The article then goes on to discuss the situation for the near-poor, who are largely forgotten by the public and politicians. They're between a rock and a hard place; their income is "too high" for food stamps or to be considered poor, yet it is not high enough to keep them safely away from the brink. It's shocking that so many people fall into this near poor category and it seems that their situation is almost inescapable. It's really a shame that so many find themselves in this situation in the US.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Voices of the Near Poor
This article starts off by explaining the Census Bureau's new system of measurement for the poor and the near poor. This Supplemental Poverty Measure seems superior, especially when you see that the number of near-poor was 76% greater than estimated with the original system.
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This is an interesting article. I have always been interested in how countries and different surveys define poverty and how they measure it. For example, if we take a country X, their poverty levels measured by international standards and their own national standards could be very different. This is important considering the fact that the two rates of poverty determine different policy actions and affect people's lives directly!
ReplyDeleteThis article points out the sad truth that there are many Americans who are working hard and are above the poverty line, but are on the brink and constantly need to worry about finances. Just because these people are above the poverty line does not mean they do not have to worry financially, especially since they are unable to get food stamps or assistance from the government. It is surprising and sad that so many people are in this category.
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