Test your Poverty IQ - from beliefnet
I found this quiz while surfing on beliefnet.com "Test Your Poverty I.Q.: Do you know how many children in the U.S. are living in poverty right now? Or which area of the world is home to the most hungry people? Take the quiz to see how attuned you are to the problem of poverty in the U.S. and in the world."
I did OK on the quiz, but a couple of the correct answers stuck out to me:
1) The richest fifth of countries in the world consume 45% of the meat, and the poorest fifth consume just 5%. Bad use of resources? You bet. Please, eat less meat. It is really not that difficult.
2) $17,960 - that's the poverty line in 2001 for a family of four (two parents, two children). I am single, and I earn about twice that amount. And I sometimes have a hard time with my finances. Putting things in perspective.
Related, check out this article by David Kuo. He talks about the federal budget in relation to poverty, along with his own personal choices - specifically, an $800 stroller he wants to buy for his baby. It's an extreme example, but Kuo is honest and up front about his dilemma in a confessional sort of way. Reminds me of my brother's post about moral opportunity that I highlighted last week. What choices are you struggling with?
