Are we sure that half the median is a good definition of “poor”? At least hypothetically, in a very wealthy country, that may still be an adequate amount to get by.
Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
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Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#42Wow, that is one pointedly political article. Bloomberg is now solidly in my 'partisan source' category. (Read the article before downvoting, please. Give it a fair read.)
It seems premature to discount a publication because it once expressed an opinion you disagreed with. If one was a diligent reader then one would quickly conclude that they couldn't trust anyone.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#43Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#44This article is kind of all over the place.
Do note that according to the chart near the bottom, the US actually spends more of it’s GDP on the social safety net than Canada and Australia, two countries perceived as having better social safety nets. It’s probably even higher in the US since Canada and Australia cover 100% of their citizens for healthcare when the US only covers ~60%.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you mean inequality? Poverty has a specific meaning. We define poverty thresholds. Middle class is not in "relative poverty" compared to billioners.
No, I mean relative poverty. Many years ago, I saw a study that indicated that less than 1/2 of 1% of Americans were poor by the standards of India. Even homeless people in the US typically ate better than people classified as poor in India. But we still have homeless people here in the US. They typically have serious personal problems, such as serious medical conditions. Being homeless in the US is a genuine hardshi…
The average social security check is $1461 (https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/ar...). There are plenty of places in small town USA that you can rent for $600-$700 a month and have money left over.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
> limit entrepreneurship with onerous licensing requirements I work for a government agency that provides professional licensing in my state and was shocked the other day to learn that you need a license to operate as a "hair braider". This seemed a bit excessive to me
That license may also require formal schooling in the amounts of many hundreds of hours of instruction as well...
But what it usually requires is an eight hour course in which you're told repeatedly that you need to sterilize combs in a solution that kills lice so you don't spread lice.
Let's not pretend that licencing requirements are always some sinister cartel action to limit the number of nail-painters in a given municipality. Usually they're just a response to some obviously avoidable consequence of a large number of unlicenced practitioners paying little attention to minimal standards.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#47>In Japan, people work hard, few abuse drugs, crime is minimal and single mothers are rare. The country still has lots of poverty.
Conversely, does that mean we can't blame crime, absent fathers, and drug abuse on poverty?
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#48Many conservatives in the U.S. believe that poverty is mainly a result of bad personal decisions.
Is this article arguing that poverty is never a result of bad personal decisions?
If so, I have a few anecdotes that would be contrary to that.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
> limit entrepreneurship with onerous licensing requirements I work for a government agency that provides professional licensing in my state and was shocked the other day to learn that you need a license to operate as a "hair braider". This seemed a bit excessive to me
In some places you need a license to wash hair.
Because without minimal standards for sterilizing tools, hair dressers can spread lice. Basic licencing requirements give the municipality a chance to ensure that everyone washing hair has been told about basic hygienic standards for washing hair.
Re: Stop Blaming America’s Poor for Their Poverty
#50Many conservatives in the U.S. believe that poverty is mainly a result of bad personal decisions. Is this article arguing that poverty is never a result of bad personal decisions? If so, I have a few anecdotes that would be contrary to that.
No, it's not. But no personal decision is made in a void. Locally rational decisions are often inexplicable to people who've never struggled with money.