There has been a lot of talk here today about the state of the economy. I think we can all agree it is scary. On another post there was some discussion about the vagaries of the "unemployment" numbers which led me to think about other useless measurements. The one that has bothered me the most over the years has been the so-called "poverty line."
This will be short, see below.
Okay. Officially the poverty line for a family of four in 2007 was $20, 650. See here
I also found this article on CBS's website today, which offers slightly different numbers, but they are in the same ballpark.
The government constantly uses these figures of proof that something is working or not working. If less people are living in poverty than things are getting better. Right? This is just another example of the absurdity that is currently in control of Washington. It also highlights rather blatantly that anyone working for minimum wage, full time, will still be considered "poor" even under this ridiculously bogus standard.
I would welcome a real conversation with any of the candidates about this issue. This is not an abstract conversation about economic indicators...this is millions of people scraping by everyday. I frankly do not know how they manage.