Poverty in America

[magnifier661]

In 2000 (Bill Clinton Administration): Living in poverty - 31.6 million (11%)

In 2004 (Bush Jr, Administration): Living in poverty - 36.6 million (12.9%)

In 2008 (Bush Administration): Living in poverty - 38.9 million (12.7%)

In 2012 (Obama Administration): Living in poverty - 46.4 million (14.7%)

In 2014 (Obama Administration): Living in poverty - 43.8 million (13.6%)

Discuss....

 

[santeesioux]

Is that 2008 before the economy tanked? I guess it must be since it says Bush Administration.

 

[donkiez]

Everything was great during the Clinton admin.

Bush kept things in relative check till the big financial disaster, but suffered initially from the dot com bubble.

Obama deals with disaster

Obama reduces the overall poverty level during his second term as part of the recovery.

Seems to follow what I would expect, given the state of our country.

 

[donkiez]

Is that 2008 before the economy tanked? I guess it must be since it says Bush Administration.

2008 was pretty much during the tank. These type of numbers take a few years to react fully the economy though.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

We printed like $4 trillion dollars. the fuck that go?

 

[magnifier661]

Is that 2008 before the economy tanked? I guess it must be since it says Bush Administration.

I believe the second economy tank happened on Bush's second term in 2008. When the financial bailout started

 

[magnifier661]

Everything was great during the Clinton admin.

Bush kept things in relative check till the big financial disaster, but suffered initially from the dot com bubble.

Obama deals with disaster

Obama reduces the overall poverty level during his second term as part of the recovery.

Seems to follow what I would expect, given the state of our country.

Everything really wasn't great in the later part of the Clinton Administration. The dot.com burst happened his last term.

I will admit that our country was doing well for most Clinton's term though.

 

[donkiez]

Everything really wasn't great in the later part of the Clinton Administration. The dot.com burst happened his last term.

I will admit that our country was doing well for most Clinton's term though.

"Great" as in economically. He was president of a boom economy which was more part of the cycle than it was his doing. Not sure you can pin the dot.com bust on him though, that was a bit before my time, but I believe it had to do more with over speculation in an unproven and newly exciting medium.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

The economy only was good in Clinton's term because interest rates were low so investments in business were little to no risk. once interest rates went up, the economy tanked. That's why people made stupid fucking companies in the dot bomb era, low risk and they were just handing money to everyone. once interest rates went up, investments screeched to a grinding halt.

I believe Obama has had the interest rates low basically his whole presidency to "stablize" the economy. Add the creation of $4 trillion dollars out of thin air in the form of QE, shit is gonna get mad real.

 

[donkiez]

The economy only was good in Clinton's term because interest rates were low so investments in business were little to no risk. once interest rates went up, the economy tanked. That's why people made stupid fucking companies in the dot bomb era, low risk and they were just handing money to everyone. once interest rates went up, investments screeched to a grinding halt.

This shit is beginning to sound like a broken record. I wish I could invest and speculate with no risk.

 

[magnifier661]

"Great" as in economically. He was president of a boom economy which was more part of the cycle than it was his doing. Not sure you can pin the dot.com bust on him though, that was a bit before my time, but I believe it had to do more with over speculation in an unproven and newly exciting medium.

never said that Clinton was responsible for the dot.com burst. Just making sure you were aware that the economy took a shit in his last term because of the dot.com burst

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

This shit is beginning to sound like a broken record. I wish I could invest and speculate with no risk.

QE made the markets immune from losses. If they went down? Print more money!

 

[donkiez]

QE made the markets immune from losses. If they went down? Print more money!

I'm not a huge fan of QE but I think its less destructive than the home loan deregulation, student loan system, health care insurance, prison industrial complex, military industrial complex and bank bailouts. All of those are the reason we needed QE.

 

[magnifier661]

I'm not a huge fan of QE but I think its less destructive than the home loan deregulation, student loan system, health care insurance, prison industrial complex, military industrial complex and bank bailouts. All of those are the reason we needed QE.

The home loan deregulation was one of the biggest downfalls to this economy.

 

[donkiez]

The home loan deregulation was one of the biggest downfalls to this economy.

Student loan and health care are currently following the same pattern. If El Prez's assessment of the dot.com is right then its the same blueprint also.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I'm too lazy to look and too stupid to know, but has the poverty level dollar amount changed in that time?

 

[magnifier661]

I'm too lazy to look and too stupid to know, but has the poverty level dollar amount changed in that time?

The dollar was very "devalued" during the Clinton administration. For the first term and a half with Bush, the dollar slowly rose (taking a big bump in 2008), then rose again. First term of Obama, the dollar was becoming very strong. Now the dollar is pretty strong around the world, which is weird because Democrats usually like to devalue the currency to promote exportation.

