Dean,

You obviously haven't spent much time in southeastern Washington DC or in
some of the Appalachian mountains.   I would argue that most people living
below the poverty line live in fact more like hunter-gatherers in terms of
going hungry and dying from lack of medical care, as well as foraging for
resources (scavenging dumpsters is common).  The class system is indeed alive
and well in the United States.  I would also argue that for both the working
and non-working poor, the occupancy of one-bedroom apartments by families of
five or six resembles cave life more than it does the Helmsly estate.

;)
-Kim <---with tongue in cheek
-------
In a message dated 6/8/97 18:39:57, you wrote:

<< For example, with the

exception of the insane or drug-addicted, the vast majority of people

living most of their lives "below the poverty line" own at least one car

and at least one television and radio, live in homes or apartments of their

own with central heating and indoor plumbing, and eat three meals a day

without concern of starvation.  >>