The three Americas

What were the monetary cut-offs for the rich, middle class and poor.

Jalbert

Rich: More than $100,000

The Poor: Less than $15,569.

That most of the poor are gay and can't get married?  

I assume the pattern you were reaching for was that education is the key to making money. And that making money is the key to success and happiness.   And the world would be a better place if those damn poor people would just get educated.    But dont help them out with any tax curve that would actually help the situation.

In retort to Jeremy's statement about tax curves or cuts, how in the hell can you cut taxes tht the poor aren't even paying? Give them money (tax credits) for not getting off their butts? How insensitive we must be not to just hand over our money hand over fist to support the fringe lazy. If you really study this poor situation, you will find that the poor don't stay poor very long. The vast majority are only going through a phase. Poor is a very dynamic population.

The first step that the poor need to take is to get jobs.

If they can't get jobs, the second question is to find out why they can't get jobs.

To me, the most telling part is this:

97% of BOTH the rich and middle class work full time. But only 23% of the poor work full time.

The stats don't tell WHY they don't work. But it seems pretty clear: Poor people don't generally have full time jobs.

Are you saying it makes you higher class to be married? That pisses me off a little. THat part of the stat's doesn't fit.

Trinitie

"97% of BOTH the rich and middle class work full time. But only 23% of the poor work full time. "

man you are the master of stating the obvious. so if you have a job you get money and if you don't, you don't?? is that your point? so i could say 97% of caucasians have white skin. man that is brilliant.

and if you look around some, you'll see that current job growth can't even keep up with the population. people can't get jobs because there are fewer and fewer available. there is this thing we live in called Reality.

Why do the poor need more money to help them pass high school? When I went to high school, everything was free.

man you are the master of stating the obvious. so if you have a job you get money and if you don't, you don't?? is that your point? so i could say 97% of caucasians have white skin. man that is brilliant.

It does disprove the theory that the poor are hardworking individuals with 80 hour jobs who are being screwed by the system.

and if you look around some, you'll see that current job growth can't even keep up with the population. people can't get jobs because there are fewer and fewer available. there is this thing we live in called Reality.

Don't poor people have more children than rich people? If so, it seems as though they're digging their own graves.

Indeed. I assume from here on out that Jeff will leap to my defense when I state "the obvious" that the reason why most poor people are poor is becaue they don't work. You have left wing extremists claiming that the poor are hard working people who have gotten screwed big corporations or some other imaginary boogeyman.

As for being married or not -- well, given that both rich and middle class people tend to be married and poor people tend to be single, it does indicate that being married helps.

In the first place, this is almost ten years old. In the second place, LMAO about the middle class, and in the third place so what?

But do you feel better now?

So, you are effectively saying that 77% of America's poor are just lazy?

There couldn't possibly be any mitigating circumstances as to why they aren't working full time whatsoever? that would be a gross assumption... wasn't their an article about homemakeing being a job? Try and call those stay at home mums who earn Less than $15,569 lazy...

I guess they really need a kick up the backside, eveidently that would solve all the social problems.

BAM!!!

Brad Wardell- You are the first person I have ever said so what to. I have always thought of so and so what as snotty, rude comments and I said it to you. Why do I feel like every time I post something about poverty, you take as it as a personal attack against you? So what is not in my nature.

heehee. the meaningful analysis effectively ended at post #8 by jeff allison.

data in post doesn't sufficiently illustrate cause / effect.

Muggaz: I'm not saying they're lazy. I am just posting the stats.

My analysis is as follows:

Poor people are poor because they don't have jobs to earn money. (duh right?)

THey don't have jobs because of one of the following reasons:
a) They didn't finish high school which makes them unqualified for many jobs
They're lazy
c) They're disabled
d) They have a small child without child care during the day which prevents them from working

Sometimes D is related to A - they had a child while a teenager which kept them from finishing high school leaving them to take care of the child AND not be qualified for most jobs.


Wisefawn: Do you have some reason to think that the statistics have changed in the most recent census?

E) there is no job available for them

And why would there be no job for them, Jeff? Because they're not qualified for any of the available jobs? And why would that be?

g) They have medical bills they can't pay

h) They are homeless, and thus have no shower, mailbox or phone

i) Their car broke down

And more... which you can read about here

Wow, All he did was post statistics and even the amiable WiseFawn snaps like an old dried rubberband.

Crikey!

Why do people have to champion the 'poor' like it was the holy crusade? Being "poor" is more about making the wrong choices.

To get out of Poor means making the right choices.

It IS a dynamic position. A person can go from poor one year to rich the next. It isn't a completely stagnant position.

A person can go from poor one year to rich the next.

I know that the thrust of your argument is that the poor can lift themselves up, but this statement seems a bit hyperbolic.