Quote:
Originally Posted by BestXXXPorn
This is complete bullshit... Every study shows that poverty is not static for those willing to work. The rich get richer and the poor get richer... that's the REAL trend...
True poverty is virtually non existent in the United States today... just compare the poverty line with other countries in the world.
" In 1971, only about 32 percent of all Americans enjoyed air conditioning in their homes. By 2001, 76 percent of poor people had air conditioning. In 1971, only 43 percent of Americans owned a color television; in 2001, 97 percent of poor people owned at least one. In 1971, 1 percent of American homes had a microwave oven; in 2001, 73 percent of poor people had one. Forty-six percent of poor households own their homes. Only about 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. The average poor American has more living space than the average non-poor individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities.
Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars. Seventy-eight percent of the poor have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception; and one-third have an automatic dishwasher."
I can cite plenty of facts to back up my claims...
|
Just because someone has a color TV or a DVD player (I can get a color TV off of Craiglist for $30 and a new DVD player for the same) and has a microwave doesn't mean the poor is getting more wealthy. It means these things are becoming more affordable.
Take for example the VCR. I was in grade school when they first came out and they were anywhere from $1500-$2000. That is a lot of money now, even more so back then. Almost nobody had them. As they got cheaper and cheaper more people got them.
Here are some real numbers.
From 1980 to 2007 the average household income in the US went up $7804. That is an average of $289 per year or about .6% increase each year. Average inflation during those years was anywhere between 1%-2% with many years in the early 80% near 10%. This means that over the last 27 years the average US wage earner has not even seen their wages increase at the rate of inflation. So cost of living is actually outpacing wage increases.
Meanwhile the top 1% saw their personal wealth increase 232% during that same time period.
I'm not begrudging the top 1%, I'm just pointing out that during a time when the average wage earner wasn't even keeping pace with inflation the richest 1% saw their average income nearly triple.