The other night I caught a few fleeting moments of a 60 Minutes (I think?) special about former suburban Americans now caught in the grip of "extreme poverty".
The beginning of the program opened up showing the daily life of the traditional white suburban American family. Due to the bad economy and limited jobs, this particular family was poor though. How poor? Poor enough to use food stamps and obtain government assistance. Yet while they wallowed in their despair to the interviewer about the struggles of putting food on the table, the viewer is showed images of the wife driving to the local food pantry to shop for groceries she can't afford....in a brand new, shiny Nissan Armada!
Yes, that is poor in America.
Along similar lines a story breaks today of a convenience store clerk who was fired for refusing to sell cigarettes to a young man attempting to pay with an EBT card.
How many "poor" people do you know who own any of the following?
-Smart phone
-Television
-Internet
-More than one car
The people we refer to as poor in America usually have enough money for the above items and cigarettes/booze/lottery tickets and a trip to the club/bar every weekend.
The beginning of the program opened up showing the daily life of the traditional white suburban American family. Due to the bad economy and limited jobs, this particular family was poor though. How poor? Poor enough to use food stamps and obtain government assistance. Yet while they wallowed in their despair to the interviewer about the struggles of putting food on the table, the viewer is showed images of the wife driving to the local food pantry to shop for groceries she can't afford....in a brand new, shiny Nissan Armada!
Yes, that is poor in America.
Along similar lines a story breaks today of a convenience store clerk who was fired for refusing to sell cigarettes to a young man attempting to pay with an EBT card.
“I made the statement, ‘do you think myself, that lady and that gentlemen should pay for your cigarettes?’ and he responded ‘yes,’ ” Whiton said.
How many "poor" people do you know who own any of the following?
-Smart phone
-Television
-Internet
-More than one car
The people we refer to as poor in America usually have enough money for the above items and cigarettes/booze/lottery tickets and a trip to the club/bar every weekend.
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