Poverty. Of what do you think when you read the word? Most of us think of pictures we have seen of people from the Great Depression. But, what is poverty today?

We are told that a family of four needs $48,000 just to get by from month to month and that the national poverty rate is $23,550. (Press Jan. 8) The U.S. Census Bureau says that more than 30 million Americans are living in poverty.

Now while it is true that some of those 30 million are certainly living in poverty, most of them are not poor by any definition. The majority have air conditioning, cable TV with two color TVs, a DVD player and a VCR, and 38 percent have a personal computer. Their homes are not overcrowded and are in good repair.

“In fact the typical poor American had more living space than the average European.” (Heritage, see below.) They are well fed and have adequate health care. They have a refrigerator, a range and a microwave. They have a clothes washer and dryer and cordless phone. They have at least one car. They have an Xbox or a PlayStation.

“…the typical family was not hungry and had sufficient funds during the past year to meet all essential needs.” (Heritage)

Now we are told that teachers cannot get by on less than $48,000 and each year we are admonished to pay teachers more. I was once interviewed by the Idaho Education Association and they said they needed more for education. When I asked them what would be enough, I was assured that they just needed more.

The problem is not so much that people are living in poverty, but that they are living beyond their means. Most of that is because they have to drive a newer car and live in a home beyond their means.

If the government wanted to do something to help overcome “poverty,” the best thing it could do would be to relax housing standards. If people could live in smaller homes or older homes, they could have a home that costs less money. Few of these houses are on the market today.

No matter what our income, we can usually learn to live within our means. Some are poor because they refuse to work. For those there is no remedy. Poor incomes no doubt account for many of the very poor.

Before we jump on the bandwagon to help a lot of people who really do not need any help, we should find out what their situation actually happens to be. If you want to know a lot more about poverty in America, I suggest you read this excellent article published by the Heritage Institute.

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

JIM HOLLINGSWORTH

Coeur d’Alene