Tuesday, March 06, 2007

poverty and you

In this week's outreach newsletter, David Smith provides us these statistics.

Facts about World Poverty:
1. Average world annual income: $5000.
2. Top 10% in the world have an annual income of $25,400.
3. Top 1% in the world have an annual income of $47,500.
4. 4.4 billion people do not have a working sewer system. That’s 4/5 of the world’s population.
5. 1/3 of the world’s population doesn’t have clean water.
6. 1/4 of the world’s population doesn’t have adequate housing.
7. 1/5 of the world’s population doesn’t have health services.

Facts about Poverty in the United States:
1. 37 million people live in poverty. 12.7% of the population.
2. Poverty is considered any family that makes less than $19,307 annually.
3. 47 million people work for less than $10 an hour
4. 2 million people are in prison.
5. 43 million are without healthcare.
6. 28% of poverty families are female headed with no husband.
7. One of every six children live in poverty.
8. 24% are Black and 23% are Hispanic.
9. 30 million families are on food stamps.
10. 30 million children are on free lunch programs at school.

“If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.”

“If you can attend a place of worship without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.”

“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.”

“If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in their world.”

“If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace…you are among the top 8% in the world.”

“If you can read this email, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world that cannot read at all.”

Where are you? Check out the "rich-o-meter" and then go give it away.

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” - Jesus

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good article, but I have a couple of comments. Concerning the U.S., he writes, "43 million are without healthcare." This is not exactly true. There are 43 million without insurance, but I know of no one without healthcare.

Then there is the statement, "If you can attend a place of worship without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death…you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world." This, also is not true. That number is only true if you choose a religion that is not the national religion of that country.

Anonymous said...

Hey Rick,

The sewer stat seems inaccurate? If 4.4 billion people do not have a sewer system, that would equal 4/5 of the world population not 1/5

Bruce

ricki said...

hey listen, if I would have known that people actually read this stuff I would have proof-read it.

;-)

Thanks for the corrects and from now on I am not doing copy & paste ...

reftagger