Probably not what our friends in the Poverty Industry have lead you to believe:
56 Replies to “What Exactly Does “Living in Poverty” Mean?”
“This guy is showing no respect, time to organize a flash mob and rob some high end fashion stores, to show how poors we really is”!!
I question the definition of “poor” when I hear this word thrown about.
I have been “living” on OW (Ontario Works) for a couple months now.
$549.00 total/mth, my rent is cheap fortunately @$325.00/mth incl, furnished.
I share a fridge, stove, two baths one of those even has a bath. No A/C though, can’t afford the $30.00 extra, hot hot in the summer time.
bed bugs, “SWAT” visits, lots of strangers some w/tatoos on the tops of their bald heads, a man with one leg. fights occasionally, threats more frequently,food and mail theft, fire alarms going off and best of all no superintendency, the previous was thrown out for stealing from the poor residents.
would you like fries with that?
Why yes I would, biggie size plz
Poverty: “Should I eat this week, or is it my kids’ turn? Maybe neither…the roof just caved in.”
North American Poverty: “Should I buy cigarettes or lottery tickets today? Oh heck…why not both? The Gubmint cheque comes next week!”
but, how do I afford the internet?
I knew you would ask
not easy, I’m on a one year contract with only two months to go, so Sally Ann feeds me and yes I tell them I have Internet.
tiz greedy of me I admit and generous of them so stop all your donations at once. Especially you leaving the 3 year old cans of Campbells mushroom soup,not kidding about that, hoser.
forgot to mention I (we) also have cable TV which is shared with all the other fine residents.
Blanks >
Are you telling me that I’m helping pay for your North American lifestyle and online procrastination every day, and you’re complaining???????
You’d be living like a king anywhere else outside of the non western world with what you’ve described. The only difference is that you’d need to pay for it yourself.
I’ve traveled to more third world crapholes in my lifetime to ever care about. I stopped once in the Algerian desert (winter) to give the kids living in makeshift shelters (garbage caves) on the roadside garbage dump whatever clothes & food I had on me (they had none and were truly starving & freezing to death).
I’ve turned away the most pathetic scabby lice infested 2 – 8 year old beggars that you could ever imagine living on the streets of India, Bangladesh and other South Asian crapholes because there were simply too many of them all day every day.
No sympathies from me for any malcontents in the western world complaining of how hard they have it.
Amazing video. Simply amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Whenever I hear a sorry like blanks my first thought is why are you not moving to areas of prosperity and jobs (Ft.Mac, for instance). You’d might still be in a man camp for awhile but have the dignity and self-respect that comes with a job.
I believe kate had that clip up two or three weeks ago.
It is still relevant and likely will be until America has morphed into Africa … then there will be new clip called “Poor Man, Government Employee”.
That is a more fitting comparison between the haves and haves-nots …. even today.
not complaining just trying to give some insight into “entitlements” a little comparison say.
btw, in this country those kids would literally die in winter, so you wouldn’t be bothered by their existence any longer.
I noted the fellow saying near the end of the video that the poor pay no taxes in the USA. Exact quote you can check for yourself, last minute of the video.
That is the biggest lie ever told on this earth. In fact I pay taxes evrytime I pay my rent,Internet or purchase a coffee at 7/11.
people seriously give your heads a shake if think the poor pay no taxes, they pay the highest rate of taxes to income, period!!
Rush Limbaugh really hit a homer for the over 100,000 k club with that one, I think he invented the story then sent it to AP as a real story.
What drivel.
I have never met a man (or woman) who was unable to find some sort of employment if they ‘truly’ wanted to work.
A crappy job is gateway job to a better job.
The lazy leftists who enjoy the dole (you won’t find many conservatives on the dole) will never accept that concept … because it would then make them feel bad about being a lazy, useless piece of crap.
The people on the lefty blog I’ve taken to frequenting occasionally (occasionally is too much) seem to believe that poverty bears no relationship to anything people actually do. It’s imposed completely from without. There is no agency involved. Noone makes choices. Homeless drug addict, Bill Gates… just the luck of the draw. And we should tax the rich. Oh, how we must tax the rich. How do the Koch brother live with themselves?
(American lefties really do get their talking points from Stewbert. That refrigerator thing of Colbert’s that Whittle mentioned is what they were going on about. “Conservatives don’t want The Poor to have refrigerators!”)
I have also been interested to learn that U.S. tax-rates are the lowest ever.
Dear Abe,
lazy, useless, piece of crap.
I’m not really one to debate anyone about anything but I do take exception to your rahter pathetic stereotyping of a very small minority of persons in this country. Let’s exclude NFLD for arguments sake.
We aren’t talking about artists and poste workers here this is about the poor and who is poor.
I think of the sda as having a little higher quality of thought than say oh Nycol Turmel.
I have no brain to speak of and live with drug dealers and prostitutes (yes, literally) and so therefore exempt myself from any and all critism.
My posts may even disappear into the wilderness and I should not complain.
I also write poetry in my spare time and recieve no bursary from any.
Currently the lowest ever, I should say.
