Today the typical American, defined as poor by the government, has a
refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer, a car, air conditioning, a VCR, a
microwave, a stereo, and a color TV. He is able to obtain medical care and
his home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his
family is not hungry and in the last year he had sufficient funds to meet
his essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is
equally far from the popular images of poverty conveyed by politicians, the
press, and activists. -- Robert E. Rector, Kirk A. Johnson, and
Sarah E. Youssef, "The Extent of Material Hardship and Poverty
in the United States"
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