Who is in poverty?

[redfox]

One man's story...


http://www.opednews.com/articles/No-Road-Back-by-David-Glenn-Cox-120702-236.html

[Gardenarian]

From the article: "Ten million home foreclosures which really didn't happen either, twenty million permanently unemployed and under employed who really don't exist."

I think that it is interesting that in the Great Depression everyone seemed cognizant of what was going on; people didn't just go on pretending that everything was fine. My impression, from this point in time, is that people helped each other out more. There was also less shame in poverty. My mom told me that they always set an extra place at the table in case there was someone who needed dinner - and often there was. I don't know anyone setting that extra place now.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I saw a home foreclosure yesterday while taking a walk. A condo going for 700k with a 200 something dollar monthly HOA fee on top of your 700k mortgage (wonder what the monthly nut is on a 700k mortgage? Well add some $200 to it as well). You have to contact the foreclosure real-estate agent to bid. I see this stuff and what am I supposed to think, people took out 700k mortgages with 200 something HOA fees on top and couldn't pay them (the mortgage they took out could have been much more of course - easily 200k more if taken out at the bubble - approaching a million).

[Tiam]

From the article: "Ten million home foreclosures which really didn't happen either, twenty million permanently unemployed and under employed who really don't exist."

I think that it is interesting that in the Great Depression everyone seemed cognizant of what was going on; people didn't just go on pretending that everything was fine. My impression, from this point in time, is that people helped each other out more. There was also less shame in poverty. My mom told me that they always set an extra place at the table in case there was someone who needed dinner - and often there was. I don't know anyone setting that extra place now.


It does seem that there really wasn't such a negative stigma to poverty in the past. As long as you worked hard, there was still honor. It doesn't feel that way now.

[SteveinMN]

Lyndon Johnson was quoted as saying, "When I was young, poverty was so common that we didn't know it had a name."

Like others here, I sense a different attitude toward the poor. My take on it is that, for the last 30 years, the poor have been demonized. Tales of Cadillac-driving "welfare queens" and union featherbedding persisted beyond any basis in reality. Decades of chipping away at government budgets have hit hardest those who are least influential and least able to articulate their place in society. As a result, an "I got mine; don't take it away from me" frame of mind has set in and even those who are a paycheck away from poverty themselves have sided with the well-to-do against the poor.

Certainly there are some other elements to the situation -- a general devaluation of education as a key to the future, a seeming willingness to swing for the fences rather than hit singles, high degrees of exceptionalism at all levels of society ... I find it all rather sad -- an ignominious end to the American Experiment.

[puglogic]

It doesn't to me either, Tiam. Even the most recent headlines -- like the mess over healthcare -- underscores the derision some of the "haves" seem to feel for the "have nots" (though they'd never admit it about themselves), as though the folks who work long hours at low-wage jobs (and still have neither income or insurance to pay for escalating healthcare costs) are some breed of lazy parasite. Easier to just paint them all with a broad brush. I find it all sad too.

[JaneV2.0]

"...an ignominious end to the American Experiment."

It seems we really want a royal ruling class, after all.

[Jemima]

"...an ignominious end to the American Experiment."

It seems we really want a royal ruling class, after all.

AHEM. I think we already have that. It's called "Congress".

[Alan]

AHEM. I think we already have that. It's called "Congress".

That's what I was thinking as well. As we celebrate our Independence Day on Wednesday, it might be helpful to remember what we were declaring independence from, and ponder why we are now substituting an all powerful state for the previous all powerful monarchy, putting us squarely back where we started.

[Jemima]

I'm ashamed to report that Pennsylvania just completely cut General Assistance (state welfare for adults without children), which was only $250 a month as it was. All the while our governor was mouthing concern for those who "really need assistance". While I applaud his determination to bring the state budget back to reality, I'm not at all pleased that he's doing it on the backs of the truly poor.

Now all of these poor people have nowhere to turn except, perhaps, to prove themselves disabled and get Supplemental Security Income. Just watch. The crime rate is going to go sky-high.

[JaneV2.0]

"...an ignominious end to the American Experiment."

It seems we really want a royal ruling class, after all.

You could certainly make the argument that Corporations + Citizens United + Congress = Monarchy.

[redfox]

That's what I was thinking as well. As we celebrate our Independence Day on Wednesday, it might be helpful to remember what we were declaring independence from, and ponder why we are now substituting an all powerful state for the previous all powerful monarchy, putting us squarely back where we started.

Word. And... Substituting rule by corporations is worse, imho.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Congress actually seems to have lost a lot of power to the all powerful executive these days. It's not how it was supposed to work and it's not generally a good thing either (it is good if you believe your dictators are benevolent). Even if congress is pretty scummy, it makes power even more endlessly remote.


You could certainly make the argument that Corporations + Citizens United + Congress = Monarchy.

huge corporations, congress and the presidency, money back and forth (subsidies and lobbying), and people back and forth as well, you could make a case for a ruling elite and the structure of the world we live in, in fact it's hard not to to some extent. The only real question is to what extent one takes it (from mere presence of corruption and alignment of interests to totalistic conspiracy).