UN Report Says Parts of America as Poor as Third World

The UN released a report yesterday that claimed parts of America are now as poor as third world countries. In the past these reports and allegations have been rejected by American politicians as 'emotional rhetoric'. But yesterday, the UN provided statistical proof that child mortality, healthcare and child poverty levels are growing alarmingly in the US.



This will be hard to deny after the world has seen Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods ravage through some of the poorer parts of Louisiana. This is indicative that the US has to start addressing some domestic issues and quickly too. I think we are all aware of the vast economic differences in the population, but this report mentions things I don't usually associated with the US like child mortality.

[edit on 8-9-2005 by nikelbee]

[edit on 10-9-2005 by DJDOHBOY]

I'm having some trouble with the link to the whole story..
Was there a map included in the story.
I'd be curious to know the distribution of those below the poverty line.

This is no big secret.

Just drive a few blocks from the Nation's Capitol to S.E. Washington D.C.

I'm one hour from our Nation's Capitol and I can't get high speed internet
unless I go Satellite.

Some things just don't make any sense

Originally posted by spacedoubt
I'm having some trouble with the link to the whole story..
Was there a map included in the story.
I'd be curious to know the distribution of those below the poverty line.

Looks like you have to be a member to read the whole story. Yes, poverty exist in large numbers across this country.

I got a simple but effective eye opener a couple of months ago from a simple mesage from fallenfromthetree. Since that, I have looked at the U.S. and it's families differently.

Now very easy to support thoughts and things I would not have or thought more about before rendering any sort of judgement before.

Dallas
EDIT: bad spelling

[edit on 10-9-2005 by Dallas]

The US should cut money spent on Foreign aide and use that to help the poor in our own country.

People go to sleep hungry in the US, The goverment should take care of those people first before dollar one is spent on any country in Africa.

Yup, Shadow is right we probably spend more money helping poor people abroad when we can sped that money on our own people.

Many of my friends are shocked by what they read in the local sections of The Washington Post, USA Today and some of our small local papers.

The big headlines of MSNBC, CNN, BBC and other major media sources barely scratch the surface
of real American life.

This is no joke. My parents and brother's family wouldnt be able to feed themselves without gardens, farming and hunting. My family is lucky enough to have land to do this.

There are tons of impoverished in every US city, and in almost every town. If anyone bothers to look its easy to see.

And here I thought this couldnt happen Bush in office!

The food that we send to Afferica harldy makes it to the docks before it can explode.

And sadly we continue to make poor! We have seen an ever growing number of poor and rich.....meanwhile the middle class is shrinking.

And the middle class is the mainstay of all society.

Originally posted by garyo1954
And sadly we continue to make poor! We have seen an ever growing number of poor and rich.....meanwhile the middle class is shrinking.

And the middle class is the mainstay of all society.

Good point, the median/ Majoraty rules.

[edit on 10/9/05 by The Surrealist]

Without home loans, car loans and revolving credit, most of us wouldn't have all the " stuff "
that makes us appear so well off.

Most Americans are less than 30 days away from complete financial disaster, if either of the
breadwinners lost their job.

Those who earn a relatively good income struggle continuously to keep their heads above water
with the cost of everything going up faster than our cost of living raises can handle.

We are trapped by our debt, our fear of the almighty credit score, the IRS and
the whims of our employers.

We desperately need to reform our education and healthcare systems, but those
who profit from the existing system control the policy makers.

Most of us live under the illusion that slavery was abolished after the civil war.

In reality, the mega rich still hold the plantations, providing "wages" to cover our basic shelter, food and transportation. Some of us do better than others, but things haven't really changed that much.
The kings and emperors, control the lords, who control the peasants.

The wealthy don't pay income tax.

This is a tax classification reserved for the working class. The one's earning " wages "

Our friends in other countries also pay a heavy tax burden, but most of them are fortunate
to have affordable education and health care.

We are now just beginning to see the result of competition from other 3rd world countries who take higher education seriously. Their workforce is being trained to compete in the next century.

We better wise up fast.

End of rant

I am including a new link as the Independent likes to move things over into a subscription based section after a few days.

It seems to me that poverty is one of the biggest problems the US is facing today. Katrina is a prime example of the ramifications of those social issues. Yes, the hurricane could have happened in other more affluent cities but both the evacuation process and the rescue attempts might have gone a little differently.

For many of us who have lived in urban cities in the US, the allegations of poverty are not shocking in the least. Just visit Chicago or Washington DC and you will see people living under expressway ramps with nothing but rags and cardboard boxes in the winter; so unbelievably poor they don't even have shopping carts. But I was certainly shocked by the infant mortality rate mentioned in the report. We tend to think of poverty in extremes (homeless people with rags for example) but not in terms of everyday poverty. We imagine that if they live off the streets and have jobs that they can't be THAT poor.

But as some of you said, credit and living above your means, gives the illiusion of coping. Without it, many people wouldn't have much at all. How many of you know folks who live from paycheck to paycheck? What if something were to happen? Some accident or loss of job? I knew a few people who lived that way and then had to resort to living in their cars during tough patches. What about people with families?

Note in particular this from the report:

The document constitutes a stinging attack on US policies at home and abroad in a fight back against moves by Washington to undermine next week's UN 60th anniversary conference which will be the biggest gathering of world leaders in history.

The annual Human Development Report normally concerns itself with the third world, but the 2005 edition scrutinises inequalities in health provision inside the US as part of a survey of how inequality worldwide is retarding the eradication of poverty.

It reveals that the infant mortality rate has been rising in the US for the past five years - and is now the same as Malaysia. America's black children are twice as likely as whites to die before their first birthday.

Try this link:

Parts of US as poor as third world says UN report

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
The US should cut money spent on Foreign aide and use
that to help the poor in our own country.

AGREED!!!
You have voted ShadowXIX for the Way Above Top Secret award.
You have two more votes this month.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
we probably spend more money helping poor people abroad
when we can spend that money on our own people.

AGREED! You get a vote too!!

You have voted WestPoint23 for the Way Above Top Secret award.
You have one more vote left for this month.

This UN report is bogus and biased, as with anything else the UN has to say about the US since the Iraq war.

This UN report is so bogus and immaterial that it could easily have been one on each and every westernized nation, period.

"UN report says parts of Canada as poor as Third World...."
"UN report says parts of UK as poor as Third World...."
"UN report says parts of France as poor as the Third World...."
"UN report says parts of Germany as poor as the Thrid World...."
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.


I do know this much, as was also reported, though the UN undoubtedly did not pick up on this:
In 2020, America Will Still Dominate Global Economy







seekerof

This UN report is bogus and biased, as with anything else the UN has to say about the US since the Iraq war.

Good one, next thing you'll tell me that they're all reptoids in disguise. You really do humour me, Seekerof.

Do detract the entire report and bring forth the bias. Don't play, be fair.

In all the years i've known you on this site, this is the first you've made me laugh.

Luxifero

Did you have anything of substance to post or are you simply playing shadowman in your attempts to directly counter me?

I am exceptionally glad that you got a laugh from this, because quite frankly, I got a laugh when I read the UN report on its citing of "parts of America as poor as Third World....."
Perhaps our laughs were mutually inclusive or exclusive; your guess?






seekerof

Well, Seekerof, simply asserting that the report is bias does not conclude it's veracity. You must validate your argumentation against it with specific examples from the report which ebbete your opinion. It's only fair, Seekerof.

And my post was as substanced as your unsubtantiated refuttal of the report. I had a luagh, while you ever so vehemently screamed bias and faux bloody murder on part of the UN.

Luxifero