U.S. poverty totals hit a 50-year high

[gambit]

Hmmm...Looks like there is a forum software bug in the response creation. Something about 'token has expired'.

 

[gambit]

Sorry I can't seem to muster much antagonism today, so I'll leave this be.

Really? Your China is equally if not more fertile ground for any American here to dig up dirt and post them. If I do the same to China over at your playground as you do here, I would have been banned toot-sweet. But anyway, basically you are saying you have done zilch for the country that you live in but feel no loyalty towards and done nothing for the country that you claimed dubious racial and emotional ties.

 

[below_freezing]

Who ever said that? and as one poster pointed out. The level considered poverty in the U.S. is considered middle and upper middle class in other countries. In order to be considered middle class in China you need to at least make 60000 yuan (9,385.00 USD) by todays currency quote.

Who are China's middle class? - China.org.cn

But I don't think you honestly believe that 9385 USD buys the same amount of things in China as it does in the US, do you? Otherwise I got a 500 dollar pentagon hammer to sell you.

 

[CardSharp]

Really? Your China is equally if not more fertile ground for any American here to dig up dirt and post them. If I do the same to China over at your playground as you do here, I would have been banned toot-sweet. But anyway, basically you are saying you have done zilch for the country that you live in but feel no loyalty towards and done nothing for the country that you claimed dubious racial and emotional ties.

If you say so.

 

[Chogy]

Our "poor" own cars, cable TV, computers, HDTV, blu-ray players, air conditioning. And we don't have anything truly equivalent to the peasant rural dirt-farmer anymore. There might be a few hillbillies in Tennessee and Arkansas that live pretty crudely... many of them are sitting on thousands of acres of prime woodland that is worth million$, and live the way they do because they are content.

Trying to fan flames using U.S. Poverty is generally a solid FAIL.

 

[CardSharp]

Our "poor" own cars, cable TV, computers, HDTV, blu-ray players, air conditioning. And we don't have anything truly equivalent to the peasant rural dirt-farmer anymore. There might be a few hillbillies in Tennessee and Arkansas that live pretty crudely... many of them are sitting on thousands of acres of prime woodland that is worth million$, and live the way they do because they are content.

Trying to fan flames using U.S. Poverty is generally a solid FAIL.

All relative isn't it. America is the richest country on earth but workers wages have flatlined for the past 30 years while the richest % of people's share of wealth have sky rocketed. If you want to get defensive about it, that's fine. But the problems are still there whether anyone points a finger or not.

You have to wonder why no candidate dare even touch the subject though.

The richest 400 American families have the same net worth as the bottom 50% of the nation. | guardian.co.uk


No one can accuse the candidates on stage at Monday's Republican debate of not discussing a broad range of topics. They talked about big issues like social security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, energy independence, repealing healthcare reform and the need for job creation. And they talked about small issues for political point-scoring: like HPV vaccines for girls.

But missing from the debate – and, in fact, much current discussion of America's politics – is the single biggest issue facing the country: the destruction of the American middle class. For stories on how America is bifurcating into haves and have-nots, with precious little in between, you have to dive behind the headlines of the latest Washington political bun-fight and find the devil in the details.

Take a story that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Monday. The tale is nominally one about marketing strategy and it looks at how giant firm Procter & Gamble sells its household goods to its customers. But the picture that emerges is terrifying. P&G, it transpires, is cutting back on marketing to the disappearing middle classes, instead selling more and more to either high-income or low-income customers and abandoning the middle. Other big firms, like Heinz, are following suit. The piece reveals there is even a word for this strategy, helpfully coined by Citibank: the Consumer Hourglass Theory – because it denotes a society that bulges at the top and bottom and is squeezed in the middle.

The story contains some scary figures, such as the fact that the net worth of the middle fifth of American households has plunged by 26% in the last two years. Or that the income of the median American family, adjusted for inflation, is lower now than in 1998.

Or look at a story in the New York Times Tuesday. It starkly shows how the plight of the American working person has worsened. Solid jobs that once provided a secure grasp on middle class aims (a house, college for the kids, a retirement) have changed to become low-wage ones. It looks at the situation of some Detroit auto-workers, pointing out that new hires can find themselves working opposite long-term colleagues who do similar jobs yet earn twice as much. The system is called a "two tier" wage structure.

Perhaps that system can be justified as an emergency measure to keep Detroit's auto-industry alive and help it survive the current tough times. But, like the Consumer Hourglass Theory, it actually looks far more like the permanent shape of things to come. American society is bifurcating, squeezing the middle class out of existence. The ranks of the poor and low-income earners are growing and the rich are doing just fine – and no one is talking about it, much less doing anything about it.

The black-and-white facts of the case should stun Americans on both sides of the political divide. At the start of this week, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders published a report on poverty called "Is Poverty a Death Sentence?" It showed that in 313 counties in America, life expectancy for women has actually declined over the last 20 years. It showed six million more people have fallen into poverty since 2004.

Indeed, this week the US Census Bureau has released a survey showing that one in six Americans now live in poverty: the highest number ever reported by the organisation. It also showed that real median household incomes dropped 2.3% in 2010 from the year before, reflecting the decline of the middle class. At the same time, the richest 20% of the US population now controls 84% of the wealth. In fact, so staggeringly unbalanced has America become that the richest 400 American families have the same net worth as the bottom 50% of the nation.

I do not care if you are a Tea Party activist or a Socialist party USA organiser, you should be able to agree on one thing, at least: this is unsustainable. Something has to give. But no one in the current political system looks they have an answer.

