Matt Yglesias

14 Responses to “New Uninsurance and Poverty NUmbers”

1. ObamaLied! Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

   But but Stimulator was going to keep unemployment under 8%!
   Does that mean Stimulator inadvertantly caused an increase of 2% in unemployment?
   Is it that Old Black Magic at work?

2. anon Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

   Census points out that these numbers were collected in March 2008, six months before the economy completely exploded. So, really, they’re more about late 2007 than about 2008, which is very confusing.

   And it’s scary when you look at the employer-based numbers (table C-1): the percentage of people covered by insurance on the job steadily drop from 2000 to the present.

   The current system was incredibly weak before employment went off a cliff. We are watching an incredible market failure unfold, and the human cost is absolutely staggering.

3. SteveAR Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

   “The U.S. Census Bureau said the number of uninsured Americans increased in 2008 to 46.3 million, compared to 45.7 million in 2007.”

   Maybe Obama’s politicized Census Bureau should have mentioned the new economic reality:

   Tucked into President Barack Obama’s speech to the U.S. Congress was a new talking point — that his aim is to get health insurance for 30 million uninsured people, instead of 46 million.

   Illegal aliens were removed from Obama’s speech last night. It doesn’t seem the bureaucracy has caught up yet.

   “The bureau also said the U.S poverty rate of 13.2% in 2008 was an increase from 12.5% in 2007.”

   Here are some of those who are in “poverty”:

   Nearly 40 percent of all poor households actu­ally own their own homes. On average, this is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.

   Eighty-four percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, in 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.

   Nearly two-thirds of the poor have cable or satellite TV.

   Only 6 percent of poor households are over­crowded; two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.

   The typical poor American has as much or more living space than the average individual living in most European countries. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)

   Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 31 percent own two or more cars.

   Ninety-eight percent of poor households have a color television; two-thirds own two or more color televisions.

   Eighty-two percent own microwave ovens; 67 percent have a DVD player; 73 percent have a VCR; 47 percent have a computer.

   The average intake of protein, vitamins, and minerals by poor children is indistinguishable from that of children in the upper middle class. Poor boys today at ages 18 and 19 are actually taller and heavier than middle-class boys of similar age were in the late 1950s. They are a full inch taller and ten pounds heavier than the GIs who stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War II.

   I think it’s time we revisit what actually is poverty, because it doesn’t seem that the definition actually fits.

   The good news is that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities calculates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is keeping at least six million people out of poverty so things aren’t as bad as they might have been.

   I have no doubt this is just part of the “smoke and mirrors” campaign by Obama and his sycophants.

4. Fencedude Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

   Maybe Obama’s politicized Census Bureau should have mentioned the new economic reality:

   Steve, who exactly was president in March of 2008?

5. SteveAR Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 4:41 pm

   Fencedude:

   Steve, who exactly was president in March of 2008?

   Doesn’t matter. The report just came out today. Who is President today? If I remember correctly, Barack Obama is President today. It’s his Census Bureau.

6. Joe from Lowell Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 4:53 pm

   So, basically, your argument is “Hey, look over there!”

   Poverty’s not so bad, and the Census Bureau, as it has always done, counted everyone in the country instead of citizens when collecting population data.

   Gee, now I’m not worried that poverty and uninsured rates are rising.

   eyeroll

7. SteveAR Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

   No, Joe. I’m saying that what you call “poverty” is bullshit. It also means that either Obama’s number or his bureau’s number is bullshit. But since the Census Bureau is Obama’s, and because one of them has a bullshit number, it’s Obama that is bullshit.

8. joe from Lowell Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 5:39 pm

   Let’s imagine that what you call “poverty” went down by 50% during the Bush administration. Do you imagine SteveAR arguing that it’s an unimportant measure?

   Me neither.

9. A discontented, lazy rabble instead of a thrifty working class Says:
   September 10th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

   SteveAR just wants America’s poor to be more destitute for their own good. If you take away the air conditioning and microwave, the break room at that third job will be much more appealing. On the right, Mr. Potter’s views on poverty and labor are held in high regard.

10. SteveAR Says:
    September 10th, 2009 at 6:40 pm

    joe from Lowell:

    Let’s imagine that what you call “poverty” went down by 50% during the Bush administration.

    Here’s what would have happened. Leftists would not accept it as a fact if it had happened, and would purposely change the parameters on what is poverty in order to claim the Bush administration was doing nothing to fight poverty. Because lying is what leftists do. Take a look at Obama’s speech last night; it was a perfect example of selling lies as policy.

11. soullite Says:
    September 10th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

    And all of this is the result of policies that Matt Y supports 100%. In fact, Matt Y now thinks you have far too much money, and would like to take 5k per head out of your household budget to make you buy health insurance the insurance companies have no intention of honoring.

    And then he’ll demand you thank him for helping you.

12. Fencedude Says:
    September 10th, 2009 at 11:08 pm

    Because lying is what leftists do.

    Oh really. So no one on the right has ever lied, right? Certainly not you! And you would never lie about lying, would you? That would be just wrong!

13. joe from Lowell Says:
    September 11th, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Steve AR didn’t even deny my claim. Which is an assent.

    He agrees, if poverty had dropped under Bush, he wouldn’t be making this argument.

14. SteveAR Says:
    September 11th, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Fencedude:

    Oh really. So no one on the right has ever lied, right?

    Don’t even try suckering me in on that one. I said that all the left ever does in regards to policy is lie.

    joe from Lowell:

    Steve AR didn’t even deny my claim. Which is an assent.

    And you didn’t deny mine. You confirmed that if Bush had cut poverty, the left would have lied about it. Because it isn’t that leftists care about poverty, but making political points is what leftists care about.