Which of these is the biggest cause of poverty in the US?

[OtterMan68]

Poverty Rate by Year

See the link above

Chronically low wages for unskilled labor

It's a failure of the US education system

Lack of a robust European style social safety net

Poor life choices and financial decisions of people living in poverty

A welfare system that incentives people to remain on welfare

other, say below

[msc545]

It is a combination of multiple things including in no particular order. Capitalism corruption. Lack of a social safety net and lack of social supports. The very nature of capitalism allows corruption to flourish in this country almost unabated and also promotes the rise of psychopaths to power. The victims of these things wind up being the poverty-stricken and the homeless and the unemployed. Also of great concern is the lack of quality education from kindergarten through 12th grade. In this country. We pay teachers essentially garbage wages to do a very important job that every other country accept. Ours seems to recognize as being important.

Put all this together and you have a country where about 40% of the population is at the poverty level. We also have about 23 billionaires and over 1 million millionaires in this country which tells you something very unpleasant about inequality.

[Flatmanlewis]

I’d say a broken social structure that cannot be fixed by money or teachers. What are the most common denominators in below poverty households? Absent fathers, drug & alcohol abuse, and lack of education. (This also is the pattern of incarcerated males as well.) This is a statistical pattern for decades.


Children cannot be successful in their educational journey without supportive parents. Parents cannot be successful as parents without a moral code which values their children. Society should incentivize parent’s involvement in their children’s lives and shame failure.

[WhiteBoyChill]

THIS!!

[dustybiker2]

What incentives to stay on welfare? lol The gov doesn't give enough to people to survive these days. Basic food costs. I know veterans and elderly who have had their grocery lists triple in costs in the last four years. They don't have more money given to adjust those costs, so they go without, starving.


But to answer the question it's a mixed bag for sure.

[OtterMan68]

I tried to put options I've heard people use before

[dustybiker2]

Oh no I know. It just ruffled my feathers. So many good people are really hurting. Had to let that out.

[OtterMan68]

that's why there's one option that says "lack of robust social safety net" and one says "Welfare system that incentivises..."

[KostasKouvalis]

I feel it's a combination of all those things. And I also think the hiring system in the U. S. is to blame. A lot of people who want to work and are qualified to work are denied the opportunity because of the ridiculous standards and procedures that employers have.

[WindAtMyBack]

First of all, true poverty is very rare in the US. In most cases, what they call poverty would be luxury to most of the world.

Anyway, the biggest cause of the so-called poverty is the welfare system and people's own choices.

All the people who complain about poverty in the US need to spend a year in a place in real poverty. Then when they come back they'll appreciate how good they've got it.

[normalice]

I would say "the rich wanting more money without doing anything for the poor to earn it." Wage theft, corporate welfare, the poor choices of rich narcissists, pillaging money that wouldm ave gone to the safety net.. These are all things they do. Corporate welfare is probably the one with the biggest price tag, though.

[itsclearlynicholas]

Spending on foreign issues 😕😔 and in not American hahaha 🤣😂 so you know, I feel bad for the folks who are American who live in America and they get supposedly they get the funding that could've been for them, sent globally lol 😂😆 "aid"

[OtterMan68]

foreign aid makes up a very small percentage of fed gov spending and states don't send money abroad

[itsclearlynicholas]

Still sounds like a lot of American money for you Americans that could've gone to American things at home rather than abroad aye? Ah well, thats politics I guess. Lol. I'm Australian, just observational comedy is all here 👀👀😏

[WhiteBoyChill]

@itsclearlynicholas Nah you’re right. It still does equate to billions of dollars sent overseas

[strateguy632]

in recent years it is biden inflation biden-flation n biden-nomics

[OtterMan68]

do you think what the Trump admin did in 2020 had nothing to do with the inflation that followed?

[DrPepper12]

A social safety net makes all other things possible. Unless you're a moronic USA American who thinks "taxes are theft".

[Flatmanlewis]

I feel like taxes are a unavoidable and necessary part of a society but I do not think the tax rate should be increased to pay for social services. We can trim a lot of government fat.

[KostasKouvalis]

I agree with @Flatmanlewis. While I understand the importance of taxes, no one in the White House asked me if I'm okay with my tax dollars going to Ukraine.
So it is not moronic at all, and you are incredibly naiive if you believe taxes aren't theft. Americans wouldn't have a problem with taxes if their tax money was actually being used to benefit American CITIZENS. And that's not even including the part about how the IRS schemes extra money out of you.

[DrPepper12]

@KostasKouvalis the white house does not control appropriations, Congress does. Unreal. SMDH

[exitseven]

I licker the welfare system that incentivises welfare. That coupled with failing inner city schools.

[Snakeyes7]

All of the above except for the safety net. If the rest were in place there wouldn't be any need for one.

[NathanDavis]

capitalism/consumerism