Pondering the plight of the poor in the USA on this Labor Day
The book linked at right, analyzed in the link below, “$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America” would not be worth commenting on except for the fact that, while I had not heard of it until now, I expect it will really catch on. Especially with elite progressives and VLI (Very Low Information) folks.
The Number Of Americans Living On $2 A Day Or Less Is Zero
It’s the kind of thing an affluent, two professional household I know who gets their news and information primarily from PBS (don’t cha know?), will tearfully latch on to to deplore the plight of all those folks out there struggling on an income of less than $2 a day. (This is the guy that believes the school system should provide free dental care for all those children whose Mom and Dad have “poor parenting skills”).
The “poor” in Bangledesh or in Delhi, who do indeed struggle with incomes of less than $2 a day, live lives of daily near- starvation, living in cardboard boxes (if they can beat up somebody to get one), know little or no medical care, and die in their 40’s, if they’re “lucky”.
In America, folks on less than $2 a day income are sorely deprived if they have only an I Phone 4 and are “disrespected’ when they cash their Earned Income Tax Credit check.
Yes, the income inequality is greater in the US than elsewhere, but the plight of the poor in America is closer to “middle income” compared to the poor elsewhere.
A perfect society? No, and there really are pitiful and tragic cases of abject poverty conditions here and need to be addressed. But rather than deal with that relatively small condition, uninformed progressives and greedy politicians find that exploiting it is far more useful in advancing their self interest . DLH
