Another Question For The Board Leftists: Define Poor

[NJCardFan]

Just like the title says, define poor. Because once again I'm trying to put a little perspective on things going on right now. All we hear about is the plight of the poor in this country but the actual definition of poor is murky at best. I see people who identify themselves as poor and yet bestow upon themselves luxuries that even I don't have. I remember my dad and step mom used to call themselves poor even though they owned a 5 bedroom house, 2 cars, and they used to take trips everywhere. I believe that the term poor, like most terms the left uses(racism) has become so bastardized that it's true meaning they wouldn't recognize if it bit them in the ass. My Grandmother, God rest her, traveled extensively and she used to tell us of what poor really was. She'd been to Africa, China, India where people are truly poor so I, again, ask, define poor.

[marv]

From my conservative point of view, "poor", like "rich", is a relative attitude. If you have to settle for hamburger while your neighbor eats steak, you think you're poor. But if you have food on the table, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, you can't be poor.

The self-image of "being poor" is the product of indolent jealousy.

[Novaheart]

Just like the title says, define poor. .

This one is easy, I defined this term years ago.

Broke is when you are out of cash. Poor is when your friends don't return your calls.

[Novaheart]

Just like the title says, define poor. Because once again I'm trying to put a little perspective on things going on right now. All we hear about is the plight of the poor in this country but the actual definition of poor is murky at best. I see people who identify themselves as poor and yet bestow upon themselves luxuries that even I don't have. I remember my dad and step mom used to call themselves poor even though they owned a 5 bedroom house, 2 cars, and they used to take trips everywhere. I believe that the term poor, like most terms the left uses(racism) has become so bastardized that it's true meaning they wouldn't recognize if it bit them in the ass. My Grandmother, God rest her, traveled extensively and she used to tell us of what poor really was. She'd been to Africa, China, India where people are truly poor so I, again, ask, define poor.

The oddest line in To Kill A Mockingbird is when Scout asks Atticus "Are we poor?" and Atticus replies, "We surely are." This despite the fact that they lived in one of the nicer homes of Jackass Flats, had electricity, indoor plumbing, and hot water, a housekeeper, a car, new clothes, and the head of household was a prominent citizen.

I'm pretty sure the dad who works day labor, lives in a motel with his kid, and walks to work to save bus fare is poor. We have a lot of that going on near here. But I have always said that the poorest of the poor are the rural poor. They tend to have a lot less than the urban poor, and certainly less than the professionally poor.

[Odysseus]

This one is easy, I defined this term years ago.

Broken is when you are out of cash. Poor is when your friends don't return your calls.

I think that you are confusing poor with obnoxious.

The US has a definitive line for poverty, below which, one is supposedly poor. However, the vast majority of the people below this line have cars, TVs, cell phones, computers, air conditioning and all of the other assorted trappings that my father's generation would have associated with unbelievable prosperity. Many of them even own their own homes. The number one nutritional issue is not hunger but obesity. Clearly, the government's standard of poverty accounts for a level of affluence that the poor of other countries can only dream of.

[NJCardFan]

Even though 95% of the time I'm cash strapped, I'd never even dream that I'm poor. When I lived in Arizona, I had to sell my returns from my Sara Lee route at the flea market on weekends for food money. And I still didn't consider myself poor. Dinesh D'Souza wrote in one of his books that while he was in India(his homeland), he would often listen to people dreaming of coming to America. He asked this one man why he wanted to go to America and the man said that he wanted to go where the poor people are fat.

[Novaheart]

I think that you are confusing poor with obnoxious.

The US has a definitive line for poverty, below which, one is supposedly poor. However, the vast majority of the people below this line have cars, TVs, cell phones, computers, air conditioning and all of the other assorted trappings that my father's generation would have associated with unbelievable prosperity. Many of them even own their own homes. The number one nutritional issue is not hunger but obesity. Clearly, the government's standard of poverty accounts for a level of affluence that the poor of other countries can only dream of.

Which is why we have modifiers.

IN many parts of the world, owning land is considered the difference between poverty and prosperity, and yet as Americans we know that there are people in this country who own land who are indeed poor by today's standards as well as those of 1930 or 1880. You can own land, and a horse, and a plow, and still be poor.

Abject poverty on the other hand is something we don't associate with owning land. Once you have sold all that you have, are living in a cold water shack, and earning barely enough to keep you alive we consider you inarguably poor. I suppose that the starving people in Biafra would consider a desperate family in Appalachia to be well off by comparison, but then a man who is bleeding to death might prefer to have cancer if it meant he had six more months to live.

[Novaheart]

Even though 95% of the time I'm cash strapped, I'd never even dream that I'm poor. When I lived in Arizona, I had to sell my returns from my Sara Lee route at the flea market on weekends for food money. And I still didn't consider myself poor. Dinesh D'Souza wrote in one of his books that while he was in India(his homeland), he would often listen to people dreaming of coming to America. He asked this one man why he wanted to go to America and the man said that he wanted to go where the poor people are fat.

I've never considered myself poor, even when I had little money and only my personal possessions, but technically I was. The difference as I see it is not in perspective but in outlook. When I was finding myself in California, at any time I could get on a plane (or hitch hike I suppose) and return to a middle class life in suburban Maryland. I was choosing to live in a very expensive place, and eventually decided it wasn't worth it.

BTW, there is an excellent documentary about the Appalachian migration to Cleveland. It was unique in several ways, including that these people as a rule did own land, and did have family back up. They lived like refugees in Cleveland during the week, and piled into a car and returned to the land on weekends for emotional health.

[NJCardFan]

The point is that the left is making it sound like we have people starving in the streets. I mean, look at these idiots complaining about health insurance. I hear people complaining about it all the time...then see them jump into a Mercedes or an Escalade and drive off. I think that maybe, and that's a big maybe, .000000001% of this country's population can be considered straight up dirt, don't have 2 nickels to rub together, eating ketchup soup 3 times a day poor. The rest have their priorities out of whack.

[MrsSmith]

Some guidelines for truly poor:

Not enough money to smoke or drink

Not enough money to run an air conditioner

Not enough money to run a dishwasher

Not enough money to run a dryer if you can possibly hang clothes out

No one gets new clothes until you've exhausted every chance of finding them at a garage sale, thrift store or any other source of hand-me-downs. If you can sew them, you do. If you can make them by cutting down a larger item that no one wears, you do.

1/2 your food is bagged, dried beans or rice. If you have meat, it's hamburger, pig's feet, chicken drumsticks, or whatever happens to be on the best sale. When a neighbor gives you a few pounds of venison, you nearly cry.

You roll pennies to fill the prescription for your sick kid, and beg the Dr. office to wait until your next check for their money

It goes without saying, but no cable, internet, cell phone, etc.

If you can swing a car, you balance best gas mileage with purchase price. Looks don't count at all, but mechanical condition does.

You set your thermostat at 60 during the winter. If someone gets sick, you run a radiator style electric heater in their room because that takes the least money to heat the space.