# What would happen if all the poor people left America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 8, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934 "2011-08-08T11:44:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934/42 "2011-08-16T22:02:41Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > In my experience, most administrative assistants can do their boss’s work if they stick with it for any length of time, but the admin asst. tend to be lower and middle middle class and the bosses tend to be upper middle class, and it’s very rare that the admin. assts. are able to cross that line … cause the upper middle class types are incapable of thinking of the admin. assts. purely in terms of skill. What field do you have experience with? It is not true for engineering. And I am in no way putting down admins, who, if they have lasted multiple downsizings, are incredible able and competent. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934/43 "2011-08-16T22:13:42Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > What would happen if all the people at or under the poverty line somehow left or disappeared (let’s not worry about the logistics)? Let’s call it the poorest 20% of the population. The Democrats would cease to have a class of people to exploit and would cease to get elected? _runs and ducks_:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934/44 "2011-08-17T03:10:07Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > What field do you have experience with? It is not true for engineering. And I am in no way putting down admins, who, if they have lasted multiple downsizings, are incredible able and competent. Government-related nonprofits. And I take all claims such as yours with a grain of salt. Call me cynical, it’s a very self-serving belief. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934/45 "2011-08-17T03:19:54Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > The Democrats would cease to have a class of people to exploit and would cease to get elected? _runs and ducks_:eek: Are poor people more likely to vote Democrat? I’m pretty sure the poorest states are more likely to vote Republican. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934/46 "2011-08-17T03:29:04Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Are poor people more likely to vote Democrat? According to these two sites, the answer is “yes” in both [2006](http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/US/H/00/epolls.0.html) and [2008](http://www.historycentral.com/elections/12008/exit/Income.html). But [this study](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2010.00728.x/full) finds “no clear relation”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-all-the-poor-people-left-america/591934.md?page=2)