America's poor aren't really poor

My parents were lower middle-class. We had what we needed, and a bit of what we wanted, but not much more than that. My father was a self-employed house painter, and my mother a school bus driver. I put myself through college and all that I have – I worked damned hard for. It is fair to say I have little sympathy for the moocher class, or the entitlement mentality.

For a couple of years, when I was in the service, I lived in Kingston Jamaica – a place where the “poor” are truly poor. We have precious few real poor people in America.

Neal Boortz posted some statistics that describe “the plight” of being poor in America:

• Forty-six percent of all poor households actually own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three bedroom house with one and a half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
• Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
• Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two thirds have more than two rooms per person.
• The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
• Nearly three quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
• Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.
• Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
• Seventy-three percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.

Once a year here in Jacksonville Florida our local newspaper runs a school-by-school report that shows the percentages of kids on the free or reduced lunch (read Taxpayer Provided) program. When I first saw this I immediately knew something was grossly wrong. There were schools that showed nearly 100% of the kids receiving free/reduced lunches!

Now let me clarify something. I have NO problem helping the truly needy. But we have expanded the needy class here beyond all reasonable imagination! Let me put it this way: If my personal finances were in dire straits, there is ONE household need I would see to it that was taken care of regardless of all other considerations: feeding my children! That expenditure would come before house payment, car payment, light bill, or even food for me!

But the entitlements crowd wants the government to take from the productive class, and give to the poor, allowing them to keep their money free for wants!

Here’s a perfect example. This lady in Macon GA wanted her heating bills paid for by the taxpayers, and she’s all upset because for whatever reason, she was turned down. But look in the background at the size of her big screen TV. Note also the video game component. What is THAT an X Box or something? Aren’t those things about $300 dollars, with game cartridges running an average of $50 apiece?

Heck I don’t have a TV that big, and I don’t even own an X Box!

In my opinion, she should be selling off such trinkets before she expects help from those of us who actually work and produce something for society!