Technology and Capitalism Cured American Poverty

If I had a choice I’d rather be rich than poor.  I don’t mean to make light of people who believe they need more, however.  Research shows many poor people in America are doing better than ever before.  Check out this link from the Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal. 

The poor generally have Internet, home computers and smart phones.  Most have cars.  Many have two cars.  Most poor households have flat panel TV sets.

How we define poor may need a new approach when compared to poverty 50 years ago.  My family was lower middle class and, yet.  Dad bought a new car every other year.  We had a black and white TV and 3 channels.  A telephone known as a landline and leased from the telephone company was hanging on the kitchen wall.  Ringing a friend a couple of miles away across the county line was a toll call.

Mom ordered school clothes through the Sears catalog.  I wore high waters to class.

There was no microwave oven.  It cost a fortune.  As did mobile phones.  Mom bought my sneakers from a round display at the grocery store.  With cash.  There were no plastic cards.  The brand was generic.  I’d never heard of Nike or Adidas or Converse.

We didn’t consider ourselves poor.  Our needs were met and we didn’t know we had many wants.  I wanted a bicycle.  I got one when I was 7 and dad bought it from a display at the gas station.  It had only one speed and no wires for brakes.  You simply reversed while pedaling.

So, once more, tell me how we define poverty?