34.5 Million Americans Live in Poverty (and That’s Progress)

Comments · 301

• IA

  @ianstewart1481 · 13 days ago

  Justin Wolfers, the only Economist I have come across that can make Economics, interesting and understandable. Excellent.

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• RO

  @roberthottinger9533 · 13 days ago (edited)

  Born into it. Rose out of it, Disability without government assistance has me right back into it. Poverty

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• AN

  @AnneNovelly · 11 days ago

  Divorce & disability - two big factors that derail someone’s life.

  3

• DF

  @dfs-comedy · 13 days ago

  But Americans have been conditioned to be deathly afraid of &quot;socialism!!!!&quot;<br><br>So they routinely vote against their own best interests while the oligarchs chuckle at their stupidity.

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• WI

  @WilliamEricStone · 12 days ago

  Funny how 50 + years of Reaganomics has made the poor only poorer...Turns out that giving money to people that already have too much only makes the rich richer, and the poor poorer.

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• HO

  @hollynelson3883 · 13 days ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL2kxIbPitU&amp;t=1300">21:40</a> &nbsp; &quot;Capable of work versus incapable of work&quot; is one consideration. But also, what is there is no paying work? I lost my 20 year technician career at 52, and applied for dozens of jobs every week. Those applications disappeared as though I had thrown them in the river. For an older specialized worker, the job market is often a monopsony market that’s all full up, but still pretends to be hiring. It was the most clinically depressing time of my life.

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• US

  @user-hc6uc6bz2c · 13 days ago

  We don`t even have foodbank here in Denmark, it`s cheaper just to pay people who struggle.

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• SA

  @SanePerson1 · 13 days ago (edited)

  As one of six brothers in a family where the parents divorced, I can obviously relate to this episode - especially since I too went on the become a professor at a major state university. It sounds like Justin&apos;s step-father stepped up, unlike mine. But it&apos;s no coincidence that Justin and I agree on much, especially the long-term effect of education and science in reducing poverty. This is great show, keep up the good work!

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• KE

  @kevenduncan9931 · 12 days ago

  The evidence shows that alleviating childhood poverty increase the health, longevity and productivity of those children as adults. This actually save money.

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• EL

  @ElectrickMonk · 13 days ago

  Almost as many people live in poverty in the US as the entire population of Canada.

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• AE

  @Aerik · 13 days ago

  The poverty income for a family of 4 in the US is 32,970...which is utter, complete, insane, nonsense. The number the US gov uses to pat itself on the back, have become more and more unhinged from reality over the last 15 years, and we just break our own arms patting ourselves on the back with them.

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• MI

  @michaeldowson6988 · 13 days ago

  Poor people can&apos;t afford to hoard govt funding, unlike the very wealthy. So any money given to them stays right in the immediate economy.

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