The Web site Think Progress has an article on a new report from a D.C. advocacy organization called the Corporation for Enterprise Development which finds that nearly half of all American households (43%) could only last for three months before falling into poverty should they have an unexpected financial emergency such as a medical condition or loss of wages. Many people do not have any savings or assets to speak of. This is attributed to three factors: flat wages, loss of home value, and health care costs.
I would add that federal programs to assist low-income citizens place asset limits as well as income limits on clients. People receiving rental assistance or food stamps are not able to save any realistic sum of money for their future because of government rules and regulations. One of the items that many poor families often cannot afford is an automobile. According to Ken Bensinger of the Los Angeles Times, there are very few non-profit organizations which have programs to assist low-income people to be able to purchase a used vehicle or to provide them with a low-cost or donated car. Research has found that a certain number of people without a car and with no other means of transportation would be able to find a job if the transportation problem were solved. In addition, Bensinger found that many low-income people who purchased a car from a dealer which financed the loan paid a high price for a high-mileage car and often defaulted on the loan, losing both the car and the payments that they made before they were unable to continue making the payments. A few bills have been introduced into Congress to create a car buying assistance program for low-income individuals, but the bills never went anywhere, and some environmentalists, Mr. Bensigner points out, have actually opposed such a program, despite the need for it.
Government assistance for people who are low-income as a result of disability or having a low level of education or not being able to be hired for a job is a necessity in modern-day society, but programs are inadequate because they don't easily allow people to find a job and earn money, because they still may be poor even with a job but can lose needed benefits as a result of having somewhat higher income with a job and saving money for the future for necessities or emergencies.
The degree of economic inequality, this report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development suggests, is worse than many people are willing to admit.
Comments
Unfortunately, for at least 10 million according to Mr. O today, every year is not an election year - since that appears to be the only time his group seems to be able to come up with even a semblance of a plan to stem the tide.
Today's speech about helping those with "under water" mortgages is reminiscent of the "relief" promised along similar lines three years ago.
At that time both houses of Congress had majorities of the same party as Mr. O, but acted promptly to handcuff themselves - so they could then complain that nothing made it through both houses because they were handcuffed.
The real effect is just more vote-for-me words without action, except that three more years have elapsed toward the Statute of Limitations.
We can probably expect that this group will wait until the day after the last Statute has expired to announce [ Oh, Darn! ] that their robust, aggressive, thorough, on-going investigation has been for naught - and they were really, really, really gonna make them pay this time! (right.)
Some people want to argue about whether the roof of the building where violence is visited upon children should be Blue or Red. Others want to stop the violence, make public who has been working in the building and see that they are not in a position to do any such thing ever again.
Sorry, forgot to include Gandi's comment:
Poverty is the worst form of violence.
And I'm referring to the promisng sounding words of his February 24, 2009 speech to Joint Session of Congress, which is the equivalent of a formal SOTU in one's first year, to the paragraph beginning:
"Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly..."
Gee, if words were enough it was a done deal three years ago!
Well Americans would rather lose their homes, their jobs, their cars rather than vote for a non-Bilderberg party.
Thanks to 2012 and the internet Americans are waking up in droves.
Dr. Paul's cure would push alot more Americans straight into poverty.
The Bilderburg goggles again. Puleeze.
You really need to deal with nuance and ambiguity rather than sweep everything away for a utopian dreeamscape. We can make progress if we pay attention and do not presume that there is some special magic to the conspiracies of common interest among the rich. It would be shocking to discover that they never talked and had no common political interests. They still cannot beat "La Puebla Unidad." We need to make it so that Peace trumps money instead of Dubya's kernel of truth that it is otherwise. People power is the answer.
First do no harm has real meaning for some.
In my hometown, death from one segment of the population living in poverty (i.e. homelessness) rose 50% in 2011 over 2010 levels.
I attended the annual Homeless Persons' Memorial Service in December.
They started off the proceedings with the Pledge of Allegiance.
I chose to remain mute during the recitation, as my voluntary Marine Corps service addressed that question decades ago, and let my thoughts wander to how one-sided that pledge is and how hollow and meaningless it is when children are forced to recite it over and over and over again.
My country, after demanding my pledge and decades of taxes, has repaid me by letting down an ever increasing number of people while rewarding (by letting them keep their ill-gotten gains) those that turn away and campaign against proper governance.
That pledge is just a contrived jumble of words promoting a tribal mentality. Any valid pledge would be in one's own words at the time of one's choosing.
The Bilderburg goggles again. Puleeze.
You really need to deal with nuance and ambiguity rather than sweep everything away for a utopian dreeamscape. We can make progress if we pay attention and do not presume that there is some special magic to the conspiracies of common interest among the rich. It would be shocking to discover that they never talked and had no common political interests. They still cannot beat "La Puebla Unidad." We need to make it so that Peace trumps money instead of Dubya's kernel of truth that it is otherwise. People power is the answer.
No, American and Canadian politicians never go to BILDERBERG MEETINGS and plot economic downfalls. They also don't control both Democrat and Republican parties as well as the Federal-Reserve, the CFR, the Trilateral Commission, the FORD Foundation etc.
Wake up.....
Endgame
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1070329053600562261&q=Endgame+&ei=1t4QSPaoB5q2rAKJzaywBA
Discussions by either the host or caller on progressive talk shows on how we need a single-payer health care system, although well-intentioned, are too lacking in detail and are to simplisitic to really explicate the subject. The other day, while wandering around in a local hospital where I had some personal business, I stumbled into an office which is for presurgical testing. There was a sign on the wall directed to Medicare patients. It said that Medicare only covers diganostic tests for a specific condiiton which either has been diagnosed previously or is suspected by the doctor. Presurgical tests are for screening purposes only and therefore are not covered by Medicare. The first thing that popped into my mind is that the elderly on average have the most medical problems and the highest medical expenses. It seems to me that if someone on Medicare needs surgery but does not have very many financial assets or some other, supplemental health insurance, the person would have to apply for charity to afford the surgery. These tests are required to rule out any condition that could result in complications from the operation, including anesthsia. Medicine is a complex area. I believe that it is rather irresponsible for someone to simply state that Medicare should be extended to all. I don't think most people would want to pay for expensive tests which they someday might need before having surgery. This is why medical knowledge is needed, but usually lacking, in discussions of health care reform.
It seems somewhat ironic to me that we have all kinds of expert opinions on bank regulation, the history of banking regulation and the Great Depression, and so forth, but in health care, there is no serious discussion about something that many progressives express interest in. Health care expenses remain the leading cause of bankruptcy in this country.
Also, simply dealing with hospitals and doctors offices can be a confusing and sometimes frustrating experience. This is an area that goes beyond financial concerns and pertains to aspects of our culture that have become excessively routinized and bureaucratic, and yet inconvenient for people to negotiate. Health care is supposed to be about taking care of people who often have various medical conditions. In a society that is lacking in compassion, the professionalism of people is affected by the political, cultural, and administrative environment.