Does anyone know about politics or about poverty statistics?

Question

Whats the percentage of the United States official poverty rate in 2004 compared to 2003 and what was the major contributory factor to the disparity?

Answer 1

One thing you have to be careful about using the official poverty statistics is that is encapsulates people who only fit in it temporarely. It is based on annual income not actuall standard of living. For instance, I just entered the job market after graduating from college and thus I only worked part of the year. My annual income is about 12,000 dollars then. Even though I am living a lifestyle greater then that, I would offically fall into the pverty statistics if i were part of the survey.

As the economy has become more dynamic and people change jobs a lot more often then they used to, many more people fit into this category that realy are not poor.

If you cross refernce the poverty numbers with the bureau of labor statistics survey of consumer expendatures, http://www.bls.gov/cex/#overview ,you will see what I mean.

So for instance, the bottom 20% of income earners, those that would be found to be in or near poverty according to the offical poverty statistics, earned on average last year $9,676 per houshold. However, that same 20% also spent on average $19,120 that year. How is that possible? I know we all have credit card debt, but you cant borrow over twice your income for long. So what is happening is that peole who are really not poor are included. They just may have lost there job temporarily, retired early, just enetered the work force, was out on diasbility or so on.

Another way to look at it, is the breakdown in the censu bureau american housing survey where the percentage of ownership of various items are calucalated base on income. It shows for instance that of the people who fit under the pverty line in the offical statistics, 43% own their own home, 80% have air conditioning, 30% have at least two cars, and so on. You can look at the summary at the current link where there is a graph, or you can go to the link sited ont he graph for the official statistics.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/images/b2064_chart1-lg.gif


Another problem with the poverty statistics, is that it is based on income before transfer payments and social programs. So a lot of peoples actual income is higher then reported. And people on the richer end of the census survey really dont get to keep that much, because they pay high taxes.

There is a growing school of thought that the gopvernment needs to change the way in which it measures poverty, and that it should be based on consumption, which is a real measure of your standard of living, instead of income.

The link has a lengthier article explaining what I posted.

Answer 2

Who ever wrote it particularly is in order that pitifully incorrect that in the event that they knowingly write that form of element they are morally sinning. human beings have nutrition stamps and nevertheless bypass hungry, Mac and cheese is the two inexpensive and filling, and intensely extreme in fat and energy, Franks are inexpensive and extreme in fat. are you commencing to understand why filling ingredients extreme in fat that are inexpensive bring about obese? With a pound of fish going for seven funds what do you think of they are going to purchase? they in some circumstances won't have the capacity to pay the electrical powered energy and the only way they get air con is that in the event that they are interior the well being facility with bronchial asthma. Televisions are given to them via different kinfolk, or picked off up the streets, alongside with workout kit they are ignored in backyard revenues at very low or unfastened expenditures. You and that moron who wrote that could desire to perform a little functional artwork, get out and bypass right into a welfare workplace, I spent an afternoon in one, merely observing and listening, its no longer some day on the park, those are desperate, frequently marginally sensible human beings, see the place they actually stay, and then throw out the clothing you wore, they could have bedbugs. undesirable remains undesirable, nevertheless painful, nevertheless a life-time of no longer having the failings dangled in front of you, i individually merely desire the variety of element could end, the assumption of a cushty undesirable, being optimal to creating adequate funds to make a distinction on your existence is something in basic terms somebody too some distance long previous could think of of instead. section 8 isn't relaxing, mac and cheese 5 nights a week isn't relaxing, no funds for journeys, admissions, the accepted trappings of existence are not relaxing, its problem-unfastened, its difficult, its unhappy, overwhelmingly unhappy.

Answer 3

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/005647.html