When are you considered poor?

[TFM]

Speaking strictly money, I know there's different ways to look at wealth in life...

US peeps, at below what income would you say one is poor in your country? I read that around less than 12K is considered poverty... at the same time I heard about the fast food strikes and that they make like 5 bucks an hour?

If translated into value-for-money into our currency here in Sweden 12K USD is a fairly normal income for a lot of people. On the other hand, we pay some huge amount of taxes & got free healthcare for everyone, so I guess even though the middle class in the US might be more rich overall there's other expenses you guys have, that we don't.

What would you consider to be poverty?

 

[The Ween]

Speaking strictly money, I know there's different ways to look at wealth in life...

US peeps, at below what income would you say one is poor in your country? I read that around less than 12K is considered poverty... at the same time I heard about the fast food strikes and that they make like 5 bucks an hour?

If translated into value-for-money into our currency here in Sweden 12K USD is a fairly normal income for a lot of people. On the other hand, we pay some huge amount of taxes & got free healthcare for everyone, so I guess even though the middle class in the US might be more rich overall there's other expenses you guys have, that we don't.

What would you consider to be poverty?

Poverty level is just under $11,000 here though in my opinion it should be higher with the cost of living these days.

Minimum wage here is I think $7.25. Though if you have less than 35 employees it can be even less. Waitress, etc. make even less because part of their income comes from tips.

United States is far from rich. That's a myth.

We pay a lot of taxes too. Federal taxes, state taxes, city taxes, sales taxes. They all get their share.

Threads like these can get pretty heated so be prepared.

 

[Darth Madden]

The state of Washington has the highest minimum wage in the country $9.19 but we also have one of the highest (if not the highest) gas tax and a pretty high sales tax since we have no state income tax. I watch the house buying shows and see places like Atlanta where you can get a nice house for $110,000 and just laugh since they would be like $500,000 here. Poverty is measure much differently depending on where you live even in the US.

 

[Darkmatter]

2013 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES
AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Persons in family/household Poverty guideline
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,020 for each additional person.
1 $11,490
2 15,510
3 19,530
4 23,550
5 27,570
6 31,590
7 35,610
8 39,630


2013 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR ALASKA Persons in family/household Poverty guideline
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $5,030 for each additional person.
1 $14,350
2 19,380
3 24,410
4 29,440
5 34,470
6 39,500
7 44,530
8 49,560


2013 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR HAWAII Persons in family/household Poverty guideline
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,620 for each additional person.
1 $13,230
2 17,850
3 22,470
4 27,090
5 31,710
6 36,330
7 40,950
8 45,570

SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 16, January 24, 2013, pp. 5182-5183
https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/13poverty.cfm

 

[The Ween]

I would love to see someone live on $11,000 a year before taxes who isn't still living in mom's basement.

 

[Voorhees27]

Even moms basement requires more than 11K a year before taxes. Honest question, not making fun of lifestyles or anything but what does it cost to live in a trailer park? Cuz if some families are surviving on 11K before taxes I'd love to know how. Keep in mind your tax bracket is much lower but still.

 

[EVILFACE]

Even moms basement requires more than 11K a year before taxes. Honest question, not making fun of lifestyles or anything but what does it cost to live in a trailer park? Cuz if some families are surviving on 11K before taxes I'd love to know how. Keep in mind your tax bracket is much lower but still.

Barack Hussein Obama

 

[Voorhees27]

That's a very vague answer, sir

 

[The Ween]

Barack Hussein Obama

Sorry Evil, $11,000 for a family of one can't get squat from the government. Single people don't qualify.

People with children at those amounts posted can get food stamps and WIC but they don't qualify for welfare. This is why so many don't bother getting work. They get more on welfare.

btw.....welfare and aid were around a lot longer than Obama.

 

[The Ween]

Even moms basement requires more than 11K a year before taxes. Honest question, not making fun of lifestyles or anything but what does it cost to live in a trailer park? Cuz if some families are surviving on 11K before taxes I'd love to know how. Keep in mind your tax bracket is much lower but still.

$11,000 for single people. With each family member the totals go higher.

Trailers and living in parks all vary. Some of those trailers cost as much as a home. Some are renters.

 

[Darth Cruel]

I know quite well that I can support myself on 11,000 dollars a year without feeling poverty stricken. I did it last year. I lived in a brand new studio apartment in a facility that had two swimming pools, a spa, a weight room, a dedicated laundry, and armed security on the premises 24/7...and high speed internet access.


