Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice;
Under President Obama’s new definitions, a family of four in Oakland is “near poor” if their annual pre-tax income is less than $89,700 plus medical insurance. In metropolitan Washington, D.C., the near-poverty line became $80,500. In New York, it’s now $78,500; in Boston, $68,900; and Chicago, $68,600.
One result: The income level for “near poverty” is now very close to the median household income in most communities. (Median income means half the households have more income and half have less.)
So it should be no surprise that, with these new standards, the Census Bureau “discovered” that almost half the U.S. population lives in or “near” poverty. The system is designed to produce that result.
The Obama administration’s new poverty measures are high-octane political propaganda. By dramatically expanding the definition of poverty (and near poverty), the administration furthers the president’s agenda to “spread the wealth.” By artificially inflating the number of Americans counted as poor or near poor, the administration expects to generate political pressure to expand the welfare state and raise taxes.
The poor will always be with us.
-Jesus of Nazareth c 20 AD
Sounds like Canada’s definition of ‘poor.’
Meanwhile, of course, “the rich” is defined down to begin at $250,000/year income (or is it $200K?).
Doesn’t leave much for a middle class. A few more tweaks, and the bourgeoisie can be “disappeared” entirely.
What the article doesn’t say (though another article on the topic did), is that assets aren’t included in this calculation of poverty, only income. So that Oakland family at $90K/year living in a fully-paid-off house, with three fully-paid-for cars etc etc, is still classified as “near poverty” under this scheme.
As to propaganda, I wonder how effective it will be. Tell the $40K/year self-employed carpenter that the $90K/year Oakland family could be getting social assistance out of his taxes isn’t likely to get that carpenter voting Democrat.
(Oh, and BTW, when Jesus spoke of the poor always being with us, he was referring to the poor in spirit, those who don’t have the sense of personal responsibility to care for themselves let alone others. And we find those people at all levels of wealth – witness those trust-fund babies in the Occupy movement.)
That and one in four women are beaten nearly to death annually. ( or yelled at, I forget which, it all counts in the stats anyway )
What did George Carlin say?
Something about, look how stupid the average person is, and then by definition half the people are stupider than that?
stats says crime rate is up. More money and police please and higher taxes. its the same bs wherever u go or whatever govt department.
As one who has earned around the Canadian poverty line income (around $26,000) for the last 15 years but has in that time managed to purchase a commercial building(almost paid for), a house (50% paid for), pickup, motor-home, 2 small trailers, a small boat and a Harley I think it is more a fact of good money management and the fact that I do not drink, eat out much, do drugs, or smoke. Any time I see someone panhandling or complaining they need more money who is also a smoker I see someone who is wasting $200 to $400 a month on smokes. When I purchased the Yamaha for $4800 I owned and rode for 13 years before my Harley I calculated that the money I saved from quitting smoking for the past 2 1/2 years paid for the Yamaha.
According to the Chretian Liberal government the definition of rich, 1n 2001, was earning in excess of %60,000 per year.
That was about $50,000USD at the time.
So rich Canadians are poorer than poor Americans.
Proving yet again that George Carlin was bad at math.
speaking of George Carlin, do a youtube lookup on his routine about whittling the 10 commandments down to one.
SDA right wingers will identify with the part about coveting being the basis of the entire US economy.
Posted by: Lord of the Fleas at December 17, 2011 11:47 AM
your post made me think about how many jobs where I saw kickbacks and corruption in so called “poor”
people.
I still don’t own a big screen TV.
Carlin wasn’t too good with word definitions either.
In 1994, while raising three kids on a combined income that was below the StatsCan poverty line, we sold the house we were in and bought a larger one, traded a used mini-van in for a brand new one, and managed to pay all the bills, etc.
Meanwhile, a couple we knew at the time engaged in a false separation and she moved back to Ontario and immediately began collecting welfare benefits for herself and her three daughters. She sent $1000 per month of her available cash out to her husband in Alberta. He was still working, and 11 months later she returned, on a plane ticket paid for by the Ontario govt., and they used the money they had saved up to go to Disneyland for two weeks, and buy new appliances.
Sheesh. And I had to pay my own way to Disneyland.
Convince more people that they are poor and you increase the number of foot soldiers in the class war.
This is smart. Look at all the poor people we have now since I became your leader.
Oberama’s thinking defies all reason, but Abe is most likely correct. More foot soldiers in the class war.
He grasps that words have life and he can speak life or despair into his besotted followers.
Unfortunately, he always seems to speak despair. But, give him credit, he always ends his doom messages with a charming personable smile that is meant to inspire hope. Like a false messiah.
What fools the Americans are if they don’t vote Republican next time and get this snake charmer out of politics.
My wife and I would not claim poverty unless we were indigent – pride, you know. Anyone earning $80000 and claiming poverty is a moral trainwreck.
foobert
“And I had to pay my own way to Disneyland”
you could have just driven to Ottawa, and had equal entertainment value:-)))
and yup, like some in here, never made the BIG bucks, yet did OK all my life. Ya just have to learn that “math is hard” is three words, not two:-))))
Posted by: GYM at December 17, 2011 4:54 PM
LOL so true, and sad but true good.
🙂
Ummmmmm. I and my better half “survive” on 3800/month(post tax). Our home is paid off.Our F-150 and Neon are paid off. Our 34′ 5th wheel is paid off.Our acreage at the lake with said 5th is paid off. In Feb of 2012,we are buying,cash down,our new home(paid off one sold)with lake frontage.How the hell did we manage this? Don’t smoke,drink very little,make our own meals,our “big screen” is 29″,make our own entertainment with friends,and invested well in 40 years of working.Opppssss…..there’s the nasty word…work. And yet according to the gubermint,we are poor.So do I have to buy a 80″ screen big TV to be not poor?