I am curious if this report compares brands? What brand of computer are the poor buying? Are they buying the highest end Apple computers? Are they buying the most wanted, newest fashion and accessories? What type/year of car are the poor buying/driving? What about food? Are they buying the same quality of food as the rich? How about housing? Are they living in the richest neighbourhoods and the largest houses? Are they taking vacations to the warmest climes on earth?
In case you haven’t figures it out yet… I’m trying to point out that while the poor may have the same things as the rich, they may not have them in the same abundance or of the same quality.
The fact that the right is using this study to show that the poor are getting a free ride just shows how out of touch the right has become.
Sorry, blanks, it still looks like unemployed by choice. Writing poetry is nice but can just as easily be done in ones spare time. I have respect for prostitutes and dealers – they actually do something that someone is willing to pay for.
Timothy Friesen – “In case you haven’t figures it out yet… I’m trying to point out that while the poor may have the same things as the rich, they may not have them in the same abundance or of the same quality.”
If I’m reading you correctly, you’re suggesting that the poor might be poorer than “the rich”.
You just blew my mind.
I assume Timothy is being sarcastic because if poverty is not owning a BMW or the latest gadget then poverty has no rational definition.
Brilliant piece. It never fails to amaze me how the “poor” covet that which the middle class has, yet fail to make the connection between effort (work) and reward (material things). I have no problem giving someone a hand up. It’s the hand out I have a problem with. There are those who truly need the help of society as a whole, but there is, I believe, a considerable number who seem to think it’s their right to live off the labour of others. Time to get off your collective asses. (and I suspect that may mean you, Blank.)
Blanks, you get a gst rebate cheque dontcha? So please tell me what tax you pay?
The definition of poor has also changed dramatically. Most of the poor today are single mothers with multiple kids from one or more fathers. The joy of the nanny state and a actual incentive to breed. More kids = more money. With the moral standards we have today it seems like all marriages are also disposable and only the male will be hammered into poverty to maintain his partners lifestyle. For the children of course. The ones he is lucky to see once in a while. Probably why Ministries of Children and Families has bullet proof glass on their service counters. If you look at the staff you see only woman that know all men are pricks and act accordingly. When I see (with great fanfare) the opening of the first govt. dept. for the status of men, then perhaps I might get a sense of hope for the future. Until then , there is really no incentive for the poor to change anything. Nanny will look after them. As long as they keep breeding and hang on to the kids of course.
I do have sympathy for the working poor that try, but there are far too many drones that make use of a system that perpetuates the status quo aided by a army of social workers and activists.
Yeah, that’s why poor families in Ontario with a net income of up to $80,000.00 a year can qualify for child day care subsidies.
Cuz they just so poh.
L.A. columnist Amy Alkon wrote a piece related to this discussion recently. It talks about where charity should come from.
It also mentions yours truly who founded a not-for-profit all volunteer organization called BC Digital Divide. Our mission was to put computers in the hands of those who truly couldn’t afford them. I’m very proud of what we did and we absolutely did help out a bunch of people who truly were in desperate straits. But it also gave me a Ph.D. of insight into the different “levels of poverty” in Metro Vancouver.
Some homes we arrived at, where they said they couldn’t afford $300 to buy a used computer, turned out to be furnished with brand new leather couches and huge flat screen TVs. These people were impoverished? Where did the money come from to buy that stuff? In some cases I know for a fact that our federal gov’t was the one who supplied it to new immigrants.
In any case, I firmly believe that charity should remain in the hands of private institutions, incl. religious organizations. Having the government involved is a bad, bad, bad idea.
Had no TV until age 12.
No running water until moved out of home until age 18.
Raised by a single mom when abusive dad left at age 8.
Lived in a severely underinsulated house. You could see your breath in the morning in winters.
Best Christmas present ever … a set of plastic soldiers. You know the ones activated in Toy Story.
One Christmas, we had a knock on the door from some charitable people. The can of ham they gave us sat in the pantry for 10 years.
Today, even with the recent market crash, have a net worth over a million dollars.
I did it. So can you.
There’s hope for all of us.
Bill Whittle has
mentally poor idea brain even today as he said he is rich now and before he was poor
he was jelous of someone has more than others in comparison or has bad way of motivation
I think he got $100,000 from his rich boss to defame and make fun of poor who stay in line of Best buy with rich try to buy same model of TV perhaps
his description about poor and rich is not clear
poor stay home and watch tv and read computer than rich who are busy working and made money
so many poor may has something but get it second hand or get it help from other family or freind free
poor may buy so many items but not able to pay hydro and utility bills that need from income to pay it
poor may have second hand car but not have gasoline to go too much trip as rich do travle more
poor may buy computer but not able to pay for fixing it
thier children are home play games not go pay big bills of all entertianment fun for kids clubs
poor hardly able to pay 3 meals and anything they wish for it and rich buy any food anytime and any price they wish for
some rich may get job and all income of poor and not allow some poor to get job and made money and say hay you stay home use my taxes and let I got 3 times income of poor to my pocket and drop you like small dog small food to eat and survive do not forget I paid you with my taxes
how about people get balance income and allow more poor to get job and allow poor get income rich earn not too big
instead in north america said you stay poor let me I become rich I pay you dog meat at end of year tax year please and steal your job and your ideas competition in illegal way of steal jobs
so what above guy name to distinguish rich and poor is food on table and pay utility pay shelter and pay morgage and pay home made them poor and rich
if rich own free house in hollywood he can not afford to keep it for ever because he must pay property tax over million dollar house and he has not income to pay for it
nothing wrong to be rich but if not hated to see poor and humulistae them of similar good they have and you have and jelous of poor to rich for envey as he said
this is not matter financial poorness this is mentally poor behaviour cause lack of job too
if some socity abuse you and believe poor never able to rich unless win lottery still definition of poor is not clear with his speech
I do not believe this guy is poor in long time and I do believe this guy got money to defame poor and say why poor stay in Best buy and buy same tv I wish to have it you are poor and use my tax and your tv is mine then////
this Bill whitle is fonny hated poor man
lol
James 6:27 you are correct,
let me do part of the math, over a year;
$67.00 x 4 = Gst rebate roundta $280.00
I have received some kind of provincial HST thing, part of the federal bribery to the province of Ontario, I got a $100.00, bought a carton of smogs and a bag of Lay’s had enough left over for a trip to the dollar store, food eh.
