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Debunking one of the right’s cherished poverty myths

Post on August 8, 2011 by 6 Comments »

According to the market fundamentalists on the right, there really aren’t that many poor people in the U.S. You’ve heard this one before: If they were really “poor,” they wouldn’t have refrigerators and microwaves and TV’s.  

The Heritage Foundation and Rush Limbaugh trotted out this “argument” again last month and their loyal followers (like the Locke Foundation) dutifully recycled it.

You don’t have to think very hard or long to realize how stupid this argument is, but happily, some smart folks at the Center for American Progress have done so in an organized and readable fashion. Enjoy!

 

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Comments (Closed):6

  1. Joe
    August 9, 2011 at 12:21 am

    This article does not debuke ant other finding. The us poor do have tvs cell phones ect., poor folks in other countries do not.

    Why are they poor? Many reasons but Americans has given the poor help in many forms, Welfare, food stamps, medicaid, free and reduced lunches and the like. Not to mention private sectors and yes, even churches have given to help.

    Give a fish while you teach to fish or always give a fish. Socialist David Price wants to steal the fish from one who fished his rear off all day and give it to others who are just sittting at the pier even before the person who worked his tail off all day can decide how he wants to give them away.
    Shameful

  2. Alex
    August 9, 2011 at 9:21 am

    The poor always seem to find the money for huge quantities of drugs ! Maybe it’s just a case of priorities. .

  3. david esmay
    August 9, 2011 at 9:22 am

    Most nations judge themselves and others, on how well they treat their poor, the elderly, and those with disabilities. The social programs established in the US over the last 70 years are monuments to our success as a nation. I don’t know what is more shameful, the fact that you can’t spell, or the fact that you can’t formulate a sentence.

  4. Alex
    August 9, 2011 at 9:39 am

    I would hardly label most of our inner cities as a monument to social program success. Most are drug-infested, burned out, crime -ridden communities worthy of third world status.

  5. david esmay
    August 9, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    And the GOP’s agenda will only make it worse, except it will be the white middle class suburbs.

  6. Alex
    August 9, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    And the Democratic agenda is yielding better results ! I hardly think so.