The poor in America

[coadie]

Originally Posted by aegsm76

This is a little old, (2007), but I could not find anything newer.

•Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three bedroom house with one and a half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
•Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
•Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two thirds have more than two rooms per person.
•The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
•Nearly three quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
•Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
•Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
•Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Rep...rty-in-America

Great list and article. Based on that, about 10 % of the poor are real poor.

10% may lack running water, electricity at some time in the year and lack housing. Lack having their own transportation to work if they can get a job.

[coadie]

Originally Posted by Socialite

That's your discussion to have if you'd like. And you can beat a competition drum and award a brownie point. It wasn't the intent of this thread, and only became
such when government-GOP hounds took over,
trampling the topic of poverty, and
spitting on poor people in the process,
referring to
"them" as "leeches" and "lazy people."

Instead of a role call of who is helping, we should ask, what can be done? I'm not indicting an entire social class -- there's enough generalizations in this thread. There are generous philanthropists, scores of Christians, charities, etc doing work here and abroad. There are also middle-class and even poor people helping other poor people. I personally know a man, so radical about bringing hope to the homeless, that he gave up an expensive apartment and moved into their neighborhood (the section of town the homeless are confined in). So your question is answered in a rainbow of colors and a multiple of ways. But it's really not the question.

How we view poverty, how we perceive poor people, and how we see our personal obligation toward them is a Gospel issue, with the only alternative being evil. We can disagree on the topic of how much government policy should be involved in this, where it can be helpful, where it can actually hurt, etc... but what should not be contentious is compassion, mercy and justice.

I strongly encourage anyone interested in this topic to take the time and watch the video I posted. Keller does a wonderful job of describing our biblical mandate, a theology for compassion, and then later even addresses the misdirection of political ideologues. He's a fair and balanced guy But more importantly, he's a guy that brings the Gospel to bear in every situation.

Is there a benefit if you being the one to introduce inflammatory rhetoric?

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by coadie

Is there a benefit if you being the one to introduce inflammatory rhetoric?

Was that a coherent sentence?

And what's up with the multiple-colored, random highlighting?

The reply wasn't to you either, and I don't think onefaith would view my overall post as inflammatory.

Your first post on this thread was a Barack Obama quote that had nothing to do with the thread. And of course, subsquently, the entire thread turned into a conservative ramble about how welfare is broken, poor people are lazy, and the government has a secret agenda to actually hurt poor people. Go phone a talk radio show if you want to throw out your random, illogical statements.

This is the conspiracy, GOP-hounding I'm referring to. Everything is a political polemic.

[coadie]

Originally Posted by Socialite

Was that a coherent sentence?

And what's up with the multiple-colored, random highlighting?

The reply wasn't to you either, and I don't think onefaith would view my overall post as inflammatory.

Your first post on this thread was a Barack Obama quote that had nothing to do with the thread. And of course, subsquently, the entire thread turned into a conservative ramble about how welfare is broken, poor people are lazy, and the government has a secret agenda to actually hurt poor people. Go phone a talk radio show if you want to throw out your random, illogical statements.

This is the conspiracy, GOP-hounding I'm referring to. Everything is a political polemic.

Why are you bullying poverty into a political big gubment agenda?

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by coadie

Why are you bullying poverty into a political big gubment agenda?

Classic Coadie. Please show me where I did, hinted at that, said that... you can use anywhere in this thread. You are an habitual hallucinator.

Isn't there a conspiracy to solve or something online?

And I'll just tell you now, that if you use your "gubment' caricature of poor people one more time, I will most definitely report you to the "Big Gubment" of AFF

[onefaith2]

Originally Posted by coadie

I can't use the urban dictionary. It has too much vulgarity mixed in.

you would use a word that defined in it though..

Yeh i deleted those

[onefaith2]

Originally Posted by Socialite

That's your discussion to have if you'd like. And you can beat a competition drum and award a brownie point. It wasn't the intent of this thread, and only became such when government-GOP hounds took over, trampling the topic of poverty, and spitting on poor people in the process, referring to "them" as "leeches" and "lazy people."

Instead of a role call of who is helping, we should ask, what can be done? I'm not indicting an entire social class -- there's enough generalizations in this thread. There are generous philanthropists, scores of Christians, charities, etc doing work here and abroad. There are also middle-class and even poor people helping other poor people. I personally know a man, so radical about bringing hope to the homeless, that he gave up an expensive apartment and moved into their neighborhood (the section of town the homeless are confined in). So your question is answered in a rainbow of colors and a multiple of ways. But it's really not the question.

How we view poverty, how we perceive poor people, and how we see our personal obligation toward them is a Gospel issue, with the only alternative being evil. We can disagree on the topic of how much government policy should be involved in this, where it can be helpful, where it can actually hurt, etc... but what should not be contentious is compassion, mercy and justice.

I strongly encourage anyone interested in this topic to take the time and watch the video I posted. Keller does a wonderful job of describing our biblical mandate, a theology for compassion, and then later even addresses the misdirection of political ideologues. He's a fair and balanced guy But more importantly, he's a guy that brings the Gospel to bear in every situation.

Wow i have no idea why you responded to my post in such a way. I was simply provoking a thought. No need to explain this to me. I believe in helping the needy.

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by onefaith2

Wow i have no idea why you responded to my post in such a way. I was simply provoking a thought. No need to explain this to me. I believe in helping the needy.

In such a way? I'm lost...

I just think it's the wrong question, onefaith. And if you pan out and listen to the overall discussion, you'll realize my response has little to do with you.

[coadie]

Originally Posted by onefaith2

Wow i have no idea why you responded to my post in such a way. I was simply provoking a thought. No need to explain this to me. I believe in helping the needy.

Did you get the big sermon?

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by coadie

Did you get the big sermon?

Do you disagree with the "sermon?"

If so, why?

That 'sermon' is all I've been talking about on the thread. And to pretend it's not an issue in Christianity, and in Apostolica is putting your head in the sand. Judging by the remarks even on this thread, while articulating on and on about government philosophy, the attitudes towards who poor were, and more importantly, a completely inability to identify who the poor are -- or even what it means to be "poor." What is poverty?

But you'd rather sit back and call them "lazy" and call me a "Leftist." It's like a mentally ill person who just randomly sounds off arbitrary subjects... except we are to believe you aren't mentally ill, which is why it's just funny to most.