As Trump crows about the “best economy ever,” now would be a good time to read the 🔥 report the U.N. just released on poverty in America, declaring that for all but the richest, “the American Dream is rapidly becoming the American illusion.”
Its findings are damning.
(THREAD)
Its findings are damning.
(THREAD)
1. “IMMENSE WEALTH... IN SHOCKING CONTRAST WITH THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH VAST NUMBERS OF ITS CITIZENS LIVE":
40 million in poverty
18.5 million in extreme poverty
**5.3 million in "Third World conditions of absolute poverty”
40 million in poverty
18.5 million in extreme poverty
**5.3 million in "Third World conditions of absolute poverty”
2. THE AMERICAN DREAM “IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE AMERICAN ILLUSION”
“Zip codes… are tragically reliable predictors of a child’s future employment & income prospects… & the equality of opportunity… is a myth, especially for minorities, women, many middle-class White workers.”
“Zip codes… are tragically reliable predictors of a child’s future employment & income prospects… & the equality of opportunity… is a myth, especially for minorities, women, many middle-class White workers.”
3. “THE U.S. IS ALONE AMONG DEVELOPED NATIONS...
in insisting that while human rights are of fundamental importance, they do not include rights that guard against dying of hunger, from a lack of access to affordable health care, or growing up in a context of total deprivation.”
in insisting that while human rights are of fundamental importance, they do not include rights that guard against dying of hunger, from a lack of access to affordable health care, or growing up in a context of total deprivation.”
4. EXTREME INEQUALITY ONLY GETTING WORSE UNDER TRUMP/GOP AGENDA
“…the policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those not in employment & make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned..."
“…the policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those not in employment & make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned..."
5. TRUMP’S TAX LAW IN PARTICULAR IS TO BLAME
“The $1.5 trillion in tax cuts in December 2017 overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality… [and will] ensure that the United States remains the most unequal society in the developed world.”
“The $1.5 trillion in tax cuts in December 2017 overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and worsened inequality… [and will] ensure that the United States remains the most unequal society in the developed world.”
6. HUGE NUMBERS OF WORKERS DON’T EARN ENOUGH TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES
“The case of Walmart, the largest employer in the United States, is instructive. Many of its workers cannot survive on a full-time wage in the absence of food stamps. This fits in a broader trend…”
“The case of Walmart, the largest employer in the United States, is instructive. Many of its workers cannot survive on a full-time wage in the absence of food stamps. This fits in a broader trend…”
7. “SHOCKINGLY HIGH” NUMBER OF POOR CHILDREN IN THE U.S. “DEMANDS URGENT ATTENTION”
❗️18% of U.S. children were poor in 2016
❗️1 in 3 poor Americans is a child
❗️On any given night in 2017, over 20% of homeless individuals were children
❗️18% of U.S. children were poor in 2016
❗️1 in 3 poor Americans is a child
❗️On any given night in 2017, over 20% of homeless individuals were children
8. LACK OF DENTAL CARE IS AN AFFRONT TO “HUMAN DIGNITY & CIVIL RIGHTS”
“Poor oral hygiene and disfiguring dental profiles lead to unemployability in many jobs, being shunned in the community and being left unable to function effectively.”
“Poor oral hygiene and disfiguring dental profiles lead to unemployability in many jobs, being shunned in the community and being left unable to function effectively.”
9. THE DIGITAL DIVIDE FURTHER COMPOUNDS POVERTY & INEQUALITY
“Lack of Internet...in rural impoverished communities negatively affects access to social protection benefits, other government services & even employment…” but “the government has no serious plans to improve access”
“Lack of Internet...in rural impoverished communities negatively affects access to social protection benefits, other government services & even employment…” but “the government has no serious plans to improve access”
10. POOR COMMUNITIES HARD-HIT BY TOXIC LIVING CONDITIONS
Like piles of *coal ash* “which contains chemicals that cause cancer, developmental disorders & reproductive problems, & is reportedly dumped in ~1,400 sites around the U.S.—70% of which are in low-income communities.”
Like piles of *coal ash* “which contains chemicals that cause cancer, developmental disorders & reproductive problems, & is reportedly dumped in ~1,400 sites around the U.S.—70% of which are in low-income communities.”
11. WOMEN “EXPERIENCE THE BURDENS OF POVERTY IN PARTICULARLY HARSH WAYS”
“Poor pregnant women... subjected to interrogations... effectively surrendering their privacy rights…”
Poverty treated “as a form of ‘child neglect’… & thus as cause to remove a child from the home”
“Poor pregnant women... subjected to interrogations... effectively surrendering their privacy rights…”
Poverty treated “as a form of ‘child neglect’… & thus as cause to remove a child from the home”
12. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION “MAKES MATTERS WORSE FOR MANY POOR WOMEN”
“Black women with cervical cancer...have lower survival rates than White women due to later diagnosis & treatment differences...” and “black women are 3-4 times more likely to die [in childbirth]...”
