Record number of Americans living in poverty

[watajob]

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/437ddb40-de21-11e0-9fb7-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss#axzz1XrZY7ZpP

"In 2010, 46.2m people fell below the poverty line, calculated as an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four and $11,139 for an individual."

So, it's actually higher than that as I challenge anyone to live on those amounts ANYWHERE in this country let alone a big metro area, where it takes a lot more than that just for a refrigerator box and cat food. It's probably closer to 1 in 6 or maybe even 5. Why is there no rioting in the streets like most of the rest of the world?

[Claudia Jones]

1. 1 in 2

Half the population is in poverty.

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[Recursion]

3. Part of this is because benefits have gone from cash to in-kind and vouchers

And we don't count in-kind and voucher assistance, or the EITC, when we calculate poverty, but we do count direct cash benefits.

[Broderick]

4. Interesting

but, wouldn't one have to be at a lower economic scale regardless to get those types of benefits? It certainly doesn't put you out of the poverty realm if factored in, I presume. right?

[Recursion]

5. Right, but back in the 80s, if you got TANF and it put you above the poverty line...

...you were no longer officially "in poverty". Today if you get the same amount in the form of housing subsidies and food stamps, you're still officially "in poverty".

None of which deals with the ridiculous fact that the poverty line is still defined as three times the food bill of a family in 1961, adjusted for inflation.

[Broderick]

6. Thanks

Appreciate the information.

[Starry Messenger]

7. recommend.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. The "poverty level" is actually the "dire poverty level".

There is no way anyone who doesn't have an already paid-for house can live on 11k/yr (and then you have to come up with property tax). Rent, food, utilities, health maintenance, clothing...even going to the food pantry and receiving food stamps you'd be hard pressed to get by on $928/mo. I take home, after taxes & deductions, $1600/mo and I can barely hold my own. On a GOOD month I'll have $150 in my account at the end of the month. And I am FAR above the poverty line. I can still afford cable.

I might survive with $700 less coming in, but I can't imagine how.

[leftstreet]

9. Why is it always approx 46 million people? Uninsured, food assitance, etc

The 40 million mark is always used

I don't trust these stats

[cutlassmama]

10. K&R