[Vanity] FReepers: define "poor"

ctdonath2

[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"?

[rey]

Lacking in something essential?

Our president is a man of poor character.

[MNJohnnie]

if you can afford a cell phone, you are not “poor”.

[IYAS9YAS]

No means to better your condition.

[ShadowAce]

Poor is when you do not have what you need to survive.

Rich is when you have what you need and want.

There are no poor in America due to welfare/zer0Care/Obamaphones/SNAP/etc.

[rbg81]

“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).

[jsanders2001]

“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.

[going hot]

Not having a pot under the bed to piss in?

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

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.

[Resolute Conservative]

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.

[toast]

“broke” is a temporary cash flow issue that can be rectified with a some effort.

“poor” is a chronic state of mind.

[rbg81]

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.

[goodnesswins]

usually (but NOT always) bad habits

[Responsibility2nd]

Good article here...

 

Most Americans have less than $1,000 in savings

Wednesday, October 07, 2015 11:08:27 PM      · by TigerClaws      · 27 replies

MarketWatch ^

      Americans are living right on the edge — at least when it comes to financial planning. Approximately 62% of Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings accounts and 21% don’t even have a savings account, according to a new survey of more than 5,000 adults conducted this month by Google Consumer Survey for personal finance website GOBankingRates.com. “It’s worrisome that such a large percentage of Americans have so little set aside in a savings account,” says Cameron Huddleston, a personal finance analyst for the site. “They likely don’t have cash reserves to cover an emergency and will have to...

 

 

If this is true, I'd say that 62% of Americans are poor.

[Ingtar]

It seems that in current usage it is, “You have something that I do not.”

[ctdonath2]

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.

[Kirkwood]

Why do you want to know?

[ctdonath2]

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.

[Responsibility2nd]

Another good article that defines "Poor".

 

Nearly Half of Americans Are ‘Financially Fragile’

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 1:46:22 PM      · by rightwingintelligentsia      · 143 replies

Wall Street Journal Blogs ^ | May 25, 2011 | Phil Izzo

      Nearly half of Americans say that they definitely or probably couldn’t come up with $2,000 in 30 days, according to new research, raising concerns about the financial fragility of many households. In a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business, Daniel J. Schneider of Princeton University and Peter Tufano of Harvard Business School used data from the 2009 TNS Global Economic Crisis survey to document widespread financial weakness in the U.S. and other countries. The survey asked a simple question, “If you were to face a $2,000 unexpected expense...

[ctdonath2]

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.