lotsa taxes there though, big treat. TY Dalton McSpendy.
13% HST in Ontario plus commercial housing property tax, way higher than a house, like 4-5 times higher here in ON.
What else, literally a food truck just pulled up my door and the guy gave me a free sandwich, no lie there.
life is but a dream sweatheart
there’s more but I think the stress may be actually killing me, laters.
ok;
before dieing of a heart attack thus cleansing the earth of another useless piece of crap, I would like to add that seriuosly imigrant should not even try to defend “the poor” in this country, you make us all look like needy beggars, fulfilling evry know stereotype of “the poor”, really bad, worse than myself.
Really, go back to the country you came from and complain there, we do not need you, you live twelve to the same house, get more money than the Natives freedom of speech and religion and then dare to complain about anything in this country, go away.
Shame on you.
Blanks
Jack Layton die I think unknow Cancer!! not heart attack to save poor!! but he could not instead he even could not save himself here of poor nutrition that mostly lead to cancer and other deseases
Poverty has become subjective.
If one does not have food, water or a clean, dry, warm place to sleep, THOSE things should be markers for poverty. People in North America should not be in the same category as people in India or Africa. If you have luxuries like i-PODS, ect, you cannot be as poor as one may think.
If we really wanted action on poverty, it should be proper taxation, good-paying jobs and personal responsibility, something very few governments would embrace as sound public policy.
ok;
“Immigrants are not poor but they can be rich or mid class in Canada too”
You’ve answered the big question but obviously aren’t listening to me.
I recall seeing this video before, didn’t realise I had seen it here.
The entitlements generation do seem to overlook their own charity foundations, I noticed. Don’t mention the billions spent on health care, education and policing, all spent before any of you were even old enough to pay taxes. That’s not welfare.
ok, new, is that you??
Same cadence, typing pattern, but slightly better English.
For those who don’t read well, blanks did not say he was unemployed. He said he has a contract with 2 months to go.
When talking about the poor in the US, it’s important to understand that the income figures quoted do not represent their consumption. For instance, HUD had a program that gave $50k, no strings attached, to move people into first-time home ownership. This is not counted as income to the recipient. Likewise, the HUD rent assistance program which does not count as income. You will never here advocates for the poor mention consumption figures, only nominal income of the poor. They are vastly different.
“For those who don’t read well, blanks did not say he was unemployed. He said he has a contract with 2 months to go.”
For those who don’t read well, he said he has a contract with 2 months to go for his Internet Access.
Granted he’s boring and hard to follow, but if you’re going to try and help people who “don’t read well” at least make sure you’ve read it properly yourself ….
small c;
The U.S. government gives billions away to poor country’s but never mentioned is that they also tax those same country’s goods at twice the rate of others to get back every penny they send so charitably, never mention that to richie rich or they’ll presume you “mentally ill”.
HUD gives loans not handouts I’m from poor Ontario, Canada not Richberta or Richkatoon so I know these things.
The “poor” in North America are way better off than 95% of the rest of the world.
The ‘poor’ stay poor not because they don’t have money, but rather because they don’t wisely spend the money they get. Booze, smokes, lotto, trendy clothes and bling, drugs, junk food, big screen TVs, all sorts of disposable crap…it all adds up.
I’ve watched the ‘poor’ in the grocery stores with their carts full of processed junk food and ‘snacks’, hardly any nutritious food that actually requires cooking.
My charitable donations are to the local food bank. Real food [carrots, potatoes, cabbage, …etc.] all locally grown.
If education seems expensive, consider the real cost of ignorance. You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can’t make them think.
and yes I even notice that I’m boring but I’m no manbearpig, maybe worse actually?
oh boy, looks like ok and blanks are fighting for the poorest evah slot. whatever.
Been monetarily challenged all of my adult life, worked hard and raised 2 beautiful girls (sired by 1 deadbeat ex husband), have 2 grandchildren and another on the way. We have been blessed with good health, good sense, pride in our accomplishments and ourselves. No one can give that to you…or take it away.
Very interesting statistics. So a poor person in the US had on average more living space than I did a few years ago, had air conditioning which I didn’t have, etc.
