How Would You Deal With Poverty?

[Theland]

How would you deal with poverty?
Universal Cradit? Evictions? Food banks ? In work poverty? The Underclass?

[Zacs-Master]

What are you classing as poverty?

[Theland]

You for real?

[Zacs-Master]

Yep. It’s important if you want any answers to be meaningful.
For example, the EU Council of Ministers agreed back in 1985 and according to which the poor are ‘the persons whose resources (material, cultural and social) are so limited as to exclude them from the minimum acceptable way of life in the Member State to which they belong.’

Whilst the World Bank defines poverty as: “as “the inability to attain a minimal standard of living.”

Either of those, or do you have your own definition?

[Old_Geezer]

I'd advise them all to get a well paid job.

[naomi24]

How would you deal with it, Theland?

[Zacs-Master]

Anyone any idea why this is in R&S?

[naomi24]

Wait for it. He'll probably quote the bible at some stage. Let's hope it's Matthew 26:11 - The poor you will always have with you....

[Zacs-Master]

Or maybe Proverbs 19:17 (NIV)
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

I suppose that might work.

[emmie]

is there an underclass, ?

[Ken4155]

Don't know what i'd do but my son would probably go out and buy 2 decent size fish and 5 loaves of bread per every 5,000 who were going hungry. Just like he did a few years back:-)

[Zacs-Master]

Unless Theland defines what he thinks is an underclass, it’s impossible to say.

[Old_Geezer]

What % does the Lord reward with ?

[Zacs-Master]

2.5% above base. So not bad.

[Mic1234]

Impossible to answer, one man’s poverty is another’s doing ok, so how do you define poverty - what do you not have that dictates a presence of poverty.
Food has never been more plentiful or cheap compared to percentage of income, clothing ditto, rents are higher than ideal but this is down to demand and too some degree a lack of planning and anticipation of life expectancy. Employment opportunities exist at near record levels, some with flexible hours, some with fixed so the job market is working, so in order to get to a answer as too what is poverty, you need to know what the criteria for measurement of minimum EXPECTATION is, and this is not defined as a expected cash sum but what is required to live on, excluding add on value items such as the latest gadgets, toys, branded clothing, branded footwear as these are not vital and critical for life.

[KARL]

Re Zac's pointing out different definitions, I know of one country in Europe where it has been seriously suggested (I don't know if it is government policy but it is the policy of one part of the social protection/development groupings, it featured in a report called for by a ministry and referred to "severe material deprivation" and described the criteria used for abject poverty) that the characteristics of abject (yes, abject) poverty include amongst others not being able to run a car or have an annual family holiday. Expectations vary widely.

[emmie]

Dickens time was one of real out and out poverty, same for times gone by, the industrial revolution was one such example, people working in cotton mills for almost a small wage
these days there shouldn't be any poverty, not in the true sense of the word.

[teacake44]

Jesus will sort it, just get yourself off to the nearest beach he's got some fish, and loaves of bread to share out. Job done

[margarettom]

Not very well. I was quite poor as a student, but when you are young you can cope. Now at my time of life (retired and with some health problems) I'm used to a certain level of comfort and would not like to find myself having to rely on benefits etc.

[jourdain2]

Education and a helping hand when genuinely needed.

Mum was born in Govan, Glasgow in 1913, only girl in a family of 6 kids. Her father died of meningitis when she was 10, she missed school to help launder for the boys and feed them (she more than made up for her education later and pushed her children). By any modern definition they were very, very poor - but she told me defiantly that this was not the case. She had a pair of shoes, poor children didn't. I'm happy to go with this.

[ummmm]

We can't deal with poverty.