Top 10 Things You Should Know About Poverty in America

July 18, 2012

Last week, the research and advocacy organization Demos held a policy conference in Washington on 21st century poverty issues. It included discussions led by Bob Herbert, E.J. Dionne, Ezra Klein, and an assortment of researchers and practitioners. The inspiration for the gathering was the 50th anniversary of Michael Harrington’s seminal exposé The Other America. Even before the recession, millions of Americans were living in poverty. Now, with many more out of work, economic inequality on the rise and proposed cuts to the social safety net, the issue is more relevant than ever.

Here are some of the highlights of the findings presented at the conference.

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TOPICS: The Economy

TAGS: demos, extreme poverty, poverty, poverty line, widget

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feministlatinawithstandingKS
As a public health nurse, these numbers don’t surprise me, but they are still painfully sobering. Number 8 makes me think about the reports made on NPR about the “new jobs created” or the decrease in unemployment, as if it’s something to celebrate. Perhaps it is when taken at face value, however, putting that data in context with the jobs #8 refers to…..I wish these reports would reveal this. Giving false reason to celebrate is insulting. Celebrating the minimum wage, dead-end, non-union, zero (or just about zero) benefit jobs created is akin to celebrating the lessened stench of *this* pile of manure we stand in versus the last one.
Slizzates
As long as wealthy Americans continue to believe that people are poor due to their own bad choices, thus justifying their own wealth, this will only continue to get worse.
Nou_La
Can poverty be eliminated? Upon further analysis, it appears that that
it cannot be; for in the end nothing will change, because everyone, or
most people, want to be WEALTHY / RICH. They all, or most people, think
they have A CHANCE at ACQUIRING GREAT WEALTH or becoming RICH,
even-though all the evidence points against it. The truth is, for A FEW
to be WEALTHY / RICH, many must LIVE IN POVERTY.
Nancymanyhats
This rate of poverty was predicted in 1980 and throughout the Reagan administration’s policies. Targeted were single mothers and their children, seniors, and mentally ill. Contributing to this was the elimination of community mental health centers and the amnesty of millions of illegal aliens, which encouraged the massive influx for them to continue. Veterans have been caught up in this. SSD targeted the mentally ill and mentally retarded. Education does help reduce the chances of ending up in poverty; but with jobs offshored, Americans are more challenged than they have since the 1930′s.
http://www.facebook.com/laure.olson Laure Olson
Poverty can be eliminated, if educational, social ills would be dealt with. As long as we have a world that loves wars and oppression, we will have victims. Human nature remains the same as it did since man first appeared and stole the property and killed another man.
Nou_La
I agree with you 100% Laura, but look at who’s in control at those VERY BASIC things you eloquently cited. I am just being practical and as realistic as I can be.
Rusty Van Patten
I agree! They all – ALL OF THEM just made some bad choices, that’s all, so it is therefore their own fault that they are poor. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could know IN ADVANCE that the choice we are about to make will lead to our ruin in one way or another? Choose the wrong door and hey, it’s your own damn fault you’re having a tough time of it now, no matter what situation you’re in. Where the heck was your crystal ball? Huh???
Anonymous
Mr. Moyers ought to be ashamed for posting this deceptive and misleading list on his website. The poverty rate is indeed 15.1% currently. It has averaged 13.2% since 1965 when President Johnson declared a War on Poverty, ranging from as low as 11% when times were good to about 15% during recessions (like now). The number of poor Americans has grown by 20% since 1962 while the total number of Americans has grown by 66%, meaning the poverty rate is lower now than it was then. The rate of people in deep poverty has also been flat for the past 45 years, worse during recessions, better when the economy is doing well. 38% of single female-headed households were in poverty from 1965 through 1995, falling to 31% since Welfare Reform was enacted in 1996. Meanwhile, only 7.4% of male-headed households have been in poverty since 1965. The single biggest driver of poverty over the last 45 years has been the increase in the number of single female-headed households, which have climbed relentlessly from 9% in 1965 to 19% currently. This issue affects disadvantaged minorities to a much greater extent, with 72.3% of black babies born to unmarried mothers currently, compared to 29% of white babies. We’ve spent $15 trillion to reduce poverty rates since 1965, without reducing the poverty rate. President Johnson had a noble objective, but while we’ve thrown huge sums of money at the problem, we haven’t made a dent. Meanwhile, our national debt has grown to… $15 trillion. Perhaps we should try a different approach.
