War on the Poor

April 08, 2015

There has been a lot of news lately about the U.S. War on the Poor. I'm not going to say anything much about it - others have already said it well enough:

The rush to humiliate the poor "Never mind that few can afford filet mignon on a less-than-$7/day food-stamp allotment; they’re more likely to be buying chuck steak or canned tuna. This is less about public policy than about demeaning public-benefit recipients."
The double-standard of making the poor prove they’re worthy of government benefits "...We rarely make similar demands of other recipients of government aid. We don't drug-test farmers who receive agriculture subsidies (lest they think about plowing while high!). We don't require Pell Grant recipients to prove that they're pursuing a degree that will get them a real job one day (sorry, no poetry!). We don't require wealthy families who cash in on the home mortgage interest deduction to prove that they don't use their homes as brothels (because surely someone out there does this). The strings that we attach to government aid are attached uniquely for the poor."
Report finds 44 percent of U.S. children live in low-income families "The Great Recession may be over, but the number of children living in poverty or low-income families is still higher than pre-recession levels."
Kansas To Impose Unprecedented Restriction On Welfare Recipients "While one of the backers of the bill asserted that recipients could take out more at a bank counter, the cards can't be used at counters and many poor people lack access to bank accounts given the need to maintain balances and pay fees. Seventeen million Americans are unbanked, going without formal financial products. Meanwhile, during debate over the bill state Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D) pointed out that many recipients need to withdraw hundreds of dollars some days in order to be able to pay rent."
This image perfectly sums up inequality in America, according to the Internet

"The yacht in the image is real, by the way -- a massive 196-foot mega-yacht with a gym, a floating indoor boat garage, and an aquarium. But if you listen to some policymakers in this country, wealth inequality isn't the problem -- the problem is poor people buying steak and going to the pool."

Links!