We often talk about the ‘poor” people. I try not to. Poor is a value judgment. For example the ‘poor dog is in pain’, ‘the poor kid is going to be spanked’ and ‘poor woman has no taste’.
Those are value judgments. To put someone in the economic category of poor is similarly a value judgment.
You can take a look at the way the Census measures poverty. You will find that a person who owns their own house, has a mutual fund portfolio and owns several cars could well be considered poor by the government definition.
The level of poverty is based on food costs for a balanced meal 50 years ago. Food most of my friends wouldn’t eat today, focused on beef, butter, frozen peas, mashed potatoes, iceberg lettuce and jello.
Poverty is something that Lefties and only Lefties love to talk about but it is meaningless. A poor American will have cable TV, a cell phone, refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and most likely a car. I know. I interview ‘poor minorities’ as an expert witness regularly.
Compare that to three quarters of the world and you can see that an American is living in the lap of luxury. Especially since Americans have available public transportation, luxurious recreation facilities, abundant choices of fresh food, free water and free education.
Just wanted to remind you that ‘poor’ is a value judgment not a meaningful measure of economic status.