Where is the proof that the poor are getting poorer?

Question

Everyone says "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Most of the rich are getting richer. There are many exceptions (Michael Jackson, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, etc).

However I think by in large the poor are getting richer. Now many of the "poor" work 40 hours (or less) per week, are over weight, own cars, cell phones, tv's, and cable subscriptions.

Now If Bill Gates' net worth doubles, the gap between the rich and the poor has just doubled, however this does not make the poor and more poor.

So, where is the evidence that the majority of the poor are getting poorer???

I know that there are many instances of individual poor people getting poorer. I might point out that those claiming to be poor here have an internet connection and a computer. Again, would you rather be poor today or 100 years ago?

As for the Elderly, many receive health care even though they are poor. Again, a sign of a "wealthier" poor class than ever.

"The basics" have become less and less expensive. 100 years ago the average family spent about half their income on food. Now we spend MUCH less than that AND we eat out more and eat more extravagant food.

I'm not saying that it's easy, but what I want is evidence that poor people today are "poorer" than the poor people 100 years ago.

As for "I have every right to have a tv & cable and a car".....where did that right come from? If you have cable TV and a car are you really poor? If you have those things you're probably not going hungry like people 100 years ago

so how are the poor today poorer than those 100 yrs ago?

Answer 1

They aren't. Wage increases do not reflect benefits and paid vacation which have both significantly increased. People in this country are getting richer, including the poor. The thing is there is so much more junk out there for us to buy we all need more money to consume more. We feel poor if we cannot buy that new car every year. Like the song says "O Lord won't you please buy me a Mercedes Benz?"

It also gives people something to complain about. People need crusades whether real or imagined and poverty is the American crusade. They have to adjust and raise the standards of US poverty to have the tenth lowest poverty rate in the world. Adjusted to international standards our poverty rate drops to the point that we have twice as low of a percentage as the next leading country.

What we consider poor the rest of the world considers middle class. In most countries a TV is a luxury, much less cable. And a car is considered wealthy. In America a car is considered a right.

Answer 2

The evidence is the system itself. I'm sure you've heard the phrase "the system keeps you down"......yes? When you're in the system, it's difficult to get out because it's set up so you can just barely afford to survive. Over weight....have you noticed that the cheaper foods are the processed ones that are buy one get one free? It allows you to buy more, but your body processes it faster and makes you hungry sooner, which also makes you fatter and ones health declines (lack of nutrients, clogged arteries, diabetes) therefore increasing medical bills and medication costs. Poor folks tend to be on Medicare, which by the way, Medicare does not allow one to have more than $2000 in the bank and you can not own a car worth more than $4000. To move out of the projects, well...it costs more than $2000 for moving fees (first and last months rent, movers, etc.)....

Please take the time to learn just some of the facts before you make judgmental statements as if to say....how dare those poor people have a tv & cable, a car, and be overweight. I can tell it is a struggle you haven't had to encounter. I have every right to have a tv & cable and a car. I've worked hard for them and it took time to save up for them. Cable is my ONLY luxury item and I do not get reception without it. I can promise you IT IS NO FUN BEING POOR, there is a great deal of stress that comes along with it and you have been mislead to think otherwise.

It doesn't sound like you've given your question much thought. Figure out how much a person where you live makes at minimum wage 40/wk and look in your newspaper to see what types of rentals you could afford. Then go there to see if you would actually live there. Then try to find a babysitter that would be willing to accept next to nothing, one that you'd feel safe leaving the kids with. Then include the elderly parent that you'd have to take care of too. You'd also have to consider the possibility that you may become sick one day, such as cancer, and figure out how would you support your family when your sick and unable to work? I think you'd be in debt the first month.

Answer 3

All the young working class people I know both legal and illegal who no longer can afford because of inflation and wages not keeping up to buy a house to live in or rent property alone. All the young people I know single or with children are living with other people so they can meet bills in substandard housing while welfare recipients who may have multiple drug felonies get free housing and food.
When I was a little girl about 35 years ago my single mother had her own car, her own house with 4 bedrooms in a big city on a two dollar an hour job. It was not the nicest house but it was not an overprice slum house like the couples and single moms I know all over who are working class are living hin while those riding the welfare gravy train get nice housing and often work under the table, have a boyfriend to help ends meet or family to do so, use all the charities they can as they have time to do so, or prostitute or do drugs. I have known these people also so I am not being prejudiced. Yes there are some who actually need the help but alot just work the system like the rich girl I knew long ago from a rich family who had me living with her for free to watch her kids and made me pay her to stay with her too boot.