“Black women with cervical cancer...have lower survival rates than White women due to later diagnosis & treatment differences...” and “black women are 3-4 times more likely to die [in childbirth]...”
13. UNDOCUMENTED WOMEN “LIVE A KIND OF HALF-LIFE…
… in which they experience exploitation, abuse & wage theft, and are refused access to utilities such as water, but are unable to seek assistance or protection for fear of deportation…”
… in which they experience exploitation, abuse & wage theft, and are refused access to utilities such as water, but are unable to seek assistance or protection for fear of deportation…”
14. THE U.S. “REMAINS A CHRONICALLY SEGREGATED SOCIETY”
Persistent racial disparities in poverty rates, health, employment, earnings & more “can only be explained by long-standing structural discrimination on the basis of race, reflecting the enduring legacy of slavery.”
Persistent racial disparities in poverty rates, health, employment, earnings & more “can only be explained by long-standing structural discrimination on the basis of race, reflecting the enduring legacy of slavery.”
15. POLITICIANS & MAINSTREAM MEDIA “DISTORT THIS TO SUGGEST POVERTY IN AMERICA IS OVERWHELMINGLY BLACK”
“…thereby triggering a range of racist responses... The loaded & inaccurate message parts of the media want to convey is ‘lazy Blacks sponge off hard-working Whites.’”
“…thereby triggering a range of racist responses... The loaded & inaccurate message parts of the media want to convey is ‘lazy Blacks sponge off hard-working Whites.’”
16. MYTHS ABOUT POVERTY DROWN OUT FACTS
“It is striking how much weight is given to caricatured narratives about the purported innate differences between rich and poor that are consistently peddled by some politicians and media.”
“It is striking how much weight is given to caricatured narratives about the purported innate differences between rich and poor that are consistently peddled by some politicians and media.”
17. THOSE MYTHS ARE DRIVING TRUMP & THE GOP’S SLASH AND BURN AGENDA
“Some politicians… were completely sold on the narrative of such scammers sitting on comfortable sofas, watching cable television or spending their days on their smartphones, all paid for by welfare..."
“Some politicians… were completely sold on the narrative of such scammers sitting on comfortable sofas, watching cable television or spending their days on their smartphones, all paid for by welfare..."
18. MEANWHILE: “IN REALITY, THE POOR ARE…
overwhelmingly those born into poverty or thrust there by circumstances largely beyond their control, such as physical/mental disabilities, divorce/family breakdown, illness, old age, unlivable wages, discrimination in the job market.”
overwhelmingly those born into poverty or thrust there by circumstances largely beyond their control, such as physical/mental disabilities, divorce/family breakdown, illness, old age, unlivable wages, discrimination in the job market.”
19. TRUMP & RYAN ARE LYING WHEN THEY SMEAR THE SAFETY NET
Contrary to their narrative, “the war on poverty [was] highly successful… U.S. poverty fell nearly 40%" [1967-2012] and programs like Social Security & SNAP “prevented about 44m Americans from poverty in 2016.”
Contrary to their narrative, “the war on poverty [was] highly successful… U.S. poverty fell nearly 40%" [1967-2012] and programs like Social Security & SNAP “prevented about 44m Americans from poverty in 2016.”
20. THE GOP’S CUTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH HELPING PEOPLE WORK
“The assumption... is that there are a great many jobs out there waiting to be filled by individuals with low education...often with disabilities…sometimes burdened with a criminal record (often poverty related)…”
“The assumption... is that there are a great many jobs out there waiting to be filled by individuals with low education...often with disabilities…sometimes burdened with a criminal record (often poverty related)…”
21. 1996 WELFARE LAW IS A CAUTIONARY TALE
“There was a 748 (!) % increase in the number of children of single-mother families experiencing $2-a-day poverty between 1995 and 2012” – following the huge hole so-called “welfare reform” blew in the safety net
(the ! is the UN’s)
“There was a 748 (!) % increase in the number of children of single-mother families experiencing $2-a-day poverty between 1995 and 2012” – following the huge hole so-called “welfare reform” blew in the safety net
(the ! is the UN’s)
22. FRAUD USED AS A “SMOKESCREEN”
“Calls for welfare reform take place against a constant drumbeat of allegations of widespread fraud in the system…” yet fraud is exceedingly rare and often conflated with improper payments.
“Calls for welfare reform take place against a constant drumbeat of allegations of widespread fraud in the system…” yet fraud is exceedingly rare and often conflated with improper payments.
23. “FRAUD RHETORIC COMMONLY USED AGAINST PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES”
“... large numbers of whom allegedly receive disability allowances when they could actually be working full time.”
“... large numbers of whom allegedly receive disability allowances when they could actually be working full time.”
