re: An explanation of rich/poor gap

quote:

---

Here is a link from the Heritage Foundation siting single parent homes as the #1 cause of child poverty Child poverty

---

This is the whole causation v correlation thing at its finest. I think single parent households are more correlative. I think lack of education is more causative. Can't link to data supporting me right now, but I'm sure I can when I get back to my cpu.

Then why were there so few out of wedlock births during the Great Depression? Worst period of poverty.

I'm talking about poverty in 2014, not the early 1900s.

quote:

---

Poverty numbers are skewed because the poor now receive so much welfare which wasn't the case in the 50's.

---

Explain how poverty numbers are skewed. Because we have more population? Is the deficit numbers skewed because we have more money in circulation?

The welfare programs instituted in the 50's were for all Americans. Everyone, not one specific race, benefits from Medicare, Medicaid, etc. I'm sure the numbers for white poverty dropped drastically when those programs were put in place also. But you can't say something is "skewed" unless it is targeted at one specific group. The only thing that did that was the Civil Rights movement, and that had everything to do with inequality and injustice.

And, according to you guys, the family unit was much stronger back then. The obvious, most critical missing link was education. Family morals factor across the board for all races, but education trumps it all

quote:

---

If I had to pick just one position to "fix" that would cause the greatest positive change, this would be it. Of course, that's not to say that having more two parent, stable households wouldn't be highly beneficial.

---

Absolutely.

This is a classic example of the confounding third variable imo. No doubt there is a correlation between single parent households and households that place less emphasis on education. So it is easy to erroneously attribute negative effects primarily brought by a lack of education to being primarily caused by single parent households. Without a doubt single parent households do not help, and likely hurt. But its not as bad as the effect lack of education has imo.

quote:

---

This sounds like something Stephen Colbert would say.

---

Don't know. I've never watched his show. Not much into TV.

quote:

---

Then why were there so few out of wedlock births during the Great Depression? Worst period of poverty.

---

Don't make such naive statements Zach. When depressions/recessions hit, people stop having children. The more severe the economic crisis, the steeper the drop in births.

I shouldn't have to link this for you, I'm sure you agree with that.

quote:

---

This is flying waaay over your head

---

No, it's not.

quote:

---

There has always been poverty

---

True.

quote:

---

Marriage prevented poverty from becoming cyclical. Thus, the children of poor parents became middle class. Breaking the cycle. What do you not understand about this?

---

That's a neat idea but I think it fails to show the complete picture. It may explain some of the effect, but I wouldn't be touting it as the answer. That's all I'm saying.

quote:

---

Without a doubt single parent households do not help, and likely hurt. But its not as bad as the effect lack of education has imo.

---

And your opinion is wrong. We pour more money into public education for failing schools in districts full of dysfunctional, low IQ, single family miscreant people and we get nothing for the investment except that we should spend more money.

The solution is simple:

1. Eliminate welfare of all kinds. Hunger is a great motivator.

2. Shift a lot of public education to vocations and trades for the kids who have no prospects of going to college. You can I.D. this by 6th grade.

3. Stop importing poverty from illegal immigrants by mining the border. Cheap, efficient.

quote:

---

Don't make such naive statements Zach. When depressions/recessions hit, people stop having children. The more severe the economic crisis, the steeper the drop in births.

---

When the Depression hit people had less children back in the 20s. When Recession hits today people have more children because of the welfare state. Thank you for supporting my position.