Answer 4

You would have to live the life of a poor person to see it.
People who are comfortable financially believe that everyone lives as they do. It's easier for them to be in denial.
I live in a community where the Individual Median Income is $13,000. and $39,000 for a family of four.
Could you live on about $1000. per month and provide food, fuel, shelter, clothing, heating,medication, and transportation for yourself?
Most of the people here do not accept Food Stamps, etc., out of pride, even though they could qualify. The poor that I see do not have designer tennies or cell phones. I work in a soup kitchen and it hurts to see people who have not had a meal since the last time we were open.
I recommend that you get out and meet the poor before you judge them.
And maybe not base your economic assumptions on Celebs.
Thumbs Up 10X to Dslant6!
Good luck.

Answer 5

By 'poor' it is meant a single income earner making less than 15k, for married working poor I believe it's 28K, in Canada anyway.

If you look at job losses , especially in the manufacturing industry, market basket comparisons how far a dollar or in our case , a looney, really goes, you'll find that incomes really haven't improved since the late 80s for the average income earner .

Inflation plays a part in determining poverty, cost of living .

You're in an enconomic class, did you just start it?

Comparing rich celebrities to the working poor is like comparing apples to oranges, there is no comparison.

But it does sound to me like GOP spin, rather than sound economics teaching.

Answer 6

Statistically, the poor are just taking hand-me downs provided by technology. Obesity is not evidence of wealth(eating healthy actually costs more than eating improperly)..nor is owning a car, nor is cable or t.v.'s. Your question is a bit on the concieted side...but it's excusable. Many "poor" people have just made simple mistakes while climbing the ladder to prosperity. There are those in this world who thrive on stepping on the hands of those who are merely trying to climb to a comfortable rung. Class dismissed. Look around, don't be oblivious to those who struggle..they are your proof.

Answer 7

If your really interested...the US census bureau tracks multiple income categories and has for many decades. www.census.gov.

For example in 2005 9.9 of every 1000 families was considered poor...and in 1985 11.4 of every 1000 familes was considered poor.

So the question would be... Of those 11.4 in 1985, how many of those were also part of the 9.9 in 2005? That would be your truly poor right?

Thomas Sowell is one of the most respected contemporary authors on this subject.

Answer 8

They aren't getting poorer...they just whine more & they think they are entitled to enjy all the things people have who have actually earned those things. Besides, the vast majority of people who are poor brought it on themselves, so they also have the power to fix it. DH & I were dirt poor (I mean Ramen noodle poor) in college b/c we were trying to hurry & finish & our parents has no provision for helping us. We aren't poor now, though, because we actually graduated, didn't reporduce irresponsibly & have lived on less than we earn so we can pay off debts from school, etc. On the other hand, my sis who (@ 29) still lives at home, works part-time, got half a degree & won't even get as good a job as she could b/c she'd have to work more, is on welfare & got knocked up by the gardener. She will always be poor b/c she does dumb things like buy a brand new car on credit instead of saving for retirement or her kid's college. She says its her kid, so mind my business. I say, "Then why am I (& every other taxpayer) supporting it?! My inlaws are dirt poor, too, b/c they spend $150 for the premium freaking digital cable tv w/ channels in 6 languages they don't even speak. Meanwhile they p*** & moan about how they can't save for retirement & they "deserve" cable b/c one of them actually works full-time. I know, your heart is breaking for them, huh? Sorry, I don't begrudge Bill Gates or anyone else their earned or inherited money (someone earned that, too). I remember PCs before Windows...he deserves every nickel he has. Anyway, I strongly believe that unless you are so mentally challenged that you cannot learn at all, you have every opportunity in this country to become stinking rich...why do you think people are trying to come here? (It ain't for the brilliant political oratory.) So many 1st generation (legal)immigrants succeed here, that it is pathetic that more native-born people do not. The difference, in my opinion, is that the immigrants appreciate the opportunity to even earn theirs, so they don't waste time whining about what others have.

Answer 9

I'm living proof right here! I work way more than 40 hrs. don't have cable the others do apply. I'm going in the hole! I'm cancelling stuff cause I can't afford it any more. No cost of living pay increases in years! Everything from electricity bills to gasoline have almost doubled. Thats a fact!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

If the internet were a safe place to share bank info.....I would send you my wage stubs and a copy of my bank balance.
I have the very basics in life....I have food ...my children are well cared for....if an emergency (loss of job-radical expense) I would be able to make it in my place for one more month. I have no room for error when it comes to money.
I don't get my hair done, nor my nails. I do not go out buying new clothes...I drive an older vehicle.....I simply get by.