How come some people think there aren't any poor people in the U.S.?

Question

I keep on seeing posters write that poor Americans have cell phones and cars. I never had a cell phone, computer, or a family car when growing up. Grant it, I wasn't starving to death like the poor in other countries because of food stamps; but my mother struggled to pay the electric bill because she was on SSI and trying to raise two kids. Sometimes the food stamps weren't enough and we got old food with bugs from churches. She wasn't disabled before she had children. For those who think there aren't any poor people in America, I guess you've never seen a family sleeping out in the cold under a bridge. I worked at a transitional housing center that fed the families that lived there because they had absolutely no money for food; and in the 1 year I worked there, over a dozen people got sick from the food that was cooked by the Food Bank. The kitchen and the whole building had literally thousands of roaches and one man had to get surgery because he was bitten by a brown recluse spider.

The homeless shelters are so crowded in San Antonio, people sleep out in front on the sidewalks so that they can feel safe. Many of those people are single parents with their children and veterans who have mental illnesses who the government has failed to take care of. No wonder why 1,000 Vietnam veterans and 5,000 other war veterans commit suicide every year.

My mother became mentally unable to work after having two kids and she was married to our father. My mother and father separated and he hardly paid child support; when he did, it was $19-$50 a month.

rukid, you aren't making any sense; she could afford two kids before she became disabled because she was able to work. she did not become disabled because she gave birth.

People and their stereotypes. My mother got her tubes tied after having her second child. She tried going to beauty school on grants for the disabled; but she got kicked out twice for arguing with other students. She has OCD and bipolar disorder.

Answer 1

People who think that there arent any poor people in the US either live in a different country or have never been outside of their house. Some people try to convince themselves that poor dont exist so they dont feel guilty about not doing something to help. The plight of the homeless is in the news all the time. Until people care about helping others, poverty will continue to exist.

Answer 2

It is a very sad and pathetic situation that the richest country on the planet doesn't have the time and won't spend the resources it has to help those in need. One thing you have to understand is that in a capitalist society as in the US the system doesn't work unless someone gets screwed. See, in order for some people to be at the top there has to be a bottom. I know the fable about the American dream, and how you can live anything you aspire to. This is grossly untrue, as you apparently know without me telling you.

Anyone who thinks there are no poor people in the US needs to get out more because they're obviously watching too much television.

Answer 3

There are millions of economically disadvantaged Americans, many to stubborn/stupid to admit or understand it! Take a look at my last question and see how some of them explain their financial status! The wiser more experienced person can put things in its proper perspective. The one common denominator that we all should be organizing to seize ultimate rule & control "legally" away from congress then turned over to the legal citizen majority is money! Then work on rule & control of/by/for the people in all other rules! First rule we the people say who gets to trickle out the money, not trickle down from those who already have & want make damm sure the majority stays in have-not status!

Answer 4

Americans generally all live in poverty. Some obvious ones have no home. Others have a home and are in mortgage poverty, totally dependent on the two paychecks to keep out of foreclosure. Some have plenty of reserve money, home, country club, etc and could care less about anyone but themselves.. These are the most poverty stricken since they suffer from the poverty of lack of humanity and are certainly more likely to see a camel stroll through the eye of a needle before they will ever see the gates of heaven.

Answer 5

Out of sight, out of mind. Many people don't often see homeless in the US, therefore, they think that homelessness doesn't exist.

We are also a country built on and infatuated with excess, so that is all the world sees--we don't like to advertise the homeless problem so it is not addressed. Sadly, the economic gap is also widening and the middle class is shrinking because of poor distribution on wealth so there are many more families out there that are going without and the government doesn't see it as a problem that is big enough to address.

Answer 6

I don't know. I don't really see them on a regular basis but I have seen them. It is heart breaking. These are people first.
We should not judge them until we know them.
I believe the situation is getting worse. The numbers are increasing.

We really need to look at the world, hard. We need to figure out what is most important to us and what brings happiness.
How are we treating people? It matters. A lot of people complain that people are so rude and quick tempered. Why?
Is that a good way to live? What can we do?

I believe the middle class used to do a lot to help but they can't afford to anymore. I know that I can't and I want. I give as much as I can.

A wise man that I know said, "The haves should help the have nots." He is a devout Catholic. He said this once when we went out to eat and it was a restaurant where you order and then they bring out your order. We weren't sure if you left a tip. He said that and left a generous tip. He was not rich but obviously very thoughtful and generous. His relatives are filthy rich. He was not but they have a lot of respect for him. You think they would have helped him out when he was working to support 10 children? No. They didn't. It's really sad.
He is a really smart guy. So watch your stereotypes. They don't apply to all. He was also almost never home from what I understand because he was working all the time. Their mom was home but how could she work with 10 kids.

Answer 7

I live near Palm Springs, CA and once worked at a homeless shelter. What most people told me when I mentioned what I do was; "There are no homeless here!" Yes. There are. The local laws and ordinances are so draconian that they make themselves scarce. For instance, the local business groups have rules about serving the homeless. Even if a homeless person has money, for instance, a local merchant is discouraged from so much as selling a bottle of water. It's not that they don't exist, but that we are a cruel nation full of fat, content and incurious citizens. "Out of sight, out of mind." We're more concerned with Britney than the White House. The homeless are out there, but they don't fit our model of reality, so we fail to see. Thanks to the fiscal brilliance of the ruling Republicans, that will change as more and more Americans join their ranks.

Answer 8

For the reason that America is the richest nation and most powerful country in the planet, people who had never been in this country has that perception, otherwise, you have to be here so you will know, its in the street, people are begging as homeless. I dont understand why Pres Bush is spending $10billion a month for the Iraq/ Afghan war since alot of his people here is homeless and penniless.

Answer 9

Probably because we like to make it look like we're out to save the world. If a country is rescuing other countries, it would appear that their own country doesn't need the help. Maybe if we spent more time and money on our own problems, the rest of the world would see that we do have serious issues that need to be addressed.

Answer 10

Who is saying that there aren't poor people in the US? I don't have a problem helping someone get back on his or her feet, but I do have a problem with people making the same mistakes time and again. Was your mother married to your father? Does your sibling have the same father as you do? My guess is no and, sadly, had your mother not become disabled by having 2 kids she couldn't afford, there'd probably be quite a few more. I have a problem paying for people because they continue to do the same bad behavior that gets them in a bad situation in the first place. There are ways in this country, unlike many others, that poor people can get an education and jobs afterward that makes them not poor anymore. Why didn't your mother take advantage of such things? Are you?