I'm bummed. My GD post got 0 responses.

[MyUncle]

I really was seriously looking for some answers.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3598873

Original Post below: The Lounge came through, I'm getting some answers.

I read today that America has the same number of children under the Poverty Line as it did in 1966. That disturbed me as I could not see how after almost 30 years we have not made progress against this injustice.

But I started wondering if "The Line" is adjusted for inflation, if it includes some of the safety nets that have been installed since then, if it is relative to other American incomes or against some other standard of poverty in 3rd world countries.

I've heard "the poor in this country are obese." I wonder have all boats risen in this country in terms of standards of living or are we standing still or going backward? My gut feeling is we are getting better, but I really do not know.

If we can leave politics somewhat out of this and/or if it is easier to tabulate, we can leave Shrubenomics out of this and meausure up to 2000.

I'd like some facts if anyone has them.

Mahalo.

[BurtWorm]

1. I can't answer that, myself. But I also asked a technical question today

that went unanswered. I really wanted to know what legal recourse the people have to make Bush pay for lying us into a war. The answer everyone gives is to vote him out, but of course that is political recourse. Can we really have created a Republic in which the leadership is free to waste the people's resources and lives and get away with it? There's something screwy about a system that doesn't recognize that some political acts are (or would be in other contexts) criminal.

[suigeneris]

3. The remedy is impeachment. nt

[BurtWorm]

5. Which is a political remedy.

But what Bush did as far as American law goes is no crime. Will it ever be a crime for an elected official to decide to go to war then have the government "fix the facts" to justify it? I don't see that on the horizon, but then the philosophes may not have seen due process in France on the horizon either.

[blue neen]

2. I'm sorry. I wish I could answer your questions for you,

but I can't. I personally feel like there is more poverty and the middle class is working much harder to maintain the status quo.

[rooboy]

4. Look at the statistic on REAL wage growth in the last 30 years...

and you'll go a long way toward finding your answer. Fact is most people are earning much less in real terms than before.

[patricia92243]

6. I saw a documentary that asked people who were in a "soup line" if they

had a color tv. The answer was yes by almost all of them. The point is that the poor in America are not what other countries might call poor.

[MyUncle]

7. That sounds like good news,

not to understate the misery of someone in a soup line. Given a choice should we spend our money at home to help our "rich" poor or get the money to those countries where hunger = death?

[uppityperson]

8. Is the actual # the same or adjusted for population growth?

If the actual # is the same, how does the % of children under poverty line vs % not under poverty line compare now to 1966? Also what are poverty levels at, adjusted for inflation and/or real housing costs. I ask because you can do lots with statistics. Thanks.