Why is the national poverty level guidelines lower than what it actually costs to afford the basics?

Question

ccording to the 2006 poverty lines, I am considered above them. I am a single person who made 10,600 last year (2,200) of that was from a lump sum pension and not something I will get again, so really I only made 8,400. If you take the national level of 9,800 or so , if you make over that you are not considered in poverty although no one can live reasonably on 9,800, especially after taxes as almost 800 would be taken out in social security alone and then you have income taxes. How can any afford rent, electric, telephone, transportation, food, health care, and laundry and emergencies on that amount? Even if you made 900 a month, after taxes you would probably have 750 and after rent (no less than 450 most likely for the cheapest place, you don't have alot left for everything else, not exactly luxury living.

Answer 1

I completely agree with you on this. I don't think anyone can live on $10,000 per year, or even $15,000. Rents up here average almost $1000 per month for an apartment. The reason for this is, that the conservatives utterly hate the idea of any kind of financial support to low-income citizens (but they love the idea of giving money or tax breaks to the very wealthy) so they want to keep that expense as low as possible by setting the poverty guidelines low and refusing to raise them to keep pace with the times.

Answer 2

Because the government feeds us delusional information! How about getting sick after 40 yrs. work and tax and Soc.Sectax paid in and the Dr. says you need a lung tsp. get on Disab. So you apply and while you wait to qualify you get SSI supplement of $400. and medicaide and food stamps, then when you qualify and get the Disability after 6 mo. waiting, you then lose the supplement payment and when you do you lose the State help of medical assistance (medicaid) and your food stamps reduce by 35percent. So yippy you get disability but your oxygen and meds and Dr. visits tests are over 600 a month and your rent is 500 and you receive 920. Now thats nuts! Who are these morons we have in office? National poverty level is so out of sink it's ridiculous! And Las Vegas is now counting the homeless "to help them" although just last month the Mayor banned them from parks and band anyone from feeding them! You got a ticket! Tourists don't like to see the bald truth in front of them while their out to have a good time! So Vegas see's homeless as "bad for buisness". Funny isn't it that now all last week the city had volunteers out at 2 in the morning taking a homeless census. You think the money the city will get, grants, from the fed. will actually go to house or help homeless? See, it's the same story different players is all, follow the money Honey it all goes to the suits! Government appointed officials and trickels down to their henchmen. The amount of money payed out by the Feds. versus the money that reaches the people in need is way out of kilter! Same with the prisons, Wardens have a couple bus's of inmates moved from one prison to the other, then they put in for Fed. funds to hire more guards or build new units for the increased population, they receive the funds apply it where they please-vacation, raise etc. ship the busloads back to another prison and they do the same, it's all numbers so just follow the money and it will answer your questions when it comes to disparity in Government poverty guidelings, housing, medical, anything of the "System". It's corrupt as h*ll but at least we have something and if you try hard you can navigate the course and manage to aquire some of the pie; seeing's as how your hard earned lifetime of labor paying into the tax base afforded it!!

Answer 3

I like balanced budgets and little debt. I don't think Big Brother government with unions and high taxes are a great idea. I might support higher minimum wages and programs to assist single mothers, the elderly, the mentally ill and the disabled, but it was never my idea for a pothead to sit on welfare watching t.v. all day, listening to gangster rap, selling hash, bumming stuff off his friends and the system, taking short-term jobs under the table and not declaring them.

Answer 4

You can't but you could ask for some of that 500 billion back they spent on the war to help a fellow american out before we take care of the rest of the world.