So would you say you are classified as "poor" in the US? If so, you realize that you are on a computer right now, likely know where your next meal is coming from and have consistent shelter, right? My guess is that if you were injured or sick you could receive emergency care. The poor in some other countries don't have these key needs. If you take a man, put him in the desert without water, food, shelter or clothing for two days he will be miserable. Take that same man and give him clothes, food, shelter and water and he will be happy. These are the most basic needs, everything beyond that is gravy. The poor in the US, for the most part, seem to have the basic needs. I'm not suggesting that the disparity between rich and poor isn't horrendous, it is. But the reason they may not seem to "care" as much as other nations is because our "poor" are rich by other nations standards.