To answer the OP's post:
A report from the Heritage Foundation
http://www.heritage.org/research/rep...rty-in-america
"*The typical American defined as “poor” by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a micro wave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family is not hungry and he had sufficent funds in the past year to meet his family’s essential needs. While this individual’s life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, liberal activists, and politicians.
The main causes of child poverty in the United States are low levels of parental work, high numbers of single-parent families, and low skill levels of incoming immigrants. By increasing work and marriage, reducing illegal immigration, and by improving the skill level of future legal immigrants, our nation can, over time, virtually eliminate remaining child poverty."
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However, the report fails to explain the massive amounts of debt owed from leased cars, rent to own stuff (furniture, electronics appliances, etc.), and rental/mortgage housing costs. They are renting these things until they can no longer afford the payments.