UN Investigates "Extreme Poverty" in the US

[Ben]

Not to sound uncaring, but this is kind of laughable. While there is nothing wrong with examining poverty in the US, doing so at the UN level is ridiculous. On a global scale, there are around 3 billion people that would give their right arms to live at US poverty levels. It would be a dream come true for them.

The UN would be of more use if the gave the likely millions they will spend on this study to Catholic Relief or someone and let those charities actually help the truly destitute of the world.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/12/12/570217635/the-u-n-looks-at-extreme-poverty-in-the-u-s-from-alabama-to-california

[slugcatcher]

Don't we have the most overweight poor in the world?

[griz]

The article goes in to an increase in the rate of hookworm in the US, the only indicator of poverty they mention.  I think the real point is in this early paragraph:

"Some might ask why a U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights would visit a country as rich as the United States. But despite great wealth in the U.S., there also exists great poverty and inequality." That was part of a statement issued by Philip Alston, a New York University law and human rights professor, who is leading the mission.

I bolded the problem.  In other words, the world should be more fair in rich countries.  Sorry, but as long as you define poverty as the lower X percent of the income spread, you will ALWAYS have X percent in poverty.  Unless of course you make everybody have exactly the same income, which some folks are in favor of.

[Scout26]

You missed the other problem....

a New York University law and human rights professor

I bet he's never been further south then New Jersey, nor further west then Philadelphia.  (Although he probably vacations in Maine in the summers....)

[230RN]

Oh, he's been "west" of Philadelphia.  He apparently got his law degree from Berkeley.

Without actually knowing, I would suspect he's another "consititutional scholar" who doesn't know the meaning of the plain English words "not" and "infringed."

(I'm being a jerk there, of course.)

I wonder what he thinks of the Human Right of self defense?

Ah, but I'm being a jerk again.

Terry, 230RN

REF:
https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.biography&personid=19742

[Boomhauer]

The UN isn't happy unless everyone is equally poor

[Pb]

There's nothing wrong with inequality, as long as there is no cheating, lying, stealing or corruption going on.  People have differing abilities and different work ethics, and income should reflect that.

The only thing bad is poverty... and attacking inequality doesn't help that at all.

Is it better to live in a country where everyone is equally poor, or in a country with no poor people and a few ultra rich people?

[dogmush]

Pretty soon pretty folks will have to start wearing ugly masks and strong folks will have to wear weight vests.

REF

[K Frame]

The UN isn't happy unless everyone is equally poor

That's the entire goal of socialism/communism... to make everyone equally poor and miserable.

Except for those in charge.

[Jamisjockey]

That's the entire goal of socialism/communism... to make everyone equally poor and miserable.

Except for those in charge.

Comeon Irwin you're being too harsh.  Take Bernie Sanders for example.  Bernie didn't even spend a full million on his third home on the lake.  Obviously he knows the struggle.

[K Frame]

"Bernie didn't even spend a full million on his third home on the lake."

Ah... his Dacha.

Wasn't it given to him as a mark of appreciation by his supporters?

Virtually every Communist/Socialist leader had one or more those. Hell, Hitler had the Eagle's Nest, a gift from "the people" for his birthday.

[freakazoid]

Pretty soon pretty folks will have to start wearing ugly masks and strong folks will have to wear weight vests.

REF

I think I remember reading that in school, middle school maybe.

[HankB]

"Bernie didn't even spend a full million on his third home on the lake."

Ah... his Dacha.

Wasn't it given to him as a mark of appreciation by his supporters?

Virtually every Communist/Socialist leader had one or more those. Hell, Hitler had the Eagle's Nest, a gift from "the people" for his birthday.

Stalin had about half a dozen dachas here and there, including the ones in Kuntsevo (near Moscow) and Sochi.

Not quite the modest cabin in the country some people think of when they hear the word "dacha."

[Scout26]

"Bernie didn't even spend a full million on his third home on the lake."

Ah... his Dacha.

Wasn't it given to him as a mark of appreciation by his supporters?

Virtually every Communist/Socialist leader had one or more those. Hell, Hitler had the Eagle's Nest, a gift from "the people" for his birthday.

I thought that was "given" to him by Hillary and DNC for him throwing his supporters under the bus to Hillary in the Presidential election after he was robbed of lost the nomination.

[K Frame]

I thought that was "given" to him by Hillary and DNC for him throwing his supporters under the bus to Hillary in the Presidential election after he was robbed of lost the nomination.

As I said, a mark of appreciation by his supporters!

[BlueStarLizzard]

*shrug* I'm sorry to say it (not really) but it is pretty pathetic to be one of the richest country in the world and we still have a small (very small) population that doesn't have proper sewage and gets crap like ringworm.

At least this focused on the rural poor (IMHO, the *real* poor people in this country) instead of inner city poor which is where most of the resources go.

[RoadKingLarry]

*shrug* I'm sorry to say it (not really) but it is pretty pathetic to be one of the richest country in the world and we still have a small (very small) population that doesn't have proper sewage and gets crap like ringworm.

At least this focused on the rural poor (IMHO, the *real* poor people in this country) instead of inner city poor which is where most of the resources go.

I suspect that there are resources allocated to such but the wonderful and benevolent democrats manage to at the least mismanage the money and resources to a point that they are irrelevant.