 

[Chogy]

The richest 400 American families have the same net worth as the bottom 50% of the nation. | guardian.co.uk

I'll simply ask to this, "So what?"

There is strong insinuation that it is unfair. Why is it unfair? How are those super-rich hurting those below them? Are they stealing the money?

I've read and hear it thousands of times. "No fair, man. Why should HE have all that money, and not me?" and I'll ask "why not? Has Bill Gates come to your house and jacked you up for $$?"

It's simple jealousy.

 

[jdme]

All relative isn't it. America is the richest country on earth but workers wages have flatlined for the past 30 years while the richest % of people's share of wealth have sky rocketed. If you want to get defensive about it, that's fine. But the problems are still there whether anyone points a finger or not.

Ah the comedy gold from a Chinese living in Canada! This American misery has fueled Chinese growth. If not for Greed, where would China be now? Yes, yes, we all wish to "fix" the problem, turn the clock back and leave China as it was during glory days of "great leap forward". We can only wish. But don't worry. All good things come to an end.

 

[below_freezing]

I'll simply ask to this, "So what?"

There is strong insinuation that it is unfair. Why is it unfair? How are those super-rich hurting those below them? Are they stealing the money?

I've read and hear it thousands of times. "No fair, man. Why should HE have all that money, and not me?" and I'll ask "why not? Has Bill Gates come to your house and jacked you up for $$?"

It's simple jealousy.

So other than Bill Gates, did you notice the fact that most of those top 400 inherited their money? Did you notice that Rothschilds, Morgans, Carnegies, Bushes, Kennedeys, etc. are still ****** rich without putting in any work? Did you notice that only 15% of the top 0.1%'s income is derived from a salary or wage? Did you also notice that they can suggest legislation directly, to their well connected and equally ****** rich friends in Congress, they control the President, and the US military and police are essentially their private security arm? Did you notice that they live in gated mansion estates just to keep away from people like you?

Are you ignoring the homeless blacks and Mexicans crawling on the streets of L.A. like cockroaches? Are they not Americans? Are you ignoring the tent cities? Only Anglo-Jewish whites are Americans now?

Ah the comedy gold from a Chinese living in Canada! This American misery has fueled Chinese growth. If not for Greed, where would China be now? Yes, yes, we all wish to "fix" the problem, turn the clock back and leave China as it was during glory days of "great leap forward". We can only wish. But don't worry. All good things come to an end.

Going back to where India is today would already be the greatest shame.

 

[jdme]

Going back to where India is today would already be the greatest shame.

Makes sense. It will shame China considering that Mao is considered a "hero" and "great leap forward" some kind of success. I understand, the humiliation would be too great.

---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

So other than Bill Gates, did you notice the fact that most of those top 400 inherited their money? Did you notice that Rothschilds, Morgans, Carnegies, Bushes, Kennedeys, etc. are still ****** rich without putting in any work? Did you notice that only 15% of the top 0.1%'s income is derived from a salary or wage? Did you also notice that they can suggest legislation directly, to their well connected and equally ****** rich friends in Congress, they control the President, and the US military and police are essentially their private security arm? Did you notice that they live in gated mansion estates just to keep away from people like you?

Are you ignoring the homeless blacks and Mexicans crawling on the streets of L.A. like cockroaches? Are they not Americans? Are you ignoring the tent cities? Only Anglo-Jewish whites are Americans now?
.

Dumb as ever! Most of them DIDN'T inherit almost any money! Bush, Kennedy,..families..are NOT billionaire. You are probably the least informed person in world. You have no clue who these 400 richest Americans are!

As to bolder part, I bet they would still not migrate to China.

 

[gambit]

As to bolder part, I bet they would still not migrate to China.

Chinese left China, a land on the other side of the world, to come to America, from a couple hundreds yrs ago and to today. China can always advertise Asia as the new land of opportunity and entice Americans, up and down the hemisphere and from all countries, to come to China. Oh...My bad...China is a racist country. Never mind.

 

[Sinnerman108]

I'll simply ask to this, "So what?"

There is strong insinuation that it is unfair. Why is it unfair? How are those super-rich hurting those below them? Are they stealing the money?

I've read and hear it thousands of times. "No fair, man. Why should HE have all that money, and not me?" and I'll ask "why not? Has Bill Gates come to your house and jacked you up for $$?"

It's simple jealousy.

This may sound Eutopia,
but herein is the key.

1. All humans are created equal
2. All humans have equal rights to the planet's resources
3. Humans shall take what they need and not store more than what they need.

If this can be practiced, and pay attention to IF. There shan't be more suffering.

 

[Hussein]

I'll simply ask to this, "So what?"

There is strong insinuation that it is unfair. Why is it unfair? How are those super-rich hurting those below them? Are they stealing the money?

I've read and hear it thousands of times. "No fair, man. Why should HE have all that money, and not me?" and I'll ask "why not? Has Bill Gates come to your house and jacked you up for $$?"

It's simple jealousy.

it could be fair if you would have NO poor people in your country

so what? you mean that poor people deserve to be poor?
if the rich guy was giving a little bit more tax the guy who is poor would live better. and 5% less for a rich having much less consequence than 5% more for a poor.
don't you agree with this?

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

To many people in this World and to many less jobs.

What solution can they be?

 

[fd24]

We could start shooting people when they reach 35? SH*T id only have 2 years left!