Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

irateplatypus · 11-17-2004, 08:33 AM

Here is a great link describing the poverty levels since 1959.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/histpov/hstpov1.html

you can see the figures for families of all numbers in the table... but here is an interesting fact. for a couple living 1983, the poverty line was at $7,938. this same measure has been bumped up to $14,680 in the year 2003.

that's nearly TWICE what it was just 20 years ago. surely this must outpace inflation (does it?) and the CPI. medicare, welfare and unemployment benefits have risen since then... is it not possible that the standard for poverty has improved since 1983?

11-17-2004, 08:33 AM	#20 (permalink)
irateplatypus can't help but laugh Location: dar al-harb	Here is a great link describing the poverty levels since 1959. http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/histpov/hstpov1.html you can see the figures for families of all numbers in the table... but here is an interesting fact. for a couple living 1983, the poverty line was at $7,938. this same measure has been bumped up to $14,680 in the year 2003. that's nearly TWICE what it was just 20 years ago. surely this must outpace inflation (does it?) and the CPI. medicare, welfare and unemployment benefits have risen since then... is it not possible that the standard for poverty has improved since 1983? __________________ If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves. ~ Winston Churchill