Sykes: Problem with the poor is they have too much stuff. Really.
Charlie Sykes, who I understand is still on the radio (but not mine), is shamelessly shilling for his new book, "A Nation of Moochers" (not to be confused with A Nation of Victims," his earlier "work").
Here's a post he found at the right-wing Heritage Foundation website and shared with his public, which gets right to the heart of the matter.
The trouble with poor people, Sykes says, is that they are trying to live in the 21st Century.
Besides that, they don't dress nicely and are depressing to be around. From Sykes "Nation of Moochers" Facebook page:
One of the problems with poverty is that the poor have so much stuff...
80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
92 percent of poor households have a microwave.
Nearly three-fourths have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.
Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite TV.
Here's a post he found at the right-wing Heritage Foundation website and shared with his public, which gets right to the heart of the matter.
The trouble with poor people, Sykes says, is that they are trying to live in the 21st Century.
Besides that, they don't dress nicely and are depressing to be around. From Sykes "Nation of Moochers" Facebook page:
One of the problems with poverty is that the poor have so much stuff...
80 percent of poor households have air conditioning. In 1970, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
92 percent of poor households have a microwave.
Nearly three-fourths have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks.
Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite TV.
Two-thirds have at least one DVD player, and 70 percent have a VCR.
Half have a personal computer, and one in seven have two or more computers.
More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation.
43 percent have Internet access.
One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD TV. One-fourth have a digital video recorder system, such as a TiVo.
Just call him Mr. Compassion.
Even the Heritage Foundation is kinder:
The fact that the average poor household has many modern conveniences and experiences no substantial hardships does not mean that no families face hardships. As noted, the overwhelming majority of the poor are well housed and not overcrowded, but one in 25 will become temporarily homeless during the year. While most of the poor have a sufficient and fairly steady supply of food, one in five poor adults will experience temporary food shortages and hunger at some point in a year.
The poor man who has lost his home or suffers intermittent hunger will find no consolation in the fact that his condition occurs infrequently in American society. His hardships are real and must be an important concern for policymakers.
Sykes would certainly be welcome to visit our food pantry for Milwaukee's homeless and low income veterans any Tuesday morning, and ask the people moochers there how many cars, TVs, and computers they own.