Dennis Hallinan
What is the source of your Data?
Anonymous
U.S. Census Data on poverty, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2010/tables.html
Slk7777
Please don’t group people in an “ALL of Them” context for there are many of that have fallen victim to the present awful hardship and no money for medicine or health care coverage, suffering (Yes) way of life. Does the Census ( which I couldn’t even get a part-time job for Census taking even though I’d worked The Census for the Department Of Commerce in decades past before as a Census Taker, was on unemployment (“the gravy days”), and had past the written callback test ; I was never called back) Here’a question that no one seems to want to show the scary answer to: “What is the percentage of Citizen’s 40+ who are unemployed?”, presently – Age Discrimination is rampant the ignorant trend is to hire RECENT College Grads or those with less experience. I was never asked if I would take a pay cut before I was laid-off from Automotive Marketing There should be a tax incentive to give Corporate America after 1 year of re-employment to give sliding scale tax breaks to companies that higher those of us who have been unemployed since 2008 – the longest. Some corporations have standing rules to not even interview someone who isn’t presently employed as well as “The Age Kick-Out Filter” on electronic applications
Anonymous
There are even more countries than Canada that are making strides to eliminate some of the social causes of poverty. This article talks about my country’s health care system, through the eyes of a Conservative American. Please take a look.
http://www.reddit.com/tb/wv928
theleastofthese
Did you read the part about the number of children in poverty? As the richest, most powerful, most Christian nation on the planet, tell me again who it is that should be ashamed.
Anonymous
Dear MR SpeaksWithDate:
You sound like a teaparty conservative, hide bound and thick headed. You know what the problems is by viewing the symptoms, however you do not know the root cause and as I have a deeper understqanding, my conclusion is that you don’t want to know the rootcause, so I suggest you stay away from mirrors.
Anonymous
I’m happy to hear from someone with a deeper understanding of the root cause of poverty. What do you think the root cause is… and how do you think we should address it?
Neal
Maybe it’s because it is the most Christian nation.
Neal
Shame on you. Your criticisms are irrelevant.
Anonymous
There exist in our current World and Economy an insane cloud, climate, of Impunity and criminality at the highest levels in Society. The resulting poverty of Nations begin with Moral/spiritual disintegration. Thank! you!, Mr. Moyers for all the hard work and for confronting the realities facing America, World, in the 21st Century. We are all a drop, ripple, grain of sand in the grand scheme of things….”There’s a reason for everything under the Sun”.
Mankind create/choose infinite ways to destroy one another, In One,Christ Jesus he died for all Humanity and forgiveness of sins….In this Contest,conflict,race the Prize has already been won. “For We fight not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and RULERS of darkness and spiritual wickedness in HIGH places” They are fighting a loosing battle ultimately. Keep the Faith, Stay the course, stay focused and strong in the Word of God.
Anonymous
Everyone should view the documentary “End of Poverty” to get the big picture of the ROOT of the problem in USA and Globally. The MO hasn’t changed but evolved with time.
Menzerna9876
hahahaha…..and US calls itself a “DEVELOPED SUPERPOWER” nation.
What a laugh!…..sounds like a 3rd world developing nation with lots of society problems.