I see the “poor” who have “disabilities” and many of them go looking for other doctors as I don’t buy into their “disabled” status. There are patients with true disabilities which I don’t mind filling out forms for as we still can’t treat paraplegia. I’ve also got paraplegic patients who are are far more active than some of my “totally disabled” patients. There’s a racket going on with various agencies who cater to these parasites even “helping” to the extent of filling out disability forms and asking the doctor to merely sign the form. An unscrupulous doctor could do that and split the $250 form fee with the agency but I’ve sent some rather nasty letters to them about what I think of their definitions of disability. I just refuse to do the forms now if it’s a heroin addict asking to collect disability benefits because of their “medical illness”. If they can work as a prostitute to pay for the heroin, then they should be able to put enough money away for rent which is a far smaller budget item.
The other thing I find hilarious are the grossly obese “poor” patients who come in asking me to sign forms so they can have more money for food. It’s time to go after the poverty industry that seeks to redefine poverty so that it can stay in business.
“sired by 1 deadbeat ex husband” amazing how that just happens.
Glad Canada’s social entitlements allowed you to move on from your evil donor and build a new life full of luxury and entitlements that you of course should be entitled to.
we can only wonder at such entrepreneurial spirit of some.
My brother has 5 kids and a full time job and makes more money from your govmint than if he had two full-time jobs. He also considers himself to be self -sufficient and independent. I don’t argue cuz he’s twice my size and not afraid to use it.
Blanks
I live not far from a business were they bring messicans in from centeral and south america as seasonal workers because they can’t get locals to do the work, so if yer not working, that means you ain’t trying. Yes, I live in suthern Ontario, and as a semi retired person I have to WORK hard at not over booking my time, as I don’t want to work 12/7.
So go out and find a job!!!!
Coincidence, GYM
Had a job in Leamington two months ago but my employer stole $4000.00 from me within 3 months, should I go back there and ask the pickle man for my job back, even while he’s being investigated?
Ever try looking for work without a telephone?
Internet or telephone? I can’t decide.
oh the messicans are good workers and anyone who says locals wont work is outright lieing, try getting hired, if your skin is white, you think I’m stupid.
I noted the fellow saying near the end of the video that the poor pay no taxes in the USA.
Posted by: Blanks at August 26, 2011 5:32 PM
———————————————
You should go back an listen again. He said that half of Americans pay no INCOME taxes.
And that’s true, they may pay income taxes but the grants and subsidies from the government results in a no net income tax for 52% of Americans.
Three more synergistic points:
1. Part of the reason the poor can afford these products after 10 years is because private enterprise continues to drive down their cost.
2. The two main drivers of increased cost and taxes are health care and education, which by now threaten the viability of most nations. They are both run by government. I wonder what they would cost if they were private.
3. Let’s say you’re poor and unemployed. Licensing and zoning restrictions make it illegal to grow veggies in the backyard, sell meals to your employed neighbors, or start almost any business including hair cutting, tax preparation or a taxi service, without major capital outlays, along with ongoing legal and other professional fees.
In spite of all these barriers, we have it pretty good. Imagine how fast the economy would grow if the government would just stop getting in the way and tell special interests to back off.
Thanks for the correction, Alex.
Good excuse for me: 83 and waiting for cataract surgery in both eyes. I can only improve.
I have an under 55 yr old living here 3/4 of the time who lost his $40,000. job due to downsizing, although his work record was excellent.
One of the handiest of handy men and will work for $15./hr in order to pay child support. Has had two jobs in companies that moved operations further complicating things.
But, luckily one trained him at no cost to be a bus driver and he’s now waiting for a call from a local company. Fingers crossed.
Try living with someone who is desperately trying not to lose hope.
In spite of all these barriers, we have it pretty good. Imagine how fast the economy would grow if the government would just stop getting in the way and tell special interests to back off.
Yeah, we all know that mining and O&G hardly every make messes and would quickly clean them up if they did. Who needs government regulations? Look at how successful China is without all those pesky environmental regulations to keep the air land and water clean.
“Hunger” is a word I’ve grown to detest from its liberal use.
Supposedly one out of every six Americans is “hungry” but I look around and see nothing but widespread obesity.
Hell, I’m hungry half the day.
99.9% of all human existence was overshadowed by uncertainty about the source or timing of one’s next meal. Nearly every animal and insect on the planet meets the definition of “hungry,” yet we have supposedly risen above this condition.
Frankly, a little more hunger might motivate some people to get off their lazy butts. It is precisely the ASSURANCE of food and shelter that keeps many people idle.
How did mankind survive for 200,000 years without the UN World Food Programme, food stamps or WIC?
And that’s true, they may pay income taxes but the grants and subsidies from the government results in a no net income tax for 52% of Americans.
According to who, whom? Rush Limbirg?
Need to see the proof.
Are they including the trillions of dollars in handouts to corporations over the last three years as grants and subsidies to the poor? By accounts then corporations must be net debtors. You need some proof to go with the pretty charts and ridiculous Limbaugh rhetoric. idiotic
Need to see the proof.
