Statistics about Poverty in America

We should always try and help others. The following is not meant to discourage or belittle the plight of those in this country that struggle to make ends meet or keep a roof over their heads. It's just intended to put some perspective.

The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau,
taken from a variety of government reports:

46 percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

Only six percent of poor households are overcrowded; two thirds have more than two rooms per person.

The typical poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

Nearly three quarters of poor households own a car;

31 percent own two or more cars.

97 percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.

78 percent have a VCR or DVD player.

62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

89 percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.

I remember when my Dad came home from a trip to South America. He said American's just don't get it. There aren't any "poor" people here. In South America, sewage runs down the streets and people live right on top of it, in shacks.

But the above are just statistics. And how do those statistics compare with these:

Nearly 13 million American children live in families with incomes below the
federal poverty level, which is $20,000 a year for a family of four. The number
of children living in poverty increased by more than 11 percent between 2000 and
2005. There are 1.3 million more children living in poverty today than in 2000,
despite indications of economic recovery and growth.

What does it mean?

In Rector's article at National Review (admittedly a conservative publication) he talks about how the amount of work done and single parenting is the cause for a lot of the poverty experienced in this country.

Though by the study the census bureau did, what does poverty in this country mean? Those surveyed said they had food to eat and recieved medical care. That isn't true for everyone. And I wonder if they interviewed poor families / people that were heavily effected by drugs?

Anyway - Rector says this:

As noted above, father absence is another major cause of child poverty. Nearly two thirds of poor children reside in single-parent homes; each year, an additional 1.5 million children are born out of wedlock. If poor mothers married the fathers of their children, nearly three quarters of the nation’s impoverished youth would immediately be lifted out of poverty.

Yet, although work and marriage are reliable ladders out of poverty, the welfare system perversely remains hostile to both. Major programs such as food stamps, public housing, and Medicaid continue to reward idleness and penalize marriage. If welfare could be turned around to encourage work and marriage, the nation’s remaining poverty could be reduced.

It got me to thinking ...