Tag Archives: Poor

I’m Thankful For:

As we finish the Thanksgiving day feast and begin to clean up, I’m reminded of how thankful I am for the —

Dishwasher.

Yes, that humble machine that makes light work of all our struggles.

But I wonder, how many of our neighbors are so lucky as to have one of these wonder machines?

In 1984, just 13.6% of the poor had a dishwasher.  Today?  Nearly 300% more have ’em.  And much more:

% Households with: Poor 1984 Poor  1994 Poor
2003
Poor
2005
All 1971 All 2005
Washing machine 58.2 71.7 67.0 68.7 71.3 84.0
Clothes dryer 35.6 50.2 58.5 61.2 44.5 81.2
Dishwasher 13.6 19.6 33.9 36.7 18.8 64.0
Refrigerator 95.8 97.9 98.2 98.5 83.3 99.3
Freezer 29.2 28.6 25.4 25.1 32.2 36.6
Stove 95.2 97.7 97.1 97.0 87.0 98.8
Microwave 12.5 60.0 88.7 91.2 1.0 96.4
Color TV 70.3 92.5 96.8 97.4 43.3 98.9
VCR 3.4 59.7 75.4 83.6 0.0 92.2
Personal computer 2.9 7.4 36.0 42.4 0.0 67.1
Telephone 71.0 76.7 87.3 79.8 93.0 90.6
Air conditioner 42.5 49.6 77.7 78.8 31.8 85.7
Cellular Telephone 34.7 48.3 0.0 71.3
One or more cars 64.1 71.8 72.8 (2001) 79.5

Clearly life has gotten better.  Not just for me over the past few years, but for all American’s over the last 30.

Conditions of Being Poor

A reader called shenanigans on my last post.  While likely that the average salary in the United States is higher than the average salary for the rest o the world, what can someone in those countries purchase with that salary.  Is there a measure by which we can gauge “quality of life”?

Continue reading

Can You Really Be Poor?

There is significant talk about the poor in America. And to be sure, there are those who have an those who have not.  But can you say that America’s poor are truly poor?

Continue reading