Anonymous
Irrelevant? How so? Mr. Moyers posted a very deceptive list of facts about poverty. The selected facts he presented give the impression that poverty is much worse now than it ever has been, that the proportion of people living in deep poverty now is much higher than ever, that poverty rates among minority children are worse, and that poverty in households headed by single females is far worse than it ever has been. I posted data from the US Census bureau poverty statistics that clearly show that poverty levels today are about the same as they have been for the last 45 years. The list presented by Mr. Moyers is similar to comparing temperature data in July 2012 to temperature data from January 1976 to prove that global warming is real.
I agree with Mr. Moyers that poverty is an important issue, and I’d like to see us come together as a nation to address the root causes and reduce poverty levels. In contrast to the list presented by Mr. Moyers, though, my view is that we do the cause of reducing poverty a disservice when we misrepresent the problem. If we motivate people to action based on the premise that poverty is worse now than ever, what happens to that motivation when it is revealed that, in fact, poverty levels are about the same now as they have been for 45 years? What happens to the credibility of those who advocate on behalf of the poor?
http://www.facebook.com/DaridMauro Ted Darid Mauro
You are confusing % with units- yes the % has stayed the same but the # of people has increased. Also the shirking middle class is not part of this discussion finally, I agree, single familiy homes is a serious issue but how to fix it is the question…
http://twitter.com/NickRobertson13 Nick Robertson
Can you be that colossally stupid?! The entire wake of poor people in the US just didn’t wake up and say,”hey, let’s be poor today.” Yes, many have made poor choices, but there are just as many who have NOT. Some people are born into poverty, and others become poor. Myopic individuals such as yourself, all think because they are on third base they hit a triple, which may or may not necessarily be true. If everyone made these correct “choices” you are talking about, then ALL of Americans would be living in houses with a white picket fence. Poor people are not evil, nor are they devoid of a work ethic. There are underlying reasons, other than personal choices, when it comes to the condition of poverty.
I came from a very poor neighborhood, raised by a single mom(father died). Sometimes, she wouldn’t eat just so that I could. She worked 3 jobs, and always made me understand the value of an education. Eventually, I joined the military, received advanced degrees, and retired after a long and prosperous career. I consider myself lucky. So yes, lack of personal responsibility and accountability does have some credence, but logically, you have to ask yourself what is the root cause of poverty. The problem runs deep, so the solutions MUST be multi-dimensional.
Maggie
Can you be any more thick? That comment was being sarcastic.
Maggie
Sarcasm. Lost on some.
http://twitter.com/TomTito1 Tom Tito
A simple way to help is to stop taxing the poor at higher rates than the middle class and rich. In Florida the poor pay 13% of income to state and local taxes while the richest 1% only pay 2% of income. Governor Rick Scott and certain local governments are aggressively shifting taxes from the rich to the poor. St. Pete is pushing a flat tax (fire fee).
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1240794.ece
FakeKraid
Your facts are as deceptive as these, or more. You paint the picture of over 40 years of unilateral policy towards poverty, whereas in fact after Reagan US policy toward poverty undertook a radical (rightward) shift. Poverty has increased dramatically since the country’s rightward lurch, which is obvious when you consider the enormous increase in income inequality that occurred over the same time period. Shame on you for trying to muddy this fairly straight-forward issue with deceptive statistic-mongering.
Anonymous
The first step in dealing with a problem is to acknowledge it exists. The disappointing fact is that our efforts to reduce the poverty level over the last 45 years have been ineffective. Contrary to your assertion above, poverty rates have not “increased dramatically” following the “radical (rightward) shift since Reagan. Here’s the data, direct from the US Census poverty statistics:
Year Poverty Rate
1981 14.0%
1985 14.0%
1989 12.8%
1993 15.1%
1998 12.7%
2003 12.5%
2008 13.2%
2010 15.1%
What changes should we make in our efforts to fight poverty that would be likely to actually reduce the poverty rate?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-F-Bassill/566743020 Daniel F. Bassill
Talks about poverty and other issues can be enhanced if maps are used to show data. New resources are becoming available such as Weave (BETA 1.0), which is a new web-based visualization platform designed to
enable visualization of any available data by anyone for any purpose. You can learn about Weave at http://www.oicweave.org/
This link shows maps of Atlanta metro created using Weave- http://www.neighborhoodnexus.org/content/weave-all
This shows maps of Boston income demographics created using weave – http://metrobostondatacommon.org/explore/gallery/?topics=4
With maps we can see where problems are more concentrated and focus attention on finding ways to change what is happening in those areas. Maps can also show change over time to hold political and other community leaders accountable for what they do to help fix these problems. These are new resources and it will take time for most communities to learn to apply them. However, there is a growing movement of data scientists and hackers to make public data more available and understandable to community users.
