Takes just a little bit of time to load, and well worth watching. Thought provoking in a media byte way -
[ March 21, 2004, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: Shan ]
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Yes and no.
Obviously, they're promoting an organization, so they have to paint the bleakest picture. However, they left out a lot.
For example, in NYC a MetroCard is $840/year for unlimited bus and subway usage. Many employers pay for their employees' MetroCards and there are also many ways to get discounts. All students in NYC public schools get free MetroCards during the school year.
There are also many places that offer child care discounts. The YMCA has many children on financial aid and gives full rides to many underprivilged children.
On the other hand, I think they underestimated the health care costs. There are so many health plans where people end up paying out the ear, despite their coverage.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Hi Mrs. M!
There are indeed many caring and concerned folks/agencies out there that help as much as they can, I know. But that still doesn't make a dent in the overall problem.
That last slide showing all the usual sorts of things that get left behind after the "basics" are somehow met kind of bugged my eyes - too fast. Maybe that was the point . . .
Anyway - I liked the show because I hadn't seen it put quite so succintly before -
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
I don't really understand how America, who prides itself in having the largest economy in the world can have such a high poverty rate. Can someone explain this to me?
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Yogi, if you compare poverty in our country to poverty in much of the rest of the world...
It can get desperately bad here, but in so many places the worst case for an American is the daily life of much of the population.
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
Yeah, but my point is that America is supposed to have the largest economy in the world and still there are people living in desperate poverty.
My question is why?
[ March 22, 2004, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: St. Yogi ]
Posted by luthe (Member # 1601) on :
It depends on your definition of poverty. No one (or few enough not to matter) starves in the USA.
Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
I think there is a hidden agenda behind that child care thing that sent the family into the red. They probably want socialized child care, birth control, or free abortions. Anybody at the poverty level is going to find a way around spending one-fourth of their income on child care.
Hold on, that's the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. So they're not advocating abortion or birth control.
[ March 22, 2004, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: skillery ]
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
It's a crying shame, St. Yogi. I don't have an answer.
Even our poorest don't have life as bad as, say, someone in a third world country starving, family dead of AIDS, and children trying to raise children. But that does not excuse the good ole U.S.A. from the huge (and widening) gap between the haves and have-nots. It's particularly distressing when you take a look at such things as infant mortality (a rate easily lessened by such mundane and trivial items as adequate nutrition and reasonable access to medical care during pregnancy as well as post-partum.)
It's even more distressing, the poverty in this oh so wealthy country, when you see how deeply this country significantly impacts economics and poverty and health worldwide.
Besides, luthe makes such a valid point - what's the big deal if a couple million citizens live barely hand-to-mouth and suffer from the effects of malnutrition, lack of access to medical/dental care, and all the stressors that go along with living in poverty. They don't really count for anything, do they? Pardon my sarcasm.
Posted by BrianM (Member # 5918) on :
That link is incorrect. The Bush administration lowered the poverty level from 18k to 15k to try and make the economy look better. Even under that altered system though, the poverty rate from 2000-2002 more than doubled from 5% to 11%. Another side effect of Bush lowering the poverty level is that all those people between 15k-18k that were recieving benefits no longer do so.
![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Pardon my sarcasm.