Recently Mitt Romney made a statement that many, on both sides, are using to against him. From the Blue, Romney is being attacked on that comment by having it taken out of context. The left is going to say that Romney said:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Wednesday that he’s “not concerned about the very poor,”
When in fact he said:
“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it,” the Republican front-runner said Wednesday on CNN, following his victory in the Florida primary.
Be that as it may, it’s election politics and the tactic is used by both the Red and the Blue.
But is the statement true?
To me, more than the sound bit opportunity being interesting, I’m wondering if the statement is true. Are the very poor, indeed, take care of.
The answer is yes, and perhaps very well taken care of:
According to the data, a single adult with 3 children earning the minimum wage has the same spending power that an individual making $60,000 a year has. Even if that adult only works 1 week a month, she is able to realize spending opportunity of $31,630.
Indeed, in today’s America, it seems that the safety nets Mr. Romney is speaking of are functioning just perfectly.
so above you say “spending power” of 31,630 for the lowest cohort. Are those benefits really translatable into cash or are you just using “spending power” as a generic. Take Medicaid as an example (as half of that total comes from Medicaid ) I have a feeling no one is sending a check to a family. I’d assume that is the maximum benefit those families have from Medicare?
so above you say “spending power” of 31,630 for the lowest cohort. Are those benefits really translatable into cash or are you just using “spending power” as a generic.
I say “spending power” because I think many people don’t use the word “discretionary spending” correctly. For example, the family above earning $60k doesn’t have $34k in discretionary spending. That’s just the amount they have after paying taxes and daycare. They still have to spend money on defined items like food, shelter and clothing.
I have a feeling no one is sending a check to a family.
I’ve always thought they have:
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/provider/calendar.htm
And the list isn’t exhaustive. For example, they completely left off WIC. This program gives food coupons that can be used for milk, fruit, breads and cereals. And the Section 8 amounts seem low. That subsidy is coming out to only about $125 a month; I get the feeling that Section 8 pays the rent.