What is the definition of "POOR" in America?

Poor is when your income won’t meet the needs of your modest lifestyle. By a modest lifestyle I mean clean, safe daycare for you two kids while the parents work; a clean, safe apartment with enough bedrooms for children; a refrigerator with healthy, not meat deficient – high carb food in it; enough clothing to have a change of cloths for everyone for a week; a modest car that is reliable; bus money; money for student lunches; health insurance and regular trips to the doctor. These are the hallmarks of a modest lifestyle.


Poor isn’t not having as much money in a depression as one had during the high life preceding it. Poor isn’t having to move out of your 3,500 sq ft house that you couldn’t afford in the first place to live in a clean, safe apartment. Poor isn’t loosing your BMW and driving a Kia. Poor isn’t foregoing real designer clothes from finer department stores and having to settle for second-rate designer clothes sold at outlets. Poor isn’t cooking at home vs. dining out five nights a week.

There’s a difference between poor and broke. I know which one I’d take.



Don’t the preachers expose from their pulpits that if you are a good person, if you tive (sp), if you follow in the steps of Jesus, you’ll be rewarded with worldly success. In other words if you’re a sinner, your punishment is poverty.



One can qualify for food stamps with a letter from your “employer” that states you make $250 (or whatever figure fits the formula) a week and filling out a government form. As a small business owner, I’ve filled out plenty of those forms. Funny thing is, the employee really makes $500 per week in cash. Odd hugh? Maybe that family really isn’t living in the poverty that the statistic alone seems to support. Illegal immigrants, who are at an all time high, make up a huge portion of those on food stamps. Statistics can be misleading.



And I can’t wait till the election rhetoric really kicks up and the true unemployment figures like you point out here gets pointed out.

Unless we can keep our jobs from being shipped overseas for a few pennies more, a lot more of us will slip into poverty before it’s all over. Many, many of the jobs lost just won’t be coming back because they are in China, Vietman or some other new horizon third world country. Originally Posted by OliviaHoward

thanks Olivia..love to have the womens pov..I think it doesnt so much take a preacher with me. Have a gut, alittle voice and a conscience. when I tend to follow them, things seem to go a whole lot smoother than when I contradict them..Money to me has had an adverse affect inmost situations because I abused the gift of my talents and thought there would be no end cause I would always be able to control my destiny.That is not true...what goes up, does come down, and thankfully, i needed that lesson.Your insights about the illegals are true, there is plenty enough money to go around, theres just all corruption on both sides, their all in on it togethor.

?How can you throw out a blanket statement about people having a "head start" you have no clue of how I was raised and under what economic situation as well as any others here. Originally Posted by JONBALLS

OK...tell us. Were you raised in the slums? Did you know your father? Was your mother a druggie? Did anyone help pay for your college? Tell us a bit about yourself.

Fuc me running....this shit is like porn, I might not be able to describe it but I sure the fuc know it when I see it. I was under the assumption that we all had that base-line bit of common sense.

Do we not even know who the fuc is poor now days!

DOOVE, MARSHALL, WTF.. you guys rock the back and forth,,priceless..

OK...tell us. Were you raised in the slums? Did you know your father? Was your mother a druggie? Did anyone help pay for your college? Tell us a bit about yourself.

Fuc me running....this shit is like porn, I might not be able to describe it but I sure the fuc know it when I see it. I was under the assumption that we all had that base-line bit of common sense.

Do we know not even know who the fuc is poor! Originally Posted by WTF

Im sure as hell not going to bore people with my life story.. but DOOVE has witnessed me from the begining and sure can vouche that something is just not right with me.I do know i have formed the views I have because I know where I came.I am a landlord with properties that range from the poorest parts of the city to the burbs..I know the system...do YOU?..... REALLY??Theres PPUUUHHHHLLLENNNNNT TEE!! of MONEY spread everywhere..I wasnt asking ME!! to be specific, I already KNOW AND LIVE the deal.. Want to know if YOU can get specific..or just keep saying "the poor" as some talking point..No college for me, was on my own at 18, get out the house or pay rent, figured if I was going to pay rent it would go to my own place, seemed like the common sense thing to do. I will say, thank GOD, my parents made it difficult for me to want to stay home for which I owe them my life..

If admission to the restaurant was purely random or dictated by an external force (e.g., government), you would have little motivation to stand in line. Originally Posted by pjorourke

So you're admitting that random or external forces being a determinant factor in someone's potential success can inhibit motivation?

