The Real Meaning of Poverty

What is the real meaning of the word "POVERTY"? It is used in so many contexts, which gives it so many different meanings.

I will point out that I am not making any inference to the sick, disabled or infirm.

from Wikipedia
Poverty (also called penury) is deprivation of common necessities that determine the quality of life, including food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, and may also include the deprivation of opportunities to learn, to obtain better employment to escape poverty, and/or to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens.

Would you say that this applies today's living?

In 1947 having come through the the war, then into another, we had to have a Austerity Plan for Great Britain - that was due to money that this country had to borrow from the USA, to pay for the war and we still had rationing up until 1954.

Should we not ask ourselves "where did we go wrong", at the start of the sixties through to today, and ask your self "what is poverty"?

We have child benefit, unemployment benefit, sickness benefit.

Look at child benefit - is this money spent on the child, or on adult entertainment? Unemployment has been low, but how many people claiming this are out of work? I know this will rise due to the economic downturn, or have we bred a generation of work shy people (or are they needing the education which has failed them)?

There are people who just can not organise their lives, through no thought of their own, inadequate and hapless people.

We managed in the forties and fifties, but the expectations where not as of to day, to-days society must have it now, pay on tick, it is known in areas in this country that the term knocker man is a way of life, from cradle to grave no other way to pay.

What about the drug addicts - are they poor or just inadequate souls? You will say "what about the poor people who live on the streets"? Well who are they, and why do they live rough?

They are most likely to be ex-service personnel who have complex problems - they are poor, as the brain is unable to clear the awful pictures and noises in their heads when they close their eyes. This also applies to people who have mental health problems, they are unable to live as others do.

I will come to the other people who beg on the streets, and no, I am not talking about the sellers of The Big Issue, but people who make out they need money - where do these people come from - are they of this country?

If one could take just one item in what I have said, it would take pages to do justice to this subject.