The reason the word "poor" has disappeared from our political discourse

This has been heavily focused grouped. No one wants themselves described as poor. Even the poor think the poor people are someone else.

I know this from first hand experience because I was poor once. How poor? Food stamp poor. Real poor. Took 6 years of being laid off from my job during the 1980's to realize I was poor. Even after years of being poor whenever I heard a politician talk about the poor I was convinced they were talking about someone else. I was just temporarily financially embarrassed. After 6 years of being laid off though I realized I was one of the poor. I must have been a slow learner. But I learned.

I can understand why people who fit the description of poor don't consider themselves poor and why the word doesn't focus group well. No one wants to be considered poor. Even when they are poor. Its a defensive mechanism.

Don