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You’re going to have a hard time eliminating poverty when the poverty line is defined as a fraction of median income.

• jjj123 5y ago
  I think you’re being a little too literal. I can’t speak for the author, but when I think of poverty in the US I think of the inability to pay for or access basic needs: housing, food, healthcare, education, free time, etc
  • CheezeIt 5y ago
    The thing is, even when it’s defined as some absolute measure, it ends up being a moving target. Defining adequate healthcare is one example. Food has continually gotten cheaper, relative to poverty lines. Education — we have public schools, and most impoverished kids, being stupid, spend way more time in education than is useful for them. Really it’s all housing. There is a tenement shortage. But let’s suppose we free up the housing market and make rent cheap again, such that only the absolutely nonproductive lack a place to stay. NYT will still be talking about how there’s so much poverty.
    • me_me_me 5y ago
      > The thing is, even when it’s defined as some absolute measure, it ends up being a moving target. Even if, that's better then doing nothing. At least it would help people. I'd rather be a 'poverty' person with safe housing and full stomach, than a today's 'poverty' person.