Whats wrong with this picture?

Question

Of the 25 richest nations Mexico and the United States rank number one and two in child poverty. Twenty-seven percent of Mexico's children live in poverty compared to 22% in the U.S.

Do you think our priorities are messed up?

Is the U.S. poverty rate linked to illegal immigration?

Here you go higg, get a clue while you're at it.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/eco_chi_pov-economy-child-poverty

Uhm, I did read the footnotes. It also does not consider family when setting the $10,500 threshold or the fact that $10,500 in the U.S. buys you nothing. The numbers are valid and are suitable comparisons. Ignore them if you feel you must.

Answer 1

Priorities are messed up in many countries. Children are often the first to suffer. Interesting what things countries have enough money for, but not enough money to make sure no children live in poverty. It is not only the US and Mexico. And I don't think it is connected to illegal immigration at all.

Answer 2

The reason is very simple. RELATIVITY. And I'm not talking about physics...The chart you provided says right at the bottom, "Child poverty index is defined as the share of the children living in the households with income below 50% of the national median."

The United States' national median of household incomes is significantly higher than in other countries. This is why the US is at the top of the chart. Not because of illegal immigration. So whereas the US might have a higher percentage of children living in households with income below 50% of the national median, it does not rank #1 in child poverty. Have you ever traveled through rural China or India? Or any other developing country? The entire continent of Africa? This is a whole 'nother world of poverty.

It is always wise to look at more complete data before making assumptions, and ALWAYS read the footnotes.

Answer 3

First I would want to verify the source of this information before I venture an opinion. How do they define child poverty? I have a lot of questions before I accept the veracity of that report. Now I have been through the United States, Mexico and Guatemala. In Guatemala I saw children begging for food and money. Now they are living in poverty. I lived there and understand the why's and wherefores. The answer is simple. When leaders take over a country, if they are for themselves the people languish. Benevolent leaders are rare. That is what is missing today, benevolent leaders.

Answer 4

With all the illegal aliens that cross our borders we are not taking in the most educated individuals. We are taking in poverty stricken people who, when they come to America are not improving their economic situation that much here. We are created poverty for the poverty stricken. Eventually the division between rich and poor with become like Mexico. I would hope that our government would do something to support the Middle Class Americans who are the backbone of this country. I do think we need to help our own poor and not take on the burden of other poverty stricken people from other countries. Enough is enough, Americans first and yeah, I know there are Americans willing to do those jobs that some idiots allege they would never do..

Answer 5

Try this for some shocking statistics......

In a 2004 report by Pew Hispanic Center , CIS found that 5.9 million immigrants were in poverty. Of that total, 2.1 million were illegals, Mr. Camarota said.
But he further noted the number of legal immigrants who qualified as poor was nearly double the total of poor illegals, or 3.8 million.
"Our immigration policy is certainly not based on the selection of the best and brightest," Mr. Camarota said, adding:
"Having a family member living in this country, who can sponsor an immigrant, is the primary factor in terms of who enters the country legally."

MYTH: If the U.S. pumps money into Mexico and other third world countries for the purpose of improving their economies, it will create jobs thus eliminating the need to illegally immigrate to the U.S.
TRUTH: The U.S. is not the only country to which illegal immigrants seek to immigrate. Mexico, for example, does not tolerate its border violations by Guatemalans. Malaysia recently announced that in the case of repeat offenders, it will flog illegal aliens, their employers, and anyone who smuggles them into the country.So forget the myth! The U.S. should be concerned with improving its own economy and strictly enforcing its immigration laws.

Answer 6

The official definition of poverty developed by the federal government in 1964 considers a person to be in poverty (or poor) if the family in which he resides has pre-tax cash income below an officially determined threshold (based on the size of the family). The poverty threshold is adjusted upward each year based on the annual rate of inflation.
Looking at rates of poverty is very important because it provides a good deal of insight into Mexican immigration’s impact on the United States. Poverty rates have wide-ranging implications not only for the immigrants themselves but for society in general. If Mexican immigrants are finding it difficult to obtain a middle-class income, it implies that a significant proportion of immigrants are unable to succeed in the modern American economy, and it implies significant fiscal costs to the country as well. Persons who live in or near poverty are, by design, eligible for a wide range of means-tested programs. Moreover, because of the progressive nature of payroll and other taxes, those with low incomes pay relatively little in taxes. Finally, by consuming scarce public resources, an increase in the size of the low-income population as a result of immigration may hinder the ability of the nation to help those with low incomes already here.

While this applys to legal immigrants coming from Mexico,it does provide insight into the poverty,and why it affects the United States as a whole.
83% of the worlds countrys have poverty levels lower than Mexicos.

Answer 7

I question your sources.

Also living in poverty in America is different than living in poverty anywhere else in the world. Didn't one comedian joke that America is the only country who's poor are fat.

Thanks, nice chart Maverick, you should have included it to begin with. And great way to lose any credibility you had with that cute insult. I've spent enough time digging out of poverty to know quite well what I am talking about.

Answer 8

There are three ways to tackle this question. I will choose the easiest.

In general, it is the poor that have the most children. Part of the reason, is that it enhances the chance of survival. Since the population of the upper class has been stagnant if not descending, most of the children born will come from the lower classes. Using the simple math equation of average, x / (x + y + ...), it only makes sense that percent is high.

You can solve this problem by asking the upper class to reproduce more often.

Answer 9

No, I don't think it's linked to just illegal immigration since we've always had poor. We have more joining the ranks of the poor for alot of reasons. Job displacement, outsourcing of jobs, medical bills etc.

But I do agree our priorities are screwed up. There's no excuse for anyone to be in abject poverty.

Answer 10

2 words, international economy...........sure Victory is an American business employer, so is Harley Davidson......yet areas on the two motorcycles are synthetic around the area. have been for years. maximum electric powered areas are from Japan, leather-based comes from imperative and South usa, front forks from Japan lower back. its spoke of as Outsourcing. In a nutshell, sure they declare that Victory is a "authentic American motorcycle" what they mean to assert is particularly assembled in usa motorcycle.