Extreme Poverty At Highest Levels In America

The Daily Mail:

About 20.5 million Americans, or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population, make up the poorest poor, defined as those at 50 per cent or less of the official poverty level.

Those living in deep poverty represent nearly half of the 46.2 million people scraping by below the poverty line. In 2010, the poorest poor meant an income of $5,570 or less for an individual and $11,157 for a family of four.

That 6.7 percent share is the highest in the 35 years that the Census Bureau has maintained such records, surpassing previous highs in 2009 and 1993 of just over 6 percent.

Bloomberg:

At least 2.2 million more Americans, a 33 percent jump since 2000, live in neighborhoods where the poverty rate is 40 percent or higher, according to a study released today by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

19 Statistics about the poor. The wealthiest country ( ? ) on earth does not take very good care of its citizens.       

Alternet:

#1 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of "very poor" rose in 300 out of the 360 largest metropolitan areas during 2010.

#2 Last year, 2.6 million more Americans descended into poverty.  That was the largest increase that we have seen since the U.S. government began keeping statistics on this back in 1959.

#3 It isn't just the ranks of the "very poor" that are rising.  The number of those just considered to be "poor" is rapidly increasing as well.  Back in the year 2000, 11.3% of all Americans were living in poverty.  Today, 15.1% of all Americans are living in poverty.

#4 The poverty rate for children living in the United States increased to 22% in 2010.

#5 There are 314 counties in the United States where at least 30% of the children are facing food insecurity.

#6 In Washington D.C., the "child food insecurity rate" is 32.3%.

#7 More than 20 million U.S. children rely on school meal programs to keep from going hungry.

#8 One out of every six elderly Americans now lives below the federal poverty line.

#9 Today, there are over 45 million Americans on food stamps.

#10 According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 15 percent of all Americans are now on food stamps.

#11 In 2010, 42 percent of all single mothers in the United States were on food stamps.

#12 The number of Americans on food stamps has increased 74% since 2007.

#13 We are told that the economy is recovering, but the number of Americans on food stamps has grown by another 8 percent over the past year.

#14 Right now, one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

#15 It is being projected that approximately 50 percent of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their lives before they reach the age of 18.

#16 More than 50 million Americans are now on Medicaid.  Back in 1965, only one out of every 50 Americans was on Medicaid.  Today, approximately one out of every 6 Americans is on Medicaid.

#17 One out of every six Americans is now enrolled in at least one government anti-poverty program.

#18 The number of Americans that are going to food pantries and soup kitchens has increased by 46% since 2006.

#19 It is estimated that up to half a million children may currently be homeless in the United States.

Technorati Tags: United States,Poverty,U.S. Census Bureau,Brookings Institution,SNAP,Unemployment,Medicaid,Food Stamps,99%,1%,Current Events,An American Gothic

 

Koch’s Eat The Dirt In Ohio Issue 2

 Ohio Gov. Kasich admits that, on Issue 2, 'the people have spoken clearly'

by Laura Clawson for Daily Kos Labor

Wed Nov 09, 2011

The fight to defeat Ohio's Issue 2 was one more look at what a determined mobilization of the 99 percent can look like. And holy crap, what a victory it led to: with 99 percent of votes reporting, the margin is 61-39. ModernEsquire notes that turnout was barely lower than in 2010, when Ohio was voting for both a governor and a senator, and just a handful of counties voted to strip collective bargaining rights from public workers—many counties that would be red in a partisan election voted no.

Today, we get to see a chastened Gov. John Kasich—but not quite chastened enough:

At a news conference Tuesday night, Mr. Kasich congratulated the winners and said he would assess the situation before proposing any new legislation. “It’s time to pause,” he said. “The people have spoken clearly.”

When asked about the people’s message, Mr. Kasich said, “They might have said it was too much too soon.”

Dude. Your polling is hilariously bad (PDF); just 33 percent of voters approve of you, and if they could do 2010 over, you'd lose big. In an off-off-year election, the vote against your signature measure was bigger than the vote for you in your own election year. The one voters wish they could do over. Maybe you're still lingering in the bargaining stage of grief? If so, get over it. The voters of your state didn't say that taking collective bargaining rights from workers was "too much too soon." They said it was unacceptable, now or in the future.

Hopefully, the force with which Ohio voters jammed Issue 2 back down Kasich's throat will be enough to make not just him but Republican governors and legislators in a few other states take pause.

Originally posted to Daily Kos Labor on Wed Nov 09, 2011

Also republished by Daily Kos.

Technorati Tags: Issue 2,Labor,Unions,John Kasich,Ohio,Koch,Republicans,1%,99%,Occupy Wall Street,Current Events,An American Gothic