Now that i think about it WTF, maybe his point wasn't so ridiculous after all.

If a parent can't raise a child properly, that child needs to be taken out of that home....... Originally Posted by Marshall

Hell, we can't even figure out a working definition for "poor". How the hell are we going to figure out a working definition for "adequate parenting"?

I don't think there is a way to have a mutual agreement on what constitutes one as poor, as we all have different views of what being "poor" entails...

Plus we all like to argue here in this forum

I don't think there is a way to have a mutual agreement on what constitutes one as poor, as we all have different views of what being "poor" entails...

Plus we all like to argue here in this forum Originally Posted by Valerie

Exactly,the polititians thrive on this division..I mean cmon, specifics can have any problem solved, no one wants to solve it or maybe its not meant to be.Now to go totally off topic right to the shallow.... Valerie!! I think I LOVE YOU!! or a huge crush anyways..

Hell, we can't even figure out a working definition for "poor". How the hell are we going to figure out a working definition for "adequate parenting"? Originally Posted by Doove

Lets just keep bitching back and forth, thats ALWAYS FUN!!LOL!!lAnd were even taking advantage of the POOR to use it as an excuse to BITCH AT EACH OTHER!! Damn!! they always get used!!

I don't think there is a way to have a mutual agreement on what constitutes one as poor, as we all have different views of what being "poor" entails...

Plus we all like to argue here in this forum Originally Posted by Valerie

Hey Val, it isn't hard figuring out what constitutes one as poor , it is about as hard as figuring out the ignorant on any one subject. Some will freely admit to being so (which is refreshing honesty and a sign one is not ignorant in the way of life) and some prove their ignorance on a certain subject every time they open their mouth.

A poor person has no money, has no marketable skills and has no ability to learn any, furthermore they will live in a place where nobody gives a fuc about them or the country is so poor that nobody can do anything for them.

Our country is not poor, so what we have is a shit load of folks that do not give a fuc about the poor. Those people are ignorant about the poor and think they are poor because they are lazy or want to be poor. These people with so much contempt for the poor have no concept of the phrase "But for the grace of God , go I."

Hell, we can't even figure out a working definition for "poor". How the hell are we going to figure out a working definition for "adequate parenting"? Originally Posted by Doove

+1

Hey Val, it isn't hard figuring out what constitutes one as poor , it is about as hard as figuring out the ignorant on any one subject. Some will freely admit to being so (which is refreshing honesty and a sign one is not ignorant in the way of life) and some prove their ignorance on a certain subject every time they open their mouth.

A poor person has no money, has no marketable skills and has no ability to learn any, furthermore they will live in a place where nobody gives a fuc about them or the country is so poor that nobody can do anything for them.

Our country is not poor, so what we have is a shit load of folks that do not give a fuc about the poor. Those people are ignorant about the poor and think they are poor because they are lazy or want to be poor. These people with so much contempt for the poor have no concept of the phrase "But for the grace of God , go I." Originally Posted by WTF

Still waiting to hear your plan... hopefully, something a little more inspirational, educational / vocational than simply redistributing the wealth that the greedy rich have "taken" from the poor!

"Earn" - v. To acquire or deserve as a result of effort or action

Perhaps, it's time to turn this discussion toward :
What is the definition of "RICH" in America?

You must need my attention because you intentionally mistate the conservative position.....the issue is: WHO should do charity for the poor, government or private individuals and organizations.......conservati ve people put their money where their mouth is and actually help the truly poor, liberals don't.....liberals are happy to give other people's money to the poor and faux-poor and feel sactimonious about their faux-goodness...... Originally Posted by Marshall

See Val....a perfect example!

Does "RICH " inherently, equal "GREEDY " ?

How many here, believe that?

No, according to the liberals, rich and conservative = greedy.

A poor person has no money, has no marketable skills and has no ability to learn any, furthermore they will live in a place where nobody gives a fuc about them or the country is so poor that nobody can do anything for them. [/SIZE] Originally Posted by WTF;1405130

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this is inaccurate, As per DOOVE, "anyone that qualifies will recieve help"..(as per a discussion he was having one time with LYNN PL, errrrr LYNN T)this should be a point where even he would agree but will not speak for him just observing.People pay taxs and I know I dont mind and have always TRUSTED that my tax dollars werent being squandered as to put the whole system in jeopardy. If the current system breaks down, the "POORS" situation is going to significally go south in a hurry.Its not about compassion, its about the MATH..collapsing the system is hardly compassion and dont tell me how I feel about someone, you have no clue.