Are there two Americas?

Question

There is a constant discussion on this board about doing something to help the poor and homeless in America. They talk about the growing number of poor people.
This has me baffled. I am not a spring chicken. I know lots of people and come in contact with lots of people. I travel all over America on the highways for my job. I am at a loss as to where all these growing numbers of poor people are.
I am pretty much a working man from a family of working people. Yet, I don't know nor know of a single poor person. I know lots of people who are tightening their belts but no poor people.
My only conclusion is that there must be two Americas.
Do those people who keep referring the growing number of poor people actually see this growing hoard? Or are they just repeating political rhetoric?

LA and Vagas have always been the mecca for the homeless. These people, however, are homeless by choice and nomadic. During the winter months you will find them all along I 10 from Fla to Ca. This has not changed for the 5 decades I recall.
Inner cities are home to the domesticated poor. These again are the people who live by choice on the handouts of the government welfare dole. They are domesticated humans. Like any wild animal that starts getting fed by humans, they lose their ability to forage on their own. They also turn to the underworld economy to get unreported cash to supplement their dole money. Usually, this is som sort of criminal activity.
Just like the wild beast that get accustom to humans as the food source, they will consume the very hands that fed them when that food stops.

Answer 1

Same here. And I live in the deep south where we're all considered as being 'poor trailer trash'.

Answer 2

First, there is a difference between being poor and being homeless. Homeless is practically the poorest you can get, while another person might be poor but isn't homeless. Second, there are two Americas, which is why America is so divided since 9/11. Also, the class system creates two Americas, would be three if the middle class wasn't becoming obsolete.

Usually when things start costing more, people don't shift from the middle class to upper class unless they have won the lottery.

Answer 3

I have lived the past few years on an Indian Reservation. There are people here without electricity, one can of food per meal. They ain't starving, but they are poor. Some have no shelter and the tribe rarely sets one up. So some have to deal with the weather. Many of the elderly have scratches on their pupils from years of sandstorms without protection. A major problem to helping these people is you would have to go through the tribal government, which is more of a hiderance than a help.

Compare that to where I grew up in NYC and have lived in other urban areas, the poor there had no idea what real poverty is. This is the part of the US that is third world.

Answer 4

Well I don't where you live and am not asking but maybe you live in a small town. I have lived in L.A. and Chicago, Las Vegas, and spent significant amounts of time on the east coast. I can tell you without a doubt that the poor and homeless exists in uncountable numbers. People sleeping under bridges, begging for change, or selling flowers or fruit near the freeway exit ramps are all part of things I see daily. Where do these things not exist? I have been no where in America (and I travel extensively and make a good living) where I have not seen these things. And I am not talking illegals or immigrants either. I am talking about people who are easily identifiable by race to be American. So if you live somewhere where these things do not exist then consider yourself lucky.

Answer 5

I have seen people who claim to be poor...I had one try to borrow some money from me to pay the cable bill so it wouldn't get shut off...There are poorer but not truly poor..

With all the programs that are out there to give food and housing, there is no such thing as a truly poor American...you want to see poor, watch the discovery channel and look at the Mother of 8 children who lost her husband to some dictator or opposing tribe, living in a mud hut and trying desperately to build a mud wall around it to afford just a little security. She is poor...the Poor American lives like a KING in comparison. The American has choices, that woman has none...

Answer 6

There are actually three americas. one where people take care of their spending and work hard, one that does one of those two and one that does neither. ITS CALLED HUMANS. NO matter how hard you try people are not equal. you can give 1000 people a million dollars and some will make it grow some will stay static and some will blow it all. thats the way it is. If the economy is prosperous the ones that do the right things will excell and the ones that dont wont. Class warfare will get you votes but it wont change human nature.

Answer 7

Yes. North America and South America... they are both contents!!! Just Kidding (well not really) but I was just being a smart a s s...

I know what you mean, I come from a poverty stricken area compared to other counties that surround it. But I can't say that I see people walking the streets starving and begging for food. There are times that people do need to budget and tighten their belts like you said, but Americans aren't really what you can consider "Poor" overall. I understand there are people who have absolutely nothing and live on the streets, but Not like those in other countries.. Our poor have as much as some countries middle class. Good point.

Answer 8

Yes there is a myriad of poor people in America. However, who they are probably depends on ones definition of poor. There are myriads of homeless people in this nation too.

As for the poor, there are those who are on public assistance as a means of thier only support, and there are working people with salaries that come in on or below the poverty line. There are also tons of hard working people who recieve some form of public assistance (including some military) who barely make enough to get by. Of course if this nation had a living wage and not a minimum wage some of these problems could be elimintated.

There are definately two Americas. There are the elites who run the country, control a majority of the wealth and power, and there id everyone else.

As for homelessness, this is a problem, particularly in large cities such as NY, LA and so on; however, there are homless people in small towns too(mine). Sadly, they are everywhere, you just have to look for them.

Answer 9

I think that there is a "growing horde" of people who used to have middle class jobs in industries such as textiles in the Carolinas, pulp and paper manufacturing in upstate NY, steel in Pennsylvania, family farmers in the midwest and around this country who no longer have jobs. Most of them find work where they can in lower paying jobs, and have to struggle with a 70 hours a week in 2 or 3 or 4 jobs. Some of them never recover and look for anything for 18-24 weeks and then are removed from the unemployment rolls.There is no health care fora lot of them because employers only hire part time employees. Some of them lost their homes as well as their livelihoods. I have met couples with children in Fredericksburg, VA (stationed near there in 1989)where they have children and were living on the street, employed. It is a national disgrace, my friend. I am a veteran and a retired professional from the health care industry. Globalization and a free exit pass from the national government for US companies to close plants and move overseas has ruined this country for the every day joe who isn't a candidate for college and just wants to work and provide for his family. There are many sad stories my friend. Of course, you won't see them on Fox news or in the suburbs. If you cannot see poor people, you just aren't lloking, reading, paying attention.

Answer 10

Yes there are. This is coming from a conservative.

There are people like myself who believe that I have all the opportunity that I know what to do with. It is my choice what I do with it.

Then there are those who sit around and wait for good things to happen. They complain that their job sucks, yet they do nothing. They are broke, yet own a big screen tv and play the lotto. They want the government to do everything for them: educate their kids, provide retirement, health care, etc.

A lot of the poverty comes from liberal and Democrat run areas: poor Southern towns and major cities. Look at what happened with Katrina. The New Orleans folks sat there and waited for someone else to deal with their problems. Did you hear anything out of any of the other states? NOPE. LA's idiot Democrat governor Blanco blamed everyone but her incompetent self. Mayor Nagin is another hack who blamed the president for not helping, yet it is against the law for him to send in help unless the governor asks.

This poverty mentality has destroyed the black community in inner cities. Too many have become reliant on government and not self.

Answer 11

There are three Americas,look at a globe or world map. The US is divided though,by class and politics. The class part is hard to change,the division over petty things like politics needs to change,neither party is for the people anymore.