Posted on 10/08/2015 8:25:57 AM PDT by ctdonath2
Having run into the problem of sociopolitical discussion & policy-making based on an undefined term, I'd like FReepers' input. There is much discussion & arguing about "poverty", from a UN definition of $1.25/day to American Leftist demands for "living wages" and a $15/hr minimum wage plus free healthcare and other luxurious demands as minimum requirements delineating "poor". The US "poverty line" is some 20x that of world median income, placing "barely not poor" in the world's 80th percentile of wealth. There's a lot of people whose careers depend on a very fluid definition of "poor", ensuring that whatever it is they're always profitably in need. So, to get away from the incoherent rantings about a sociopolitically charged term defined so broadly as to be little more than "not rich" in common use, please address my question:
Objectively, what constitutes "poor"?
Lacking in something essential?
Our president is a man of poor character.
if you can afford a cell phone, you are not “poor”.
No means to better your condition.
Rich is when you have what you need and want.
There are no poor in America due to welfare/zer0Care/Obamaphones/SNAP/etc.
“Poor” - When you are already living frugally (e.g., no new car, no expensive cell phone plans, no eating out regularly, etc) and can barely afford the basic necessities (e.g., paying the rent, keeping the lights on, etc).
“poor” means many things to different people depending on their conditioning. Poor for most Congressmen would be stepping down amd livinv in a half million dollar home and having to drive a two year old Lexus instead of a brand new one. For African children it would be eating 3 times a week instead of 5 days a week. It varies according to what one is accustomed to. I think its more defined by the amount of financial stress and its effects on the individual.
Not having a pot under the bed to piss in?
Poverty is relative. I’d say if you have difficulty making ends meet to pay for essentials (AFTER you’ve cut out extras like cable TV, vacations, $110 monthly cell-phone bill), then you’re poor.
Poor is looking your children in the face and telling them they won’t eat today or snuggle each other to stay warm while the heat is being “fixed”.
Not poor is you are telling them to cut back on their data usage.
“broke” is a temporary cash flow issue that can be rectified with a some effort.
“poor” is a chronic state of mind.
I do not consider people who are “poor” who are struggling due to things like credit card debt from buying unnecessary stuff. Just stupid.
That being said, it’s another story if you are using your credit card to pay your necessary expenses (e.g., car repair, food, etc). Many poor people are forced to do this.
usually (but NOT always) bad habits
It seems that in current usage it is, “You have something that I do not.”
One angle I want addressed: what is the objective minimums a human needs for sensible sustenance? To wit: minimum caloric intake, nutrients, living space, heat (BTUs), information/communication, medical maintenance, etc.
Why do you want to know?
That’s why I’m asking the question. Everybody is arguing about different things. I want an objective bright line, followed by quantitative variations of geography/society/etc.
Why? because I’m being bombarded with rhetoric about “poverty”, who’s responsible for it, and what should be done - but NOBODY is discussing what it _is_. I’d like to find an objective quantified definition, simplify it to a compelling soundbite, and use it to stop the madness of “living wage” and “income inequality” and “minimum wage” et al.
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