Forum Post: 1 out of 2 Americans? Sad.
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 15, 2011, 6:29 a.m. EST by divineright
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How this does not outrage every single American is beyond me.
Snazzy propaganda posters? I really have no idea...
I would much rather have a job than food stamps. Perhaps if OWS would work on government getting out of the way of business and stop spending more money than they take in and reduce the burden of taxation on our economy, we would have more jobs and less of a call for government to support people.
Government is not the answer.
I'm not one for a growing government either (especially when it comes to this ever growing push into a militarized police state), but I think we have to realize that it's not possible to get by on the minimum wage we allow anymore (and raising it is a concern for small businesses). The sad part is, many people are better off collecting government benefits than going back to work at a pathetic wage and losing those benefits. The system is broken in so many ways I'll agree it's hard to get a foothold and begin. I think the small business owners and low wage earners definitely would be the first place to direct tax relief. The trickle down theory has had long enough to show it's value and has proven it isn't working for the USA.
This just isn't factual. You cannot live on welfare, receive food stamps, and medicade except in certain situations that involve children.
The vast majority want a job are are taking any reasonable job. The problem we are experiencing is that there are no jobs.
I can only speak to Wisconsin, but then again we have Badgercare. It is becoming more restrictive however and moving to cut out males (which I think is anti-equality, but hey...we are moving away from all kinds of rights in this country). Many people are actively seeking ssi due to physical and mental health conditions because there is no other foreseeable relief for them. I'm not disagreeing that most are taking a "reasonable" job, and completely agree there are few life sustainable jobs out there.
No one in the KTC takes handouts!
The Revolution has a new theme song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L-GOHa5-YQ
http://occupywallst.org/forum/in-the-name-of-allah/
The Revolution starts here!
"Insufficient nutrition puts children at risk for illness and weakens their immune system. The immature immune systems of young children, ages 0 – 5, make them especially vulnerable to nutritional deprivation and as a result, the ability to learn, grow, and fight infections is adversely affected. Consequently, without the proper nutritional intake children are at risk for poor health and hospitalization. Research reveals, in comparison to food secure children, children from food insecure families are 90 percent more likely to be in fair or poor health and have 30 percent higher rates of hospitalization. Not only does the lack of sufficient nutrition take a tool on a child’s health but has economic consequences for families as well. The average cost for a single hospitalization for pediatric illness is $11,300." http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger/physical-and-mental-health.aspx
One hospitalization on minimum wage and you end up in financial devastation.
I thought American kids were getting fatter, not being starved?
Not too bright. It is obvious that you have never suffered actual hunger and know nothing of the symptoms.
People that are poor are forced to consume fatty foods. It is either that are suffer starvation. Ever seen the behavior of a child that has experienced starvation? It is very sad, and once they are given a proper diet it takes years for them to overcome the trauma of starvation.
I suggest that you try living on the food purchased at Angel Food Ministries for one year. Then we will check your weight. If you have eaten the food to avoid starvation then you will be much heavier. If you choose the alternative, not eating, then you will have symptoms of malnutrition. You may even get malnutrition while eating such food. Finally, when you have no money you can only afford the worst quality food.
If you had ever suffered hunger you would not even consider asking such an ignorant question.
I just asked because I live in Indonesia where a lot of children suffer from malnutrition. They are not fat like American kids.
BlueRose is describing maslow's hierarchy of needs. Those at the bottom suffer from food insecurity and over eat when they can. Also, stress leads to a sorry metabolism, which makes food processing less efficient. This is my hypothisis that i get from reading clinical studies. If you'd like, here it is..
Occupy the Border. If you're upset about poverty, at least have the brains to stop importing more. Mass immigration of unskilled people with high birth rates has aggravated our poverty problem. When someone crosses our border with a 6th grade education, 10 years out, they aren't doing brain surgery, they're still cleaning toilets and they're still poor... by then, their kids are too.
Actually the 2010 census shows 15.1% in poverty and not 50% which is 1 out of 2.
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2010/table4.pdf
The median wage in America is $26,000. That means that 1 out of 2 Americans earn less than $26,000. That is what they are talking about here, that 1 out of 2 Americans are low wage earners.
I am not sure where you get your numbers however acording to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics the median wage in America is $44,410
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000
If you want to do better than that you need to work to be better than average. You need to improve your situation by working harder. This means either educating yourself of wroking a second job. If you save and plan, you can start you own business.
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. " --Benjamin Franklin
Sorry. I haven't had enough coffee. Forgot the link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/the-median-us-wage-in-2010-was-just-26363-government-reports/2011/10/20/gIQAdabX0L_blog.html
Here's a link to one article about the statistic that 50% of Americans earn $26,000 or less.
I don't agree with you. If employers are going to be so stingy with their profits that wages are this low it matters not how hard you work. The share of the pie is just not there. They're not sharing it with the workers.
The problem is that you are pointing to the individual wage which is different from the houshold wage. There is often two or more people working in a houshold. Also some folks work a second job.
You have a point, but you can't deny that a wage of less than $26,000 for 1/2 of all Americans is a good thing. I think it is pathetic.
Note that the article is not only about those at or below the poverty level, but also low wage earners. I think we can reasonably see you can't support a human being in the USA with income significantly above minimum wage.
Look at this chart, we suck.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Poverty_Index
"Doctors at Boston Medical Center's Grow Clinic, which provides assistance to children diagnosed with "failure to thrive," say they have seen a dramatic increase in the number of children they treat who are dangerously thin. " "The number of children living in poverty in the U.S. is up nearly 20 percent from 2000, according to the NCCP, because of higher unemployment and foreclosures."
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/US/hunger-children-america-slow-steady-starvation/story?id=14328390#.TunrJtVLT1U
And we still are led to believe we are #1...maybe military, but I think we have to pass the torch when you take into consideration taking care of our own people...
"People who never thought they would need food are in need of help," said Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, Mo., who co-chairs a mayors' task force on hunger and homelessness."
This is revolting. Every time I hear Boehner speak, he makes me physically ill. WHAT have they done to their own people?
I think its funny that if we reduced unemployment benefits, far less people would be unemployed. hell, if i got fired you better believe id take 2 years of sittin on my ass instead of looking for another job
I went through a period of unemployment and couldn't believe the money that was available. If I didn't have a degree already, I could have gone back to school, I had money available for groceries that far exceeded what I could spend as a working person, there was energy assistance + other benefits. I went back to work, but it was to my own financial detriment at the time. This is when I realized how horribly broken our system really is.