Use Google and search “Who pays the most income tax”
“This guy is showing no respect, time to organize a flash mob and rob some high end fashion stores, to show how poors we really is”!!
I question the definition of “poor” when I hear this word thrown about.
I have been “living” on OW (Ontario Works) for a couple months now.
$549.00 total/mth, my rent is cheap fortunately @$325.00/mth incl, furnished.
I share a fridge, stove, two baths one of those even has a bath. No A/C though, can’t afford the $30.00 extra, hot hot in the summer time.
bed bugs, “SWAT” visits, lots of strangers some w/tatoos on the tops of their bald heads, a man with one leg. fights occasionally, threats more frequently,food and mail theft, fire alarms going off and best of all no superintendency, the previous was thrown out for stealing from the poor residents.
would you like fries with that?
Why yes I would, biggie size plz
Poverty: “Should I eat this week, or is it my kids’ turn? Maybe neither…the roof just caved in.”
North American Poverty: “Should I buy cigarettes or lottery tickets today? Oh heck…why not both? The Gubmint cheque comes next week!”
but, how do I afford the internet?
I knew you would ask
not easy, I’m on a one year contract with only two months to go, so Sally Ann feeds me and yes I tell them I have Internet.
tiz greedy of me I admit and generous of them so stop all your donations at once. Especially you leaving the 3 year old cans of Campbells mushroom soup,not kidding about that, hoser.
forgot to mention I (we) also have cable TV which is shared with all the other fine residents.
Blanks >
Are you telling me that I’m helping pay for your North American lifestyle and online procrastination every day, and you’re complaining???????
You’d be living like a king anywhere else outside of the non western world with what you’ve described. The only difference is that you’d need to pay for it yourself.
I’ve traveled to more third world crapholes in my lifetime to ever care about. I stopped once in the Algerian desert (winter) to give the kids living in makeshift shelters (garbage caves) on the roadside garbage dump whatever clothes & food I had on me (they had none and were truly starving & freezing to death).
I’ve turned away the most pathetic scabby lice infested 2 – 8 year old beggars that you could ever imagine living on the streets of India, Bangladesh and other South Asian crapholes because there were simply too many of them all day every day.
No sympathies from me for any malcontents in the western world complaining of how hard they have it.
Amazing video. Simply amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Whenever I hear a sorry like blanks my first thought is why are you not moving to areas of prosperity and jobs (Ft.Mac, for instance). You’d might still be in a man camp for awhile but have the dignity and self-respect that comes with a job.
I believe kate had that clip up two or three weeks ago.
It is still relevant and likely will be until America has morphed into Africa … then there will be new clip called “Poor Man, Government Employee”.
That is a more fitting comparison between the haves and haves-nots …. even today.
not complaining just trying to give some insight into “entitlements” a little comparison say.
btw, in this country those kids would literally die in winter, so you wouldn’t be bothered by their existence any longer.
I noted the fellow saying near the end of the video that the poor pay no taxes in the USA. Exact quote you can check for yourself, last minute of the video.
That is the biggest lie ever told on this earth. In fact I pay taxes evrytime I pay my rent,Internet or purchase a coffee at 7/11.
people seriously give your heads a shake if think the poor pay no taxes, they pay the highest rate of taxes to income, period!!
Rush Limbaugh really hit a homer for the over 100,000 k club with that one, I think he invented the story then sent it to AP as a real story.
What drivel.
I have never met a man (or woman) who was unable to find some sort of employment if they ‘truly’ wanted to work.
A crappy job is gateway job to a better job.
The lazy leftists who enjoy the dole (you won’t find many conservatives on the dole) will never accept that concept … because it would then make them feel bad about being a lazy, useless piece of crap.
The people on the lefty blog I’ve taken to frequenting occasionally (occasionally is too much) seem to believe that poverty bears no relationship to anything people actually do. It’s imposed completely from without. There is no agency involved. Noone makes choices. Homeless drug addict, Bill Gates… just the luck of the draw. And we should tax the rich. Oh, how we must tax the rich. How do the Koch brother live with themselves?
(American lefties really do get their talking points from Stewbert. That refrigerator thing of Colbert’s that Whittle mentioned is what they were going on about. “Conservatives don’t want The Poor to have refrigerators!”)
I have also been interested to learn that U.S. tax-rates are the lowest ever.
Dear Abe,
lazy, useless, piece of crap.
I’m not really one to debate anyone about anything but I do take exception to your rahter pathetic stereotyping of a very small minority of persons in this country. Let’s exclude NFLD for arguments sake.
We aren’t talking about artists and poste workers here this is about the poor and who is poor.
I think of the sda as having a little higher quality of thought than say oh Nycol Turmel.
I have no brain to speak of and live with drug dealers and prostitutes (yes, literally) and so therefore exempt myself from any and all critism.
My posts may even disappear into the wilderness and I should not complain.
I also write poetry in my spare time and recieve no bursary from any.
Currently the lowest ever, I should say.
I am curious if this report compares brands? What brand of computer are the poor buying? Are they buying the highest end Apple computers? Are they buying the most wanted, newest fashion and accessories? What type/year of car are the poor buying/driving? What about food? Are they buying the same quality of food as the rich? How about housing? Are they living in the richest neighbourhoods and the largest houses? Are they taking vacations to the warmest climes on earth?