24. POOR & MINORITIES “SYSTEMATICALLY DEPRIVED OF THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE”
“Overt disenfranchisement” of 6m people w/felony convictions
“Covert disenfranchisement” via “artificial & unnecessary voter ID requirements,” gerrymandering “to privilege particular groups of voters…”
“Overt disenfranchisement” of 6m people w/felony convictions
“Covert disenfranchisement” via “artificial & unnecessary voter ID requirements,” gerrymandering “to privilege particular groups of voters…”
25. AMERICA RELIES ON “CRIMINALIZATION TO CONCEAL THE UNDERLYING POVERTY PROBLEM”
Widespread criminalization of homelessness “reflects political choices to see the solution as law enforcement rather than adequate, accessible housing, medical treatment, counseling, job training”
Widespread criminalization of homelessness “reflects political choices to see the solution as law enforcement rather than adequate, accessible housing, medical treatment, counseling, job training”
26. THE U.S. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS “A SYSTEM FOR KEEPING THE POOR IN POVERTY”
“…while generating revenue to fund not only the justice system but many others” through fines & fees.
“The use of the legal system to raise revenue, not to promote justice… is pervasive”
“…while generating revenue to fund not only the justice system but many others” through fines & fees.
“The use of the legal system to raise revenue, not to promote justice… is pervasive”
27. DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENSIONS FOR INABILITY TO PAY FINES & FEES
“are a perfect way to ensure that the poor, living in communities that have refused to invest in serious public transport systems, are unable to earn a living that might have helped to pay the outstanding debt”
“are a perfect way to ensure that the poor, living in communities that have refused to invest in serious public transport systems, are unable to earn a living that might have helped to pay the outstanding debt”
28. USE OF MONEY BAIL SETS UP A TWO-TIERED SYSTEM OF JUSTICE
in which “wealthy defendants can secure their freedom while poor defendants are likely to stay in jail, with severe consequences... loss of jobs, disruption of childcare, inability to pay rent, & deeper destitution”
in which “wealthy defendants can secure their freedom while poor defendants are likely to stay in jail, with severe consequences... loss of jobs, disruption of childcare, inability to pay rent, & deeper destitution”
29. AMERICA’S DRUG POLICIES ARE “CONFUSED AND COUNTERPRODUCTIVE”
“Instead of responding with increased funding & improved access to vital care... the federal & many state governments have instead mounted concerted campaigns to reduce & restrict access to health care..."
“Instead of responding with increased funding & improved access to vital care... the federal & many state governments have instead mounted concerted campaigns to reduce & restrict access to health care..."
30. The U.N.’s recommendations to U.S. leaders amount to a wholesale reversal of nearly the entire Trump/GOP agenda—and explicitly note that “in a rich country like the U.S., the persistence of extreme poverty is a political choice made by those in power.”
31. DECRIMINALIZE POVERTY—in favor of providing adequate protections for people who are struggling.
“In the United States, it is poverty that needs to be arrested, not the poor simply for being poor,” the report reads.
“In the United States, it is poverty that needs to be arrested, not the poor simply for being poor,” the report reads.
31. ACKNOWLEDGE POVERTY IS ABOUT US, NOT SOME MYTHICAL “THEM”—and how widespread the consequences of the GOP’s slash and burn agenda will be, given that “44% of adults either could not cover an emergency expense of $400 or would need to sell something or borrow money to do it.”
32. BRING EXTREME INEQUALITY IN CHECK TO RESTORE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY—“Extreme inequality often leads to the capture of the powers of the State by a small group of economic elites… [It] poses a threat not just to economic efficiency but to the well-being of American democracy.”
33. RECOGNIZE HEALTH CARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT—“Health care is, in fact, a human right… Undermining [the ACA] by stealth is not just inhumane and a violation of human rights, but an economically and socially destructive policy aimed at the poor and the middle class.”
34. “GET REAL ABOUT TAXES”
(yes that’s the U.N.’s actual phrasing)
“There is a real need for the realization to sink in among the majority of the American population that taxes are not only in their interest, but also perfectly reconcilable with a growth agenda.”
(yes that’s the U.N.’s actual phrasing)
“There is a real need for the realization to sink in among the majority of the American population that taxes are not only in their interest, but also perfectly reconcilable with a growth agenda.”
35. There’s a heckuva lot more in there (even after a thread this long!) and the entire 🔥 thing is worth reading. Stay tuned for more on this week’s @offkiltershow, when I talk with @Alston_UNSR. But for now, I’ll close where I started.
36. The U.N. is right: Letting people go without food, housing, or healthcare while making the rich richer is “a political choice made by those in power.“
GOP leaders like Paul Ryan didn’t even care enough to meet with the U.N. rapporteur for this report. talkpoverty.org/2018/06/01/un-…
GOP leaders like Paul Ryan didn’t even care enough to meet with the U.N. rapporteur for this report. talkpoverty.org/2018/06/01/un-…
37. But we get to decide who those leaders are.
Remember this in November.
🌊🌊🌊
/end
Remember this in November.
🌊🌊🌊
/end
* if you're seeing threading issues - continue reading here:
*if you're having threading issues, keep reading here:
**link to full U.N. report: documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/…
