The American poor overeat, work very little (80% of the poor have no job and are not looking for one, only 10% work full time), and still have all their material needs met.
This is not a life of poverty, it is a life of leisure.
Fun fact: the term "ennui" historically described the boredom suffered by idle women from rich families during Victorian times.
The American poor overeat, work very little (80% of the poor have no job and are not looking for one, only 10% work full time), and still have all their material needs met.
A lot of them aren't working "full time" because, in retail, it's common to have people working 39-hour weeks so they don't receive benefits and can have their hours cut without paperwork.
Their "material needs" aren't met. They can't get education or jobs that will put them forward in society. They can't get health care. If they choose to be lazy and do nothing, that's regrettable but also rational on their part. Since they have no hope of advancement, why should they work?
Their life is not "of leisure" but of despair and barriers.
We don't know if they can't get jobs, all we can do is speculate about what might happen if they looked. Health care is also available, it's called medicaid.
So basically, your only correct complaint is that our educational system is broken.
You seem to suspect that poor people are lazy to the point of being irrational. I disagree. If there were sufficient rewards for them to work-- a way out of poverty would be a huge reward-- then they would. However, there is no such work available to them. Otherwise, they'd be likely to take it.
This is not a life of poverty, it is a life of leisure.
Fun fact: the term "ennui" historically described the boredom suffered by idle women from rich families during Victorian times.