In case you haven’t figures it out yet… I’m trying to point out that while the poor may have the same things as the rich, they may not have them in the same abundance or of the same quality.
The fact that the right is using this study to show that the poor are getting a free ride just shows how out of touch the right has become.
Sorry, blanks, it still looks like unemployed by choice. Writing poetry is nice but can just as easily be done in ones spare time. I have respect for prostitutes and dealers – they actually do something that someone is willing to pay for.
Timothy Friesen – “In case you haven’t figures it out yet… I’m trying to point out that while the poor may have the same things as the rich, they may not have them in the same abundance or of the same quality.”
If I’m reading you correctly, you’re suggesting that the poor might be poorer than “the rich”.
You just blew my mind.
I assume Timothy is being sarcastic because if poverty is not owning a BMW or the latest gadget then poverty has no rational definition.
Brilliant piece. It never fails to amaze me how the “poor” covet that which the middle class has, yet fail to make the connection between effort (work) and reward (material things). I have no problem giving someone a hand up. It’s the hand out I have a problem with. There are those who truly need the help of society as a whole, but there is, I believe, a considerable number who seem to think it’s their right to live off the labour of others. Time to get off your collective asses. (and I suspect that may mean you, Blank.)
As for me and my house,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_aVuS7cOIQ
Blanks, you get a gst rebate cheque dontcha? So please tell me what tax you pay?
The definition of poor has also changed dramatically. Most of the poor today are single mothers with multiple kids from one or more fathers. The joy of the nanny state and a actual incentive to breed. More kids = more money. With the moral standards we have today it seems like all marriages are also disposable and only the male will be hammered into poverty to maintain his partners lifestyle. For the children of course. The ones he is lucky to see once in a while. Probably why Ministries of Children and Families has bullet proof glass on their service counters. If you look at the staff you see only woman that know all men are pricks and act accordingly. When I see (with great fanfare) the opening of the first govt. dept. for the status of men, then perhaps I might get a sense of hope for the future. Until then , there is really no incentive for the poor to change anything. Nanny will look after them. As long as they keep breeding and hang on to the kids of course.
I do have sympathy for the working poor that try, but there are far too many drones that make use of a system that perpetuates the status quo aided by a army of social workers and activists.
Yeah, that’s why poor families in Ontario with a net income of up to $80,000.00 a year can qualify for child day care subsidies.
Cuz they just so poh.
L.A. columnist Amy Alkon wrote a piece related to this discussion recently. It talks about where charity should come from.
It also mentions yours truly who founded a not-for-profit all volunteer organization called BC Digital Divide. Our mission was to put computers in the hands of those who truly couldn’t afford them. I’m very proud of what we did and we absolutely did help out a bunch of people who truly were in desperate straits. But it also gave me a Ph.D. of insight into the different “levels of poverty” in Metro Vancouver.
Some homes we arrived at, where they said they couldn’t afford $300 to buy a used computer, turned out to be furnished with brand new leather couches and huge flat screen TVs. These people were impoverished? Where did the money come from to buy that stuff? In some cases I know for a fact that our federal gov’t was the one who supplied it to new immigrants.
In any case, I firmly believe that charity should remain in the hands of private institutions, incl. religious organizations. Having the government involved is a bad, bad, bad idea.
Had no TV until age 12.
No running water until moved out of home until age 18.
Raised by a single mom when abusive dad left at age 8.
Lived in a severely underinsulated house. You could see your breath in the morning in winters.
Best Christmas present ever … a set of plastic soldiers. You know the ones activated in Toy Story.
One Christmas, we had a knock on the door from some charitable people. The can of ham they gave us sat in the pantry for 10 years.
Today, even with the recent market crash, have a net worth over a million dollars.
I did it. So can you.
There’s hope for all of us.
Bill Whittle has
mentally poor idea brain even today as he said he is rich now and before he was poor
he was jelous of someone has more than others in comparison or has bad way of motivation
I think he got $100,000 from his rich boss to defame and make fun of poor who stay in line of Best buy with rich try to buy same model of TV perhaps
his description about poor and rich is not clear
poor stay home and watch tv and read computer than rich who are busy working and made money
so many poor may has something but get it second hand or get it help from other family or freind free
poor may buy so many items but not able to pay hydro and utility bills that need from income to pay it
poor may have second hand car but not have gasoline to go too much trip as rich do travle more
poor may buy computer but not able to pay for fixing it
thier children are home play games not go pay big bills of all entertianment fun for kids clubs
poor hardly able to pay 3 meals and anything they wish for it and rich buy any food anytime and any price they wish for
some rich may get job and all income of poor and not allow some poor to get job and made money and say hay you stay home use my taxes and let I got 3 times income of poor to my pocket and drop you like small dog small food to eat and survive do not forget I paid you with my taxes
how about people get balance income and allow more poor to get job and allow poor get income rich earn not too big
instead in north america said you stay poor let me I become rich I pay you dog meat at end of year tax year please and steal your job and your ideas competition in illegal way of steal jobs
so what above guy name to distinguish rich and poor is food on table and pay utility pay shelter and pay morgage and pay home made them poor and rich
if rich own free house in hollywood he can not afford to keep it for ever because he must pay property tax over million dollar house and he has not income to pay for it
nothing wrong to be rich but if not hated to see poor and humulistae them of similar good they have and you have and jelous of poor to rich for envey as he said
this is not matter financial poorness this is mentally poor behaviour cause lack of job too
if some socity abuse you and believe poor never able to rich unless win lottery still definition of poor is not clear with his speech
I do not believe this guy is poor in long time and I do believe this guy got money to defame poor and say why poor stay in Best buy and buy same tv I wish to have it you are poor and use my tax and your tv is mine then////
this Bill whitle is fonny hated poor man
lol
James 6:27 you are correct,
let me do part of the math, over a year;
$67.00 x 4 = Gst rebate roundta $280.00
I have received some kind of provincial HST thing, part of the federal bribery to the province of Ontario, I got a $100.00, bought a carton of smogs and a bag of Lay’s had enough left over for a trip to the dollar store, food eh.
