The following facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau are taken from various government reports:

• In 1995, 41 percent of all "poor" households owned their own homes.
• The average home owned by a person classified as "poor" has three bedrooms, one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio.
• Over three-quarters of a million "poor" persons own homes worth over $150,000; and nearly 200,000 "poor" persons own homes worth over $300,000.
• Only 7.5 percent of "poor" households are overcrowded. Nearly 60 percent have two or more rooms per person.
• The average "poor" American has one-third more living space than the average Japanese does and four times as much living space as the average Russian. 2
• Seventy percent of "poor" households own a car; 27 percent own two or more cars.
• Ninety-seven percent have a color television. Nearly half own two or more televisions.
• Nearly three-quarters have a VCR; more than one in five has two VCRs.
• Two-thirds of "poor" households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
• Sixty-four percent of the "poor" own microwave ovens, half have a stereo system, and over a quarter have an automatic dishwasher.
• As a group, the "poor" are far from being chronically hungry and malnourished. In fact, poor persons are more likely to be overweight than are middle-class persons. Nearly half of poor adult women are overweight.
• The average consumption of protein, vitamins, and minerals is virtually the same for poor and middle-class children, and in most cases is well above recommended norms.
• Poor children actually consume more meat than do higher-income children and have average protein intakes that are 100 percent above recommended levels.
• Most poor children today are in fact super-nourished, growing up to be, on average, one inch taller and ten pounds heavier that the GIs who stormed the beaches of Normandy in World War II.