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There are people in America who go to bed hungry, are homeless, or die because of lack of basic health care. These are the same problems that poor people in the

by elteto 14y ago

There are people in America who go to bed hungry, are homeless, or die because of lack of basic health care. These are the same problems that poor people in the rest of the world face and the fact that they stroll the streets of megacities like LA or NY doesn't make them any richer. Maybe a significant majority of the low class US population (and for that matter of the developed side of the world) is better off than their counterparts in poorer countries but definitely not everybody. Edit: Why the downvote? Care to explain?

dalke 14y ago
"Why the downvote?" I think I can answer part of that. Some people think that if a person owns a TV, mobile phone, fridge, etc. then they must by definition not be poor. After all, 50 years these were considered luxury goods, or for the case of mobile phone, only available as operator assisted radio phones. They don't know that poverty is defined by a different measure; the Orshansky poverty thresholds. This is a relatively absolute measure based not on what one owns but on access to food and housing. And as you say, there are many Americans who own a car, and a CD player, and a personal computer, yet do not know if they'll have enough money to be able to eat for the month.