Why is liberal California the poverty capital of America?

[o'dubhlaoich]

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jackson-california-poverty-20180114-story.html

"In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some states — principally Wisconsin, Michigan, and Virginia — initiated welfare reform, as did the federal government under President Clinton and a Republican Congress. Tied together by a common thread of strong work requirements, these overhauls were a big success: Welfare rolls plummeted and millions of former aid recipients entered the labor force.

The state and local bureaucracies that implement California’s antipoverty programs, however, resisted pro-work reforms. In fact, California recipients of state aid receive a disproportionately large share of it in no-strings-attached cash disbursements. It’s as though welfare reform passed California by, leaving a dependency trap in place. Immigrants are falling into it: 55% of immigrant families in the state get some kind of means-tested benefits, compared with just 30% of natives."

 

[Black Helicopters]

That probably contributes but is not likely to be the complete explanation.

 

[Trotsky]

Property costs. The state's desirability is a double-edged sword.

 

[panamaican]

The op-ed seems to suggest that it's more regulatory issues than welfare reform that is at issue.

It specifically notes minimum wage hikes, housing shortages and emissions regulation and high energy costs as harming the growth of California's economy.

There's validity to that.

 

[panamaican]

That probably contributes but is not likely to be the complete explanation.

It's not, the op-ed goes into a range of things beyond welfare reform.

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

 

[Jack V Savage]

California isn't the poverty capital of America. Mississippi has the highest poverty rate of any state (way higher than CA's). California is pretty close to the middle of the pack there. If the premise were right, LFP would be where it would show up, but CA's LFP is right around the middle of the pack, too (it's lowest in West Virginia, BTW).

CA's real problem--and this affects standard of living up and down the income scale, but obviously hits the poor harder--is the housing crisis. The combination of a strong economy, being a highly desirable place to live, and extremely slow growth in housing supply is driving prices bananas. I think there's enough pressure that something will finally start to be done (SB 827 looks really promising), though there are additional obstacles. For example, even if increased building gets OK'd, unemployment is so low that we're going to have trouble actually getting the workers (and I don't think people are going to switch to construction from other jobs even if wages rise).

 

[Greoric]

During the GD people reportedly felt guilty about taking the free money offered out, even though they were in a situation of poverty that we could only imagine. Our society has certainly changed.

 

[Jack V Savage]

During the GD people reportedly felt guilty about taking the free money offered out, even though they were in a situation of poverty that we could only imagine. Our society has certainly changed.

What is the source of your understanding of the "GD" mind? Or the modern one? Polls or bullshit?

 

[CauseImbetta]

Isn't Alabama and Mississippi, etc far more poor in every way?

 

[oldshadow]

If you go by number of people reviving government assistance then despite what some here say California is number one or two on the list for many reasons.

https://www.cnbc.com/2009/07/21/The-Biggest-US-Welfare-States.html?slide=1

https://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/2014/01/13/top-11-states-with-most-people-on-welfare/

 

[Jack V Savage]

If you go by number of people reviving government assistance then despite what some here say California is number one or two on the list for many reasons.

For one reason only. It has the highest total population. The percentage of people in poverty is right around average for the country and way lower than many other states.

 

[Greoric]

What is the source of your understanding of the "GD" mind? Or the modern one? Polls or bullshit?

It's just a widely reported reaction people had back then. Read up on the period a little bit, and get educated. Maybe it'll give you some entrepreneurial spark, so you can get out of your mother's basement and stop feeling sorry for yourself with that crippling autism.

 

[Jack V Savage]

It's just a widely reported reaction people had back then. Read up on the period a little bit, and get educated. Maybe it'll give you some entrepreneurial spark, so you can get out of your mother's basement and stopping feeling sorry for yourself with that crippling autism.

OK, so you don't actually know what you're talking about and rather than bringing information to the discussion, you were just bullshitting (and now you're embarrassing yourself with a weirdly hostile reaction to an information request). Thanks.

 

[luckyshot]

Ummm... awesomely terrible thread.

Should I start a thread titled, "Why Are the Most Conservative States Also the Poorest and Fattest"?... Because that would at least be true...

 

[Greoric]

For one reason only. It has the highest total population. The percentage of people in poverty is right around average for the country and way lower than many other states.

False. According to the US Census Bureau , it has the highest poverty rate when factoring in cost of living per their Supplemental Poverty Measure.

 

[oldshadow]

For one reason only. It has the highest total population. The percentage of people in poverty is right around average for the country and way lower than many other states.

Did you read the links. I'm sure they were by persent.

 

[Jack V Savage]

False. According to the US Census Bureau , it has the highest poverty rate when factoring in cost of living per their Supplemental Poverty Measure.

SPM factors in housing costs, which I noted is the real issue--not low incomes or a lack of willing workers, but out-of-control housing costs.

Did you read the links. I'm sure they were by persent.

The second one was just total number. The first was a long slideshow, and I didn't go through it long enough to get to CA. By the census numbers, Mississippi's rate is 21.9% (by household), while CA is 16.4% (right around average).

 

[Greoric]

SPM factors in housing costs, which I noted is the real issue--not low incomes or a lack of willing workers, but out-of-control housing costs.

Right, which factors into the cost of living. So, California has the highest poverty rate.

Any other fake news you'd like to spread today?

 

[Greoric]

Ummm... awesomely terrible thread.

Should I start a thread titled, "Why Are the Most Conservative States Also the Poorest and Fattest"?... Because that would at least be true...

Looks like you like to highlight the south? Why so racist?