Poverty: Numbers vs. Need
by Larry Gilbert

As we address sequestration and the pending decision relating to the threats of shutting down our government, the topic of poverty enters the mix. The House just voted to cut back $40 billion on the food stamp program. While there are some who truly need assistance, this is one of the government programs that has its share of "waste, fraud and abuse."

A recent report claims that we have 46.5 million, 15 percent of all U.S. residents, living in poverty. This begs the question, what exactly is poverty? How is it measured? One of the following links states that 80.9 percent of those in this category have cell phones, 96.1 percent have TVs, and a huge number have computers, with 83.2 percent having VCRs. Aside from washing machines, dryers and microwaves, many have air conditioning. Having traveled to Africa and China, we have witnessed those living in true poverty. That is a much different picture of alleged poverty than exists in America: i.e. "Each year for the past two decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that over 30 million Americans were living in ‘poverty.’ In recent years, the Census has reported that one in seven Americans are poor. But what does it mean to be “poor” in America? How poor are America’s poor?

For most Americans, the word “poverty” suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter. For example, the Poverty Pulse poll taken by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development asked the general public: “How would you describe being poor in the U.S.?” The overwhelming majority of responses focused on homelessness, hunger or not being able to eat properly, and not being able to meet basic needs. That perception is bolstered by news stories about poverty that routinely feature homelessness and hunger.

Yet if poverty means lacking nutritious food, adequate warm housing, and clothing for a family, relatively few of the more than 30 million people identified as being “in poverty” by the Census Bureau could be characterized as poor. While material hardship definitely exists in the United States, it is restricted in scope and severity. The average poor person, as defined by the government, has a living standard far higher than the public imagines.

As scholar James Q. Wilson has stated, “The poorest Americans today live a better life than all but the richest persons a hundred years ago.” In 2005, the typical household defined as poor by the government had a car and air conditioning. For entertainment, the household had two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR. If there were children, especially boys, in the home, the family had a game system, such as an Xbox or a PlayStation. In the kitchen, the household had a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. Other household conveniences included a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker."

Another story pointing out the flaws of the program stated: "Food Stamp Advertising Emphasizes Enrollment over Need. The USDA has conducted a massive campaign to increase the number of food stamp recipients, even hiring recruiters who must fulfill enrollment quotas. The USDA in its ‘Community Partner Outreach Toolkit’ webpage gives ideas of how to spread awareness and increase enrollment. Ideas have been implemented such as SNAP-based bingo games for the elderly, food-stamp parties, and fliers that read, ‘Be a patriot. Bring your food stamp money home.’ But it doesn’t stop here; the U.S. and Mexico began a partnership in 2004 to ‘provide information on eligibility criteria for Food and Nutrition Service programs,’ and that includes disseminating a Spanish language flyer that tells undocumented immigrants, ‘You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit [food stamps] for your children.’ The U.S. also supplies 1/3 of the Puerto Rican population with food stamps, costing U.S. taxpayers roughly $2 billion annually. Clearly, food stamp programs have become more and more about numbers, instead of need."

The following links are some of my sources for this report.

http://www.ssa.gov/history/fisheronpoverty.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/us-usa-economy-poverty-idUSBRE98G0PN20130917

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/07/what-is-poverty