http://twitter.com/tljese Todd J.
Rich are taxed at lower rates?? LOL
Anonymous
Poverty of single, female-headed households is in part a result of policy decisions that begin with the premise that a “proper” household is headed by a male breadwinner. Examples: wage differentials between men and women, even in the exact same jobs and after accounting for part-time workers; lack of subsidy for childcare on the assumption that mothers should provide full-time childcare (and, presumably, be supported by men); wage-and-hour laws that hamstring employers from certain kinds of flexible arrangements even where they are willing to provide them.
http://www.facebook.com/beckalary Rebecca ChangetheDialogue McAl
Percent of what..?
Oh, wait, you mean the population increased exponentially in these same years..? So, by your own admission, although the percentage has not moved tramendously, the horrific amount of those living in poverty HAS increased because the population has increased. Way to leave out the human numbers. Nice try, though.
http://www.facebook.com/derrickdry Derrick Dry
the harder i work, the luckier i get.
http://www.facebook.com/derrickdry Derrick Dry
as long as government treats the poor like they are stupid and can’t do anything for themselves, it will continue to get worse.
Dystopion dweller
Nice “In Time ” quote. I wish the movie would have been better.
WFC
Me and my 3 brothers all grew up in poverty. However my dad taught us ten rules to follow to assure that we would live better. Simple rules that all of us siblings followed. All of us are now upper middle class and thriving. Anybody can be self sufficient and have $$ in their pocket in this country. I could share those ten rules with you . . . But you would not appreciate the advice . . . It is so obvious.
MARIELLY PEREZ
My Mom works very hard to take care of me and my three sisters, but at times, the money that she makes is just not enough.
Anonymous
I knew if I left HUD and Food Stamps that there would be trouble. But I would rather answer to a relative than the receptionist, the worker, the inspector, the landlord, and the neighbors that resent a HUD renter being in their neighborhood. So, now the gov’t wants to know why the utilities aren’t in my name. I couldn’t afford the deposits.Plus I have had to rent a washer and dryer. When the relative gave me a break on the rent because I still have phone, car insurance, water, electricity, washer/dryer bills…SSI wants to cut my monthly check in half. I am middle aged and have a history of mental illness and severe head injuries. The only job I can do is cleaning and the places available to work here can never keep normal people for very long. They overload them and cheat them by switching around their pay from per hour to per villa. If I get one more rich old woman that makes me take wet laundry out of the villa because there is no washer in the Lock-out apartments I will take a gun and blow my brains out and leave an inventory of how many spoons, forks, and knives there are on a regular check-out check in instead of a suicide note. That is the way they slow you down so they can pay you less. I’ve wanted to have a yard sale for a long time but I am afraid of the government. If I ask for an appeal and I don’t win then I will have to pay back some money. If I can’t maybe I will have to go to jail. I’ve been to jail one time in my life for having trouble with social workers and an undercover cop. They assumed my nervous breakdown was drugs. That is how little they knew about me or cared. They actually caused me to have another breakdown. I injured my head pretty bad and they sent me to jail instead of the hospital. So my sentence ended up being 5 days in 1996 and my felony was reduced to a misdemeanor G. My diagnosis was in 1989.