audio work.

Public transportation? Here in the US of A? Surely you jest.

How about this;

Hold your breath until the world actually represents your view of it.:rolleyes:

Dave

Do you think the the lowest quintile is materially better off today or, say, half a century ago? The left (and Gingrich) is always referencing outliers in their wealthy versus poor assertions. Given the unpopularity of his policies, I'll bet Obama has no place to go, but to wage a class warfare campaign. Personally, I like wealthy people and would like more of them rather than government bureaucrats.

Hell I have met a few wealthy people that were likeable, but that still does not mean that they should be given a nearly free ride. And no I don't believe people are better off. The only reason we are better off is that Wall Street's shenanigans have screwed the dollar so that now the $CDN is higher than the $US, so we got a raise. Considering where we live I know quite a number of civil servants and we have been better served by them than most of the private enterprise folks we deal with.

50 years ago? Sure, they are. We all are. And, I'd like to keep it that way. But, I've been fighting a losing battle since we started focusing our efforts on improving the condition of those whose condition needs no improving. That really got rolling about, oh, I'd say 1981 or so.:rolleyes:

Dave

Bh, my completely unscientific and unverifiable method - my own eyes - agrees completely with your original post.

All the old timers here are groaning :)

Back when I lived in the hood, mid 80s, there were very very few that had a/c, were lucky to have one car, NO cable...

Now when it's hot the streets are darn near empty (of people anyway), most have a car, most have cable and a few tvs ....

Not to say there isn't any poor but the bar has definately moved.

Pete

Did they actually have cable run down the street? Don't forget that because AT&T and Verizon lobbied the government all the lower channels were stolen for their cellphone use so folks really don't have much choice but to get cable. Even with those mahvellous converter boxes I can reliably get less than half the channels previously available.

What did a window A/C cost in 1980 compared to 2010, what has happened to the price of TV sets?

You both are using flawed data in not taking into account changes in the environment.

Have cars gotten cheaper? And now after cash for clunkers used parts can be hard to come by. My favorite place to car watch is in the hood.

On the 'fringes' here, now with digital broadcast, I get many many more stations than previously (5 additional PBS stations, 2 old sitcom rerun stations, a weather station, 2 hobby stations, a black station, a gospel station, a hispanic station, a cartoon station, and a b movie station).

Agreed about the tvs themselves though, they are getting pretty cheap.

Pete

A car loses quite a bit of value the day you drive it off the lot, are all their cars new or second hand? Your situation is unusual, do you have an outdoor antenna? Many viewers here discovered that rabbit ears do not cut the mustard and getting an outdoor antenna is not cheap. Cable may cost more in the long run but if your credit card is already pushing the limit, a smaller monthly charge may be the way you have to go.

I still maintain that the original author was playing with half a deck, too many factors than simple posession of gadgets. For that matter are they all owned or on rental or rent to own.

Bingo! Here in Orange co. the well to do drive porche and mercedes SUVs the not so well to do are driving those cast off escalades and suburbans.Cable wasn't even available in middle class areas much less the poorer areas in the
'80s. We got cable in the later half of the decade in the mid-class areas and it's still a monopoly. Specious arguments on the part of the OP, bullshit is bullshit!

Last I looked, we have an obesity problem not a starvation problem. Even Michelle argues that point. If people are better off then than now, then what was the point of Johnson's Great Society? Specious is believing that if millionaires and billionaires didn't exist the poor would be somehow better off. The economy is not a quid pro quo game—just because some have more doesn't mean that any given person necessarily have less.

Obesity is an issue because junk, processed food is cheap, while healthy naturally grown food is much more expensive.

And Monsanto is doing it's best to make sure you or anyone else can't grow natural, healthy food.

Who thought that the day would come when a frugal farmer could be sued for saving seed?

Nice alliteration. :cool:

Regards,

D-Ray

I figured you might like that! :)

I wonder why? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...elowLEFTSecond

Let me spell this out with words of one syllable if I can. We do not want to eliminate millionaires or billionairs, we just wany them to pull their fair share of the load. I do hope that is quite clear.

Sorry but I do not subscribe to the Wall Street Urinal

Cars, including used cars, are much more expensive than they used to be even 10 years ago. Much more.

Not only did C for C take used parts off the market they also cleared out a lot of older used cars. Why sell your servicable used car for $2000 when the feds would give you 4?

Then you've got government making everything more expensive in other ways too generally in the name of goodness and light. Our water department is raising rates, gas is going up, clean and healthy means more expensive for sure...

As a percentage of income these wonderful things always, always effect the poor the most.

Pete

good grief :(



I just can't belive all the folks who have been convinced that the poor are taking advantage of them.

Never HAD to make money on your own?

Maybe you oughta dumb that one down cause you aren't making any sense at least to me. The last person I would waste any time listening to is Bachman. She 's a pale imitation of another batshit crazy as hell tea partyist, Palin.

By the way I'm no Marxist/ Leninst by any stretch of imagination. I do believe that corporate welfare along with deregulation are just a couple of the great evils perpetrated on society of late. Just look at the figures. Social welfare is a tiny pimple compared to the sheer volume of loot plundered from the Treasury by corporate Amerika. Almost every citizen paid far more taxes than GE just to name one!

I'm laughing at the person who 'lived in the hood' and thus, knows all about poor.
When you are desperate enough to pick the oranges off the ground of your neighbors tree when they aren't looking to feed your children while at the same time you are raising them to respect others property and not steal, then, may be you will get a clue.....

A warm welcome to you , Barbara

Thank you for the welcome...

Here's another one.

In defense of Pete, he wasn't always a WEALTHY pain in the ass.

Chas