Kyle Berg

The United States is so prosperous that the majority of its citizens have no perspective on how much of the rest of the world lives. Those labeled as poor or “disadvantaged” today lead better lives than even royalty of the past could have imagined. The “poverty” in our nation is often more a figment of our imagination and a product of emotionally manipulative reporting and political pandering. Consider these statistics from Robert Rector (affectionately referred to as Eeyore around the office for his lack of emotion) of the Heritage Foundation:

The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau, taken from various gov­ernment reports:

• Forty-three percent of all poor households actu­ally own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

• Eighty percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

• Only 6 percent of poor households are over­crowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

• The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

• Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.

• Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television; over half own two or more color televisions.

• Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.

• Eighty-nine percent own microwave ovens, more than half have a stereo, and more than a third have an automatic dishwasher.

The entire article can be found here.

I could go on and on about people I know in Argentina who do not own a home, have never learned to drive, enjoy air conditioning only at the mall, and may have never even seen a dishwasher. However, they are content and view themselves as well-off, fortunate, and among the middle class. The notion of being classified as “poor” or “downtrodden” would never enter their mind. Whether Americans compare their living conditions to other countries or the rest of human history, the result is the same. There is absolutely nothing to complain about. Whereas true poverty in other parts of the world is a state of reality and almost inescapable for many, in our country, it is, almost without fail, the consequence of our actions.

What is unfortunate is the number of people consumed with envy and pessimism because they have been told someone owes them or did them wrong. Come to Argentina, which is better off then many South American countries, and try the same talking points concerning poverty and you will be laughed out the door. It really is fascinating how much of our perception is based on what we are told rather than what is true.