As Thanksgiving nears, I think it’s appropriate to consider our manifold blessings and the circumstances of those less fortunate than we are.
Why do we have poverty in the U. S.? There are lots of answers to the question and the first one which everyone needs to understand is that we don’t. Consider the following map of world poverty, defined as people living on incomes of less than $1 per day:
Source of data: World Resources Institute. Click on the image for a larger view. Also, when the dust has settled I believe that China will turn orange. Between them India and China comprise an enormous proportion of the world’s very poorest people and both countries have the wherewithal to deal with the situation if they only had the will to do so and, moreover, steadfastly refuse outside assistance.
The number of people in the United States living on incomes of less than $1 per day (or even twice that amount) is negligible.
What we do have in this country is relative poverty. There are quite a few people whose incomes are much lower than those of the rest of us. Doing something about that requires considering the reasons for the disparity. Many of those in the lowest income quintile are immigrants—by some reckonings more than 50%. The average age of those in the lowest income quintile is over 50 suggesting that retirees comprise a good proportion of those in that quintile. Since the elderly receive substantial government benefits in the form of social security retirement income and Medicare and, additionally, a not insignificant number of the elderly have fairly low incomes but substantial resources, in the case of many of these income may not be a particularly good measure of wellbeing.
Additionally, we are a very diverse country, much more so than any single European country. That very diversity means that income disparity will be greater.
So, what could we do to reduce the disparities? I don’t think we’re going to abolish immigration and it’s politically rather difficult to justify subsidizing immigrants at the expense of the general population. Greater redistribution to the elderly is already under assault. If you paid attention to the debates over Social Security there are some pretty vocal elements in the society that don’t like how much we’re giving to the elderly now.
I’m chary of redistribution anyway since the history of redistribution in this country is that we’re as likely to redistribute from one segment of the upper middle class to another segment of the upper middle class as we are to distribute from the upper middle class to the poor.
I think, if we’re going to devote our energies to helping people in this country only, our attentions would be better devoted to ameliorating the circumstances of the poorest of the poor here and that would require some difficult and, probably, politically incorrect decisions. The poorest of the poor here are people living on Indian reservations, the homeless (quite a percentage of which are people with serious mental illness), and the rural poor.
Why don’t we hear more about changing the circumstances on Indian reservations, reinstitutionalization, and helping the rural poor?
If it is basically correct to say the the top 5% control 95% of American wealth, then it would be safe to say that this group would also be paying the largest amount of their incomes in taxes…but, would also be safe to say the the bottom 95% also pay a much higher pertcentage of their incomes on taxes then the top 5%.
A 15 cent rise in fuel prices certainly has more effect on someone with a family of 4 with a house hold income of say 30k per year…or rising heating fuel…
When only a few years ago to make the Forbes 400 club you needed to have a worth of 500 million but today…to make that same club you have to be worth at least 1.5 billion!! What is the national figure on poverty now…that number is certainly much higher then a decade ago…
Where would all of those top 5% be if not for the hard workers who worked for them so they could earn their wealth?
When the bottom 95% get a tax cut I doubt that the amount they get as extra income will pay for schools, new roads, bridges, defense…those at the top got there because of those on the bottom who work hard yet get the least reward.
The rise in health care cost…why is it that American business leaders have not got together on a national level to help solve this problem..? They just don’t care…what has happened to our American ethic…one for all and all for one…it’s gone…it’s everything for Me…it does not matter how hard you work any more..human value is out the door and nearly worthless.
I would be more than happy to pay a bit more for my social secuity to make sure it’s there when, or if I can retire, for myself and others…
I would be more than willing to pay a bit more in taxes if it was used to keep our roads and bridges safe..pay for defense, health care access, affordable health care…
If you have a great deal of wealth…that wealth alone generates more wealth..if you’re poor, most likely you’ll stay poor…
Well, look at this . You can also find detailed information and data here.
The map is pretty funny! Sudan must have a huge disparity from top to bottom as this is the country where a number of the inhabitants don’t even use money! Not to mention the sizable number of those that live or lived in the Dharfur region and can’t work. Also it shows that Burma or Myanmar is in the category as the U.S.
Well, as Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damn lies then there are statistics!”
No statistics were available for either Sudan or Burma.
What the graph doesn’t take into account is that $1 buys you very different things in different countries. $1 a day IS enough to live on in a place like Mali even if your life would suck — but you would literally starve to death in the USA.
I’d say the US definitely has absolute poverty if you take into account a scale of living basics — probably not as bad as most coloured countries on the map but definitely there.
I agree—on Indian reservations, among the mentally ill homeless, among the rural poor, among immigrants (particularly illegal immigrants), and among the very, very unfortunate—and I believe that we should be exerting greater efforts to ameliorate their conditions.
But I read little in the plans of the presidential aspirants that would do much for those most in need. Rather, I see lots of appeals for votes by taking something from one smaller group of voters and giving it to another larger group of voters. As G. B. Shaw said, when you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can always depend on the support of Paul.
Who’s been robbing who here? I think Peter has always had a pretty good life..on the backs of Paul of course..Your graph on poverty shows that over 36 million are living in poverty, US Standards, that’s an amazing number..my home state population is just over one million so this would equal 36 of my states living in poverty. As it is there are many hard working people who are working yet are still poor…I don’t know about your state, but here many local food banks are running out of food because more people are being forced to chose food over heating fuel…which is now 91 cents higher this year than the same time last year,
and last year was a rough year..our state is in panic mode now…there is already talk about providing shelter for those who can’t afford heating fuel..gee, and Bush won’t increase emergency funding for heating fuel assistance…many of those who will suffer are the elderly and children…what was that mantra…family values!! I guess it depends on who’s family you belong to..
Canada just raised it’s minimum wage to over 8 dollars an hour…hardly a livable wage, but not here in America one of the wealthiest countries in the world..but who’s wealth is it…oh yes…Peters…Peter just gets fatter and fatter..
You know, this reminds me of an old scifi film..Soylent Green…soon the poor will be left to feed upon themselves…Have you Read Cormac Mccarthy’s ‘The Road”? Coming soon to a neighborhood like yours…morality..what the heck is that??