 

[donkiez]

I'm too lazy to look and too stupid to know, but has the poverty level dollar amount changed in that time?

You can look it up here.

https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/threshld/

The threshold has changed every year it looks like.

For one person
2014 $12,316
2012 $11,720
2008 $10,991
2004 $9,646
2000 $8,794

Minimum wage
2014 $7.25 hr
2010 $7.25 hr
2008 $6.55 hr
2004 $5.15 hr
2000 $5.15 hr

Cumulative inflation

2015 was 10.12% more expensive than 2010
2009 was 28.31% more expensive than 2000
so 2015 is 38.43% more expensieve than 2000

 

[MARIS61]

Everything was great during the Clinton admin...

Really?

31.6 million (11% of all Real Americans) would beg to differ.

(Bill Clinton Administration): Living in poverty - 31.6 million (11%)

Richest country on Earth should not have any trace of poverty at all.

Poverty as defined here is not a fun existence.

 

[dviss1]

The OP is horribly skewed and doesn't give all the information. It implies that poverty is a direct result of who's President.
It leaves out many factors that create actual poverty. The president is not a king and needs congress to pass law.

Republicans? Where are the jobs bills?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Put in a little effort and you can get out of poverty. My wife got grants to pay for one year of school which she attended dental assistant school at ccc with. Upon graduation she got paid $16/hour. The top dental assistant at her office makes $30/hour. Boom.

Easy easy easy.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

The OP is horribly skewed and doesn't give all the information. It implies that poverty is a direct result of who's President.
It leaves out many factors that create actual poverty. The president is not a king and needs congress to pass law.

Republicans? Where are the jobs bills?

Not that a hundred years of interference can be undone, but the notion that frustrates me more than any other is the idea that somehow it is incumbent upon the government to manage the nation's financial situation in the first place. The government should be responsible for infrastructure (physical, not financial), defense, legislation, adjudication, and I guess education (although there's certainly an argument to be made against that).

There are so many things that the government is involved in that are outside the scope of what its responsibilities should be that I can understand why so many tend toward voting for candidates with socialist leanings, because trying to reverse the present course will probably do more harm than good at this point. It's pretty much impossible to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

 

[dviss1]

Not that a hundred years of interference can be undone, but the notion that frustrates me more than any other is the idea that somehow it is incumbent upon the government to manage the nation's financial situation in the first place. The government should be responsible for infrastructure (physical, not financial), defense, legislation, adjudication, and I guess education (although there's certainly an argument to be made against that).

There are so many things that the government is involved in that are outside the scope of what its responsibilities should be that I can understand why so many tend toward voting for candidates with socialist leanings, because trying to reverse the present course will probably do more harm than good at this point. It's pretty much impossible to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

FDR's administration would probably disagree. When it comes to rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, it's going to take
Government teamed with Private Enterprise to get it done. I saw Trump complain about how China has nicer airports than
we do... I just shook my head and said but no one wants to pay for them... Paying for them (spending) creates jobs....

 

[magnifier661]

The OP is horribly skewed and doesn't give all the information. It implies that poverty is a direct result of who's President.
It leaves out many factors that create actual poverty. The president is not a king and needs congress to pass law.

Republicans? Where are the jobs bills?

Of course it will take a democrat that will outwardly say "the president is not responsible", then use success in another debate on the presidency.

Mr. Pot meet Mrs. Kettle

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Put in a little effort and you can get out of poverty. My wife got grants to pay for one year of school which she attended dental assistant school at ccc with. Upon graduation she got paid $16/hour. The top dental assistant at her office makes $30/hour. Boom.

Easy easy easy.

Yeah, or just fall ass backwards into a job that pays double that while you surf the net all day. All you have to do is be an asshole during the interview.

Just so fucking easy bro!
:MARIS61:

 

[magnifier661]

Yeah, or just fall ass backwards into a job that pays double that while you surf the net all day. All you have to do is be an asshole during the interview.

Just so fucking easy bro!
:MARIS61:

Like the "Ted" reference

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I never watched Ted.

 

[HailBlazers]

I never watched Ted.

No need, you're living it bro.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

in all seriousness, we're all fucked.

unless your Mags

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Yeah, or just fall ass backwards into a job that pays double that while you surf the net all day. All you have to do is be an asshole during the interview.

Just so fucking easy bro!
:MARIS61:

Ironically I've found that sometimes the harder you work as a youngin, coupled with good interviewing skills gets you jobs that you get paid more money and don't have to work as much