1. Many people ignore the factor of relativity when they compare poverty between two people or two countries. Poor is poor. There is no use arguing such thing as my country's poor is richer than your country's poor. If the average earning of a low-wage worker in Country A is higher than that of his counterpart in Country B, we have to compare other factors such as inflation and the cost of living. Then there are other questions whether the standard of living for the whole population is rising or declining; whether the lives of the majority are better off than those of their grandparents and ancestors; whether the ambitions, goals and dreams of most people could ever be attained, etc. With regard to relativity, you may be a manager of a big company, but you are just a pauper when compared with the richest man in your country. 2. Following are excerpts from the article headlined "Extreme Poverty on the Rise in the United States" at http://nlihc.org/article/extreme-poverty-rise-united-states (Begin excerpts) A new study from the National Poverty Center finds that 1.65 million American households are living in “extreme poverty,” and these households include 3.55 million children. Using a World Bank definition, the research defines “extreme poverty” as surviving on less than $2 per day, per person, each month. This measure is roughly 13% of the official U.S. poverty threshold. The study utilizes data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) between 1996 and 2011. Between 1996 and 2011, the period directly after welfare reform ended cash entitlement for poor families for children, the number of families living on $2 or less in cash income (per person, per day) rose from 636,000 to 1.65 million. This represents a growth rate of 159%. In 1996, households in extreme poverty made up just 1.7% of all households. This figure increased to 3% by 2010 and reached 4.3% by mid-2011. The researchers also assessed the impact of federal transfer benefits on extreme poverty. When including Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in income calculations, the number of extremely poor households increases at a slower place, by 80%, from 475,000 households in 1996 to 857,000 households in 2011. When refundable tax credits and housing subsidies are counted as income, the rate of extreme poverty growth slows even further, with the number of households living in extreme poverty grows from 409,000 in 1996 to 613,000 in 2011. Overall, the existence of major means tested aid programs prevented an estimated 2.38 million children from experiencing extreme poverty. In mid-2011, about 47.5% of households living in extreme poverty were white non-Hispanic, and 46% were African-American or Hispanic. However, when adjusting for means-tested subsidy programs, the proportion of households living in extreme poverty and headed by white non-Hispanics rises to 61.2%. A higher percentage of households living in extreme poverty in 2011 were headed by a single female (50.8%), compared to married couples (36.5%). However, when adjusting for means tested programs, the proportion of extremely poor households headed by a single female drops to below one-third of all households in extreme poverty.... (End excerpts) 3. Following are excerpts from the article headlined "One in Five U.S. Children Living in Poverty, Sharp Increase in Homelessness" at http://scanph.org/node/3727 (Begin excerpts) A report released by the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) on January 23 presents data on child poverty as well as measures of child well-being such as family structure and homelessness. The report, The State of America’s Children, shows 16.1 million children (21.8%) were poor in 2012, and 7.1 million children (9.7%) were extremely poor. A family of four is considered poor if annual income is below $23,492 and extremely poor if annual income falls below half that threshold. More than two-thirds of poor children live in families with at least one working family member. Child poverty rates were highest in cities (29.1%) and in the South, where 42.1% of poor children live. Children in single-parent families were nearly four times more likely to be poor than children in married-couple families (45.5% and 11.1%). Nearly 1 in 3 children of color were poor. In six states (Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, and Wisconsin), over half of black children were poor. The report also shows a sharp increase in the number of public school students who are homeless, from approximately 673,000 students in 2006-2007 to over 1.2 million students in 2011-2012, a nearly 73% increase. Forty-one states saw increases in the number of homeless students from the 2010-2011 to the 2011-2012 school year. Seventy-five percent of homeless students in 2011-2012 were living in doubled-up housing situations, while 15% lived in shelters and 6% lived in motels.... (End excerpts)
Part of China lives in the First World and part lives in the Third World. The same is increasingly true of the United States as it imports Third World poverty. The Third World part of China will ultimately become part of the First World if current trends continue. The US will continue to be partially Third World because the importation of Third World poverty will never end.
I always wonder what could have happened if the US adopted a policy of "White America" from the very beginning by allowing only white immigration. Then your so-called "importation of Third World poverty" would never even have begun. It would be much appreciated if Nephew could enlighten your uncle with your wisdom.
UN gonna wipe out poverty... UN summit to approve 15-year blueprint to eradicate poverty Sep 25,`15 -- World leaders on Friday unanimously approved an ambitious and costly 15-year blueprint to eradicate extreme poverty, combat climate change and address more than a dozen other major global issues.
Global poverty to fall from 29% in 1999 to less than 10%... Extreme poverty to fall below 10 percent Tue, Oct 06, 2015 - Extreme poverty will this year fall to less than 10 percent of the global population for the first time, although there is still great concern for millions in Africa, a World Bank report said on Sunday.
Poverty is somewhat relative even within the US. There are gaps in realistic cost of living within states themselves and certainly among states. $22K a year in parts of the south might provide you the standard of living a $35-$40K a year job somewhere else. This is an issue where microeconomics matter.
Using Artificial Intelligence to Spot, Map Poverty... Artificial Intelligence Can Spot, Map Poverty, Researchers Say August 18, 2016 A new technique using artificial intelligence to read satellite images could aid efforts to eradicate global poverty by indicating where help is needed most, a team of U.S. researchers said Thursday.