Nobody can tell me that 11,000 dollars is not enough to stay above pverty level for a single person.


Now when you get to the 2, 3, 4 and up numbers at the quoted poverty level...I have to call shennanigans.

 

[Devil_666]

Nobody can tell me that 11,000 dollars is not enough to stay above poverty level for a single person.

Depends on where you live. The average rent out here in SF for a 1 bedroom apartment is $2500 and up. 2 bedroom apartments average $3200 and up.

 

[The Ween]

I know quite well that I can support myself on 11,000 dollars a year without feeling poverty stricken. I did it last year. I lived in a brand new studio apartment in a facility that had two swimming pools, a spa, a weight room, a dedicated laundry, and armed security on the premises 24/7...and high speed internet access.


Nobody can tell me that 11,000 dollars is not enough to stay above pverty level for a single person.


Now when you get to the 2, 3, 4 and up numbers at the quoted poverty level...I have to call shennanigans.

How much did you pay a month. No way in hell could I live on that here. You also must've been lucky to not ever get seriously ill or have a car payment.

Were you in prison?

 

[Darth Madden]

Yeah, you could live on $11,000 a year here in Seattle if you lived under an overpass and ate bugs.

 

[Voorhees27]

 

[CAhobbit]

I know quite well that I can support myself on 11,000 dollars a year without feeling poverty stricken. I did it last year. I lived in a brand new studio apartment in a facility that had two swimming pools, a spa, a weight room, a dedicated laundry, and armed security on the premises 24/7...and high speed internet access.


Nobody can tell me that 11,000 dollars is not enough to stay above pverty level for a single person.


Now when you get to the 2, 3, 4 and up numbers at the quoted poverty level...I have to call shennanigans.

This must be dependent on where you live cause living solo in SoCal on $11,000 a year would be pretty impossible given rent, utilities and food costs (add in a car payment, gas, car insurance, medical and dental for the year and $11,000 would not stretch out for an entire year).

 

[Darth Cruel]

You guys are adding things that are above basic necessity.


You can find inexpensive places to live all day long on craigslist. A room with no utilities, a room in a house...and have pleanty left over for food and cheap transportation to a nearby job...if that was even necessary. Walking to a nearby job or taking a bus does not qualify as "poverty" in my book.


And it can be done anywhere.


The problem, as I see it, is that we Americans have been spoiled by an unreasonably excessive idea of "necessity". If you have a clean, comfortable place to call home and three good meals a day (edit - and I will add decent cloths to wear)...you are not living in poverty.

Just because you are not living the "American Dream"...does not mean you are living in poverty.

 

[Furyan]

when you are a collector and cant afford to collect anything.

 

[karamazov80]

I lived on $12K a year using a graduate assistantship for 7 years or so. It is Louisiana, so cost of living is really low, but though I didn't have a lot of nice things at the time I certainly had enough to get by. But when you have kids, need a car to get to work, are paying a mortgage, pay taxes (e.g., don't have nice educational tax credits), try to put some savings away, and want to have a few nice things here or there, you certainly can't live on that anymore. If poverty means you can't afford "basic human needs," then I agree with Darth Cruel. But it's hard to think in terms of truly basic human needs when you live in the U.S. Few of us have ever seen rural communities in parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, or Latin America where there are few to no governmental subsidies or safety nets to assist folks. Those people often really struggle to get by, and as a result have to face malnutrition, little to no education, a lack of proper shelter, etc. That's real poverty. And there are people living in that here in the U.S., but few of those people are posting on this web site I bet.

 

[The Ween]

You guys are adding things that are above basic necessity.


You can find inexpensive places to live all day long on craigslist. A room with no utilities, a room in a house...and have pleanty left over for food and cheap transportation to a nearby job...if that was even necessary. Walking to a nearby job or taking a bus does not qualify as "poverty" in my book.


And it can be done anywhere.


The problem, as I see it, is that we Americans have been spoiled by an unreasonably excessive idea of "necessity". If you have a clean, comfortable place to call home and three good meals a day (edit - and I will add decent cloths to wear)...you are not living in poverty.

Just because you are not living the "American Dream"...does not mean you are living in poverty.

So living in a room with no utilities, which would mean you'd have to find somewhere else to bathe and ****. No lighting. No water. No fridge. No money to go to the doctor.

Come on, please tell me that isn't poverty level living.