The amazing thing is the poor here are wealthier than the middle class in most of Europe.What is also amazing is that we measure poverty based upon household income, and that does not include the value of government subsidies such as food stamps, school lunch, aid to dependent children, earned income credit, medicare, disability payments, and the fair market value of government and subsized housing. If I recall correctly, Germany includes all the government freebies in calculating the number of people living below the poverty level.
It is worse than that. It literally looks at income only. You can own a half million dollar home free and clear and be counted as under the poverty line even though you don't have the expenses of making payments or rent.
You got that one right. All the welfare deadbeats I've seen had things we didn't. Funny how those so poor could eat out all the time, have big screen TV, shelves full of videos, stereo systems, computers,drinking, drugs, cigarettes, pets (which were fed better than their own kids), food stamps, free school breakfasts and lunches for their kids, Medicaid,...
Oh those poor *poor people*, their soooo deprived.... NOT!