This is getting absurd. What I find a ridiculously disgusting is your pretentiousness is assuming how poor Americans live. You're justifying your argument based on a shoddy and superficial experience with poor people?
My family immigrated from a third world country and the adult members earn ~$20K salaries. The children have a free and subsidized $10K+ education, is safe (yes, the ghetto isn't on high alert for drive by shootings 24/7), have access to clean water (yes, we use the same water that you use), healthy food which can be purchased at Walmart for a price much less than prices you can pay for food at a fast food restaurant. (Yes, we all don't eat at fast foods).
We also have access to the free emergency room when needed, and dental services for my family goes for about $35 per visit (it's subsidized in a lot of cases actually). The poor in America do not live like the poor in third world countries. Quit insinuating that and stop assuming how poor Americans in 2011 live. We're not as poor as you make us out to be.
As I explained elsewhere in the thread, adult members (plural) earning ~$20k means (depending on number of children) you probably aren't poor, or at least not very poor. 12.9% of households earn under $15k, 24.7% earn under $25k, and 35.6% earn under $35k:
The use of subsidized education and dental services helps to prove my point, which is that the poor in America don't have much to give up, and need the assistance (government and otherwise) that they're getting.
Also, emergency room access does not equal medical care. It does mean emergency care, but it does not mean preventative or chronic care. For example, it means you won't have a doctor helping you avoid diabetes and you won't get your diabetes treated. However, they will amputate your gangrenous toes once the disease develops that far.
I'm really glad that your family has done well. Every family should do at least that well. Many don't.
My family immigrated from a third world country and the adult members earn ~$20K salaries. The children have a free and subsidized $10K+ education, is safe (yes, the ghetto isn't on high alert for drive by shootings 24/7), have access to clean water (yes, we use the same water that you use), healthy food which can be purchased at Walmart for a price much less than prices you can pay for food at a fast food restaurant. (Yes, we all don't eat at fast foods).
We also have access to the free emergency room when needed, and dental services for my family goes for about $35 per visit (it's subsidized in a lot of cases actually). The poor in America do not live like the poor in third world countries. Quit insinuating that and stop assuming how poor Americans in 2011 live. We're not as poor as you make us out to be.