lotsa taxes there though, big treat. TY Dalton McSpendy.
13% HST in Ontario plus commercial housing property tax, way higher than a house, like 4-5 times higher here in ON.
What else, literally a food truck just pulled up my door and the guy gave me a free sandwich, no lie there.
life is but a dream sweatheart
there’s more but I think the stress may be actually killing me, laters.
ok;
before dieing of a heart attack thus cleansing the earth of another useless piece of crap, I would like to add that seriuosly imigrant should not even try to defend “the poor” in this country, you make us all look like needy beggars, fulfilling evry know stereotype of “the poor”, really bad, worse than myself.
Really, go back to the country you came from and complain there, we do not need you, you live twelve to the same house, get more money than the Natives freedom of speech and religion and then dare to complain about anything in this country, go away.
Shame on you.
Blanks
Jack Layton die I think unknow Cancer!! not heart attack to save poor!! but he could not instead he even could not save himself here of poor nutrition that mostly lead to cancer and other deseases
I see the mental patients are out in force today. Blanks and ok make such a cute couple!
BTW, Robert, this was already posted on SDA a few weeks ago:
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/017448.html
Poverty has become subjective.
If one does not have food, water or a clean, dry, warm place to sleep, THOSE things should be markers for poverty. People in North America should not be in the same category as people in India or Africa. If you have luxuries like i-PODS, ect, you cannot be as poor as one may think.
If we really wanted action on poverty, it should be proper taxation, good-paying jobs and personal responsibility, something very few governments would embrace as sound public policy.
ok;
“Immigrants are not poor but they can be rich or mid class in Canada too”
You’ve answered the big question but obviously aren’t listening to me.
I recall seeing this video before, didn’t realise I had seen it here.
The entitlements generation do seem to overlook their own charity foundations, I noticed. Don’t mention the billions spent on health care, education and policing, all spent before any of you were even old enough to pay taxes. That’s not welfare.
ok, new, is that you??
Same cadence, typing pattern, but slightly better English.
For those who don’t read well, blanks did not say he was unemployed. He said he has a contract with 2 months to go.
When talking about the poor in the US, it’s important to understand that the income figures quoted do not represent their consumption. For instance, HUD had a program that gave $50k, no strings attached, to move people into first-time home ownership. This is not counted as income to the recipient. Likewise, the HUD rent assistance program which does not count as income. You will never here advocates for the poor mention consumption figures, only nominal income of the poor. They are vastly different.
“For those who don’t read well, blanks did not say he was unemployed. He said he has a contract with 2 months to go.”
For those who don’t read well, he said he has a contract with 2 months to go for his Internet Access.
Granted he’s boring and hard to follow, but if you’re going to try and help people who “don’t read well” at least make sure you’ve read it properly yourself ….
small c;
The U.S. government gives billions away to poor country’s but never mentioned is that they also tax those same country’s goods at twice the rate of others to get back every penny they send so charitably, never mention that to richie rich or they’ll presume you “mentally ill”.
HUD gives loans not handouts I’m from poor Ontario, Canada not Richberta or Richkatoon so I know these things.
The “poor” in North America are way better off than 95% of the rest of the world.
The ‘poor’ stay poor not because they don’t have money, but rather because they don’t wisely spend the money they get. Booze, smokes, lotto, trendy clothes and bling, drugs, junk food, big screen TVs, all sorts of disposable crap…it all adds up.
I’ve watched the ‘poor’ in the grocery stores with their carts full of processed junk food and ‘snacks’, hardly any nutritious food that actually requires cooking.
My charitable donations are to the local food bank. Real food [carrots, potatoes, cabbage, …etc.] all locally grown.
If education seems expensive, consider the real cost of ignorance. You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can’t make them think.
and yes I even notice that I’m boring but I’m no manbearpig, maybe worse actually?
oh boy, looks like ok and blanks are fighting for the poorest evah slot. whatever.
Been monetarily challenged all of my adult life, worked hard and raised 2 beautiful girls (sired by 1 deadbeat ex husband), have 2 grandchildren and another on the way. We have been blessed with good health, good sense, pride in our accomplishments and ourselves. No one can give that to you…or take it away.
