There are no poor people

bigadaj

EnglishMohican wrote: »

I was referring back to a comment by richyg but personally I do not consider a smartphone essential at all.

Similarly, in your last post you highlight whether a car is a need. In this case I do see it as a need as I live out in the countryside where a bus passes twice per day, once to pick up and once to drop off. So for me it is (very nearly) essential. If I lived in the centre of London I would probably have a very different opinion.

This is the problem with any list that goes above shelter, warm clothes and food. Almost any additional item will be considered essential by some but not by others depending on where they live and their lifestyle.

The same sort of problem must apply to the living wage concept. A single person does not need the same wage as a breadwinner with partner and children to support. So now we get into how many children should we be allowed to have.

Ultimately essentials are just that, as you state food, basic clothing and shelter.

The question of transport is down to personal choice about where you live. I grew up in rural Wales so am fully conversant with transport issues, but whether benefits should be supplied for someone to run a car in such circumstances is very much open to question. You can't say it's essential and if you can't afford to live in such a situation then that isn't the states problem, this does obviously lead to issues of rural depopulation and the south east slowly sinking into the sea through immigration, but that's not a fundamental problem of surviving.

[Deleted User]

richyg wrote: »

Poor is starving with no means to obtain food or shelter.

From the dictionary:

lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society.

[Deleted User]

Superscrooge wrote: »

Government definition of household poverty...........

'Household income below 60% of median household income'

I have always thought this to be a bizarre definition. If you double everyone's household income, or even increase all household incomes x 10. You still have the same number of households in poverty by this definition.

.....but not if you reduce inequality.

Pincher

Ideally, what we need is ever increasing 0% Balance Transfer deals.

In 2016 November, I get a £20,000 0% BT for three years.
In 2019 October, I get a £40,000 0% BT for four years.
In 2023 September, I get a £60,000 0% BT deal for five years.

Ideally, when I die, I owe £1million pounds on credit card.

Other tricks:

Issue debt papers in Greek, and ask the Germans to pay for the interest.

Buy a photocopier, and print more money.

bigfreddiel

Adamjeffs wrote: »

Everyone claiming benefits are lazy oiks and shirkers and we should do away with it all apart from the physically unable to work.

Write agree, and include in that all these immigrants!
















Only kidding, the benefits people claim illegally is a tiny proportion of all the legitimate claimants.

fj

colsten

I believe bigfreddiel has recently received his first state pension payment. It's not inconceivable that he had one or more excessive celebrations with the extra cash he now has to worry about, and that his judgement is therefore a tad more challenged than usual.

System

Depends what you call poverty, its the quality of housing, rather than availability of food and water. Difficult jobs can make people feel poor if they're slogging their guts out to pay rent - poor in a happiness and freedom sense

Being 'poor' is more a state of mind, like being 'rich'

System

Part of the poverty mentality is not seeing a way out, like investing

melanzana

Does anyone have a definition of "poor"?

I suppose it is relative. Say for example you had the good life and then everything went belly up for you. That would be poor for you. But bankruptcy is swift and attainable. Then back to normal.

I think many of those who have little or nothing are those not well versed in the "system". They fall through the cracks through lack of awareness, education, whatever. On the other hand many have degrees in the "entitlement" faculty.

There is no way anyone in UK should be destitute, unless they choose that route through addiction or lack of knowledge of entitlements, or rash use of benefits.

Sorry. Reading back I sound so harsh. I don't mean to. I have had very tough times in my own life, and got through.

The benefit system in UK is ace. Otherwise no one would want to come to live here. The only comparator I know of is ROI, that is a good (similar) benefit system country too.

bigadaj

The benefits system in the uk is ace, but probably unsustainable.