Redefining Poverty Upward

[Towntalk]

Quote me if I'm wrong but if Joe Whatever's net worth is $200,000.00 but his net income for each of the last two years has been $9,999.99 a year he will not be able to go on welfare since his bank account both savings and checking, any investments, and life insurance are well over the maximum that an individual can have.

An individuals net wealth is indeed a factor, and the agencies do keep track of welfare individuals net worth at least twice a year.

[Rick Rowlands]

The poverty calculation is based upon income, not individual wealth.  The government does not collect data on the net worth of individuals, so a millionaire who lives off of his investments and who has a bad year could qualify for government aid.

[iwasthere]

according to the article anyone that spends beyond their means canbe considered poor.

[irishbobcat]

Ricky: But the question is whether the information presented is truly objective?

[Rick Rowlands]

Dennis,

Your post just made me think of this article that i read this morning.  Number 5 applies here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/5-things-really-smart-peo_n_2243995.html

Five Things Really Smart People Do

5. Focus on the Message Not the Messenger

Often people shut out learning due to the person delivering the material. Whether it's a boring lecturer, someone physically unappealing, or a member of the opposite political party, the communicator can impact your learning. Even friends can disrupt the learning process since there may be too much history and familiarity to see them as an authority on a topic. Separate the material from the provider. Pretend you don't know the person or their beliefs so you can hear the information objectively. As for the boring person, focus on tip two, three, or four as if it were a game, thereby creating your own entertainment.

[irishbobcat]

Ah yes, the opinions of one Dustin Stockton, a major player in the Tea Party movement....

Oh course, his views and posts are not a wee bit bias or slanted.....

Keep drinking the kool-aid...Ricky! Enjoy!

[Rick Rowlands]

http://dustinstockton.com/2012/12/how-do-you-insure-an-ever-present-massive-welfare-state-by-defining-poverty-upwards/


"Politically, Republicans benefit from seeing Americans pulled up out of poverty while Democrats have heavy incentives to see as many poor Americans as possible. If the Democrats can't make people poor with their policies, then they'll just have to cook the books to make them appear poor."

To the government, poverty is nothing but a political tool to win votes.  Through changing the definition of poverty, it is now impossible for the poverty rate to ever decrease.