Very interesting statistics. So a poor person in the US had on average more living space than I did a few years ago, had air conditioning which I didn’t have, etc.
I see the “poor” who have “disabilities” and many of them go looking for other doctors as I don’t buy into their “disabled” status. There are patients with true disabilities which I don’t mind filling out forms for as we still can’t treat paraplegia. I’ve also got paraplegic patients who are are far more active than some of my “totally disabled” patients. There’s a racket going on with various agencies who cater to these parasites even “helping” to the extent of filling out disability forms and asking the doctor to merely sign the form. An unscrupulous doctor could do that and split the $250 form fee with the agency but I’ve sent some rather nasty letters to them about what I think of their definitions of disability. I just refuse to do the forms now if it’s a heroin addict asking to collect disability benefits because of their “medical illness”. If they can work as a prostitute to pay for the heroin, then they should be able to put enough money away for rent which is a far smaller budget item.
The other thing I find hilarious are the grossly obese “poor” patients who come in asking me to sign forms so they can have more money for food. It’s time to go after the poverty industry that seeks to redefine poverty so that it can stay in business.
“sired by 1 deadbeat ex husband” amazing how that just happens.
Glad Canada’s social entitlements allowed you to move on from your evil donor and build a new life full of luxury and entitlements that you of course should be entitled to.
we can only wonder at such entrepreneurial spirit of some.
My brother has 5 kids and a full time job and makes more money from your govmint than if he had two full-time jobs. He also considers himself to be self -sufficient and independent. I don’t argue cuz he’s twice my size and not afraid to use it.
Blanks
I live not far from a business were they bring messicans in from centeral and south america as seasonal workers because they can’t get locals to do the work, so if yer not working, that means you ain’t trying. Yes, I live in suthern Ontario, and as a semi retired person I have to WORK hard at not over booking my time, as I don’t want to work 12/7.
So go out and find a job!!!!
Coincidence, GYM
Had a job in Leamington two months ago but my employer stole $4000.00 from me within 3 months, should I go back there and ask the pickle man for my job back, even while he’s being investigated?
Ever try looking for work without a telephone?
Internet or telephone? I can’t decide.
oh the messicans are good workers and anyone who says locals wont work is outright lieing, try getting hired, if your skin is white, you think I’m stupid.
I noted the fellow saying near the end of the video that the poor pay no taxes in the USA.
Posted by: Blanks at August 26, 2011 5:32 PM
———————————————
You should go back an listen again. He said that half of Americans pay no INCOME taxes.
And that’s true, they may pay income taxes but the grants and subsidies from the government results in a no net income tax for 52% of Americans.
Three more synergistic points:
1. Part of the reason the poor can afford these products after 10 years is because private enterprise continues to drive down their cost.
2. The two main drivers of increased cost and taxes are health care and education, which by now threaten the viability of most nations. They are both run by government. I wonder what they would cost if they were private.
3. Let’s say you’re poor and unemployed. Licensing and zoning restrictions make it illegal to grow veggies in the backyard, sell meals to your employed neighbors, or start almost any business including hair cutting, tax preparation or a taxi service, without major capital outlays, along with ongoing legal and other professional fees.
In spite of all these barriers, we have it pretty good. Imagine how fast the economy would grow if the government would just stop getting in the way and tell special interests to back off.
Thanks for the correction, Alex.
Good excuse for me: 83 and waiting for cataract surgery in both eyes. I can only improve.
I have an under 55 yr old living here 3/4 of the time who lost his $40,000. job due to downsizing, although his work record was excellent.
One of the handiest of handy men and will work for $15./hr in order to pay child support. Has had two jobs in companies that moved operations further complicating things.
But, luckily one trained him at no cost to be a bus driver and he’s now waiting for a call from a local company. Fingers crossed.
Try living with someone who is desperately trying not to lose hope.
In spite of all these barriers, we have it pretty good. Imagine how fast the economy would grow if the government would just stop getting in the way and tell special interests to back off.
Yeah, we all know that mining and O&G hardly every make messes and would quickly clean them up if they did. Who needs government regulations? Look at how successful China is without all those pesky environmental regulations to keep the air land and water clean.
“Hunger” is a word I’ve grown to detest from its liberal use.
Supposedly one out of every six Americans is “hungry” but I look around and see nothing but widespread obesity.
Hell, I’m hungry half the day.
99.9% of all human existence was overshadowed by uncertainty about the source or timing of one’s next meal. Nearly every animal and insect on the planet meets the definition of “hungry,” yet we have supposedly risen above this condition.
Frankly, a little more hunger might motivate some people to get off their lazy butts. It is precisely the ASSURANCE of food and shelter that keeps many people idle.
How did mankind survive for 200,000 years without the UN World Food Programme, food stamps or WIC?
And that’s true, they may pay income taxes but the grants and subsidies from the government results in a no net income tax for 52% of Americans.
According to who, whom? Rush Limbirg?
Need to see the proof.
Are they including the trillions of dollars in handouts to corporations over the last three years as grants and subsidies to the poor? By accounts then corporations must be net debtors. You need some proof to go with the pretty charts and ridiculous Limbaugh rhetoric. idiotic
Need to see the proof.
Use Google and search “Who pays the most income tax”