Re: "More Americans living in poverty now than there were in 1965...Economic realities on Main Street"

"Jas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> "T.Carr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > "Jas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>  news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > "JoettaB" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > >
> > > > "T.Carr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > > "JoettaB" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>  news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > > > > > "Foxtrot" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
> > > > > > news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > > > > > "Jas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > > > > > >
>  snip
> > > > > > the unemployment scale.
> > > > >
> > > > > http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty02/pov02fig1.jpg
> > > > >
> > > > >   The poverty rate was 15% or so when the "Great Society" programs
> > > > > were initiated.(during a economic slowdown) Yet during subsequent
> > > > > economic down cycles,(1981, 1990 recessions) the poverty rate
> > > > > increased to its "pre great society" levels.
> > > >
> > > > Funny, 1981 = Reagan and 1990 = Bush, Sr.
> > >
> >
> > Jas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > > Remember that it was called Voodoo economics then by Bush senior...and
>  it
> > > indeed turned out to be such by the end of the 80's?
> >
> >   Remember that the same economic model remained in place throughout
> > the 1990's? Or perhaps you would care to show the legislation and
> > policies enacted by Clinton that reversed it? Even todays marginal
> > income tax rates are a fraction of the Carter levels. (top rate 70+%)
> 

Jas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]

> Clinton raised taxes a bit in the 90s with a resulting boom (albeit one with
> a false bubble). The economy in much of the LBJ-Kennedy  60's was in reality
> much better.

  Couple of points that you are forgetting. 1) The "boom" was already
in place before Clinton was elected. The recession was over in the 2nd
quarter of 1991 ( www.bea.gov), long before Clinton was elected. 2)
Clinton did increase taxes in 1993, and then cut them before the 1996
elections (after the GOP gained control of Congress). Interesting that
the deficits were eliminated after the GOP sponsored tax cut

> 
> Also, remember:
> There are more Americans living in poverty now than there were in 1965. Over
> thirteen million of them are children. (The US has the worst child poverty
> rate of all the world's industrialized countries.)

  Also remember:

  There are many more Americans living in the nation than there were
in 1965. Thats why percentages are the revelant metric. As far as
poverty rate, the threshold required to be living in poverty varies
from country to country. A person living in "poverty" in the US is
doing relatively well compared to other nations.

 Last year alone, another
> 1.7 million Americans slipped below the poverty line, bringing the total to
> 34.6 million, one in eight of the population, and up from 31.6 million in
> 2000. (See "Economic Fault Lines in America's States," AFL-CIO report).

  I dont subscribe to "analysis" from a major trade union, but rather
would use the data from the government sources. The data indicates
that poverty rates increase after recessions. As employment is a
lagging economic indicator, it is no suprise that poverty numbers and
rates follow the same trend.

  http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty02/pov02fig1.jpg

                                                                    
T.Carr

> 
> 
> 
> 
> >
> >
> > T.Carr
> >
> >  Well,
> > > perhaps not so funny, since many of baby Bush's current staff worked for
> > > Reagan -such as Rumsfeld who was shaking hands with his old "friend"
>  Saddam
> > > at the time while his good friend saddam gassed Kurds (and never
> > > apologized..in the least).
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >   It is debatable that any real impact in the poverty rate was
> > > > > achieved with  the LBJ programs.
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > > Looked like downward movement on the chart presented to me.
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > T.Carr
> > > > >
> > > > >  You should really think about what you're saying
> > > > > > before you say it, you know.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > <snip>
> > > >
> > > >