Number of Americans in poverty hits record high

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Still waiting for that private sector to step and make things better.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14903732

The number of Americans living in poverty rose to a record 46.2 million last year, official data has shown.

This is the highest figure since the US Census Bureau started collecting the data in 1959.

In percentage terms, the poverty rate rose to 15.1%, up from 14.3% in 2009.

The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129) or less for a family of four and $11,139 for a single person.

The number of Americans living below the poverty line has now risen for four years in a row, while the poverty rate is the biggest since 1993.

Poverty among black and Hispanic people was much higher than for the overall US population last year, the figures also showed.

The Census Bureau data said 25.8% of black people were living in poverty and 25.3% of Hispanic people.

Its latest report also showed that the average annual US household income fell 2.3% in 2010 to $49,445.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans without health insurance remained about 50 million.

The data comes as the US unemployment rate remains above 9%.

President Barack Obama last week launched a new $450bn job creation plan.

He wants to fund huge construction projects, schools and services, while giving tax cuts to workers and small businesses to boost recruitment.

However, his plans require backing from Congress, where Republicans - who control the House of Representatives - have voiced their opposition.

[Ian]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

[Clinton Huxley]

Bah, poverty is a lifestyle choice! [/Seth Mode]

[JimC]

This chimes with the observations my wife's friend made recently when travelling around the States - she was shocked at the number of clearly homeless people she saw, dossing down under bridges etc. An increased number in poverty would probably correlate with an increased number of homeless...

[Clinton Huxley]

Under a bridge? You mean a "Fresh air, open-plan apartment"? These people want to live there, it's a lifestyle choice.

Anything good that happens under a capitalist system is caused by the capitalist system

Anything bad that happens under a capitalist system is caused by "lifestyle choice".

[Pensioner]

The Great Depression the American dream.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

This chimes with the observations my wife's friend made recently when travelling around the States - she was shocked at the number of clearly homeless people she saw, dossing down under bridges etc. An increased number in poverty would probably correlate with an increased number of homeless...

"The law, in it's majesty, forbids the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under bridges, begging in the street and stealing food."

[Seth]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

The good news is that 84.9 percent of Americans are NOT living in poverty.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

So far.

[Seth]

And then there's the matter of what "poverty" means in America. It's not exactly a replay of Somalia:

In a new report, Heritage’s Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield lay out what the U.S. government’s own facts and figures really say about poverty in the United States. The results might surprise you, especially if your view of poverty is the conventional one, perpetuated by the media–namely, destitute conditions of homelessness and hunger. In reality, though, the living conditions of those defined as poor by the government are much different than that popular image. The following are facts about persons defined as “poor” by the Census Bureau:

* 80 percent of poor households have air conditioning
* Nearly three-fourths have a car or truck, and 31 percent have two or more cars or trucks
* Nearly two-thirds have cable or satellite television
* Two-thirds have at least one DVD player and 70 percent have a VCR
* Half have a personal computer, and one in seven have two or more computers
* More than half of poor families with children have a video game system, such as an Xbox or PlayStation
* 43 percent have Internet access
* One-third have a wide-screen plasma or LCD television
* One-fourth have a digital video recorder system, such as a TiVo

As for hunger and homelessness, Rector and Sheffield point to 2009 statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showing that 96 percent of poor parents stated that their children were never hungry at any time during the year because they could not afford food, 83 percent of poor families reported having enough food to eat, and over the course of a year, only 4 percent of poor persons become temporarily homeless, with 42 percent of poor households actually owning their own homes. Want an international comparison? The average poor American has more living space than the average Swede or German. You can read even more of those facts in their report, “Understanding Poverty in the United States.”
(continued at the link)

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Well, thank Gawd they're not sleeping on the streets in Mogadishu, huh.

[mistermack]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

The good news is that 84.9 percent of Americans are NOT living in poverty.

Quite right Seth.
I'm sure that's more or less what Jesus would say too, if he felt like another visit.

[Hermit]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

The good news is that 84.9 percent of Americans are NOT living in poverty.

15% below the poverty line is pretty damning, considering the USA is the richest country in the world and even more so when compared to the other 33 OECD nations. The USA has the third highest poverty rate among them. Only Turkey's and Mexico's rates are higher. The Scandivavian nations and the Benelux group have the lowest percentage of people below the poverty line.

[JimC]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

The good news is that 84.9 percent of Americans are NOT living in poverty.

15% below the poverty line is pretty damning, considering the USA is the richest country in the world and even more so when compared to the other 33 OECD nations. The USA has the third highest poverty rate among them. Only Turkey's and Mexico's rates are higher. The Scandivavian nations and the Benelux group have the lowest percentage of people below the poverty line.

A direct result of the dreaded scourge called socialism!

(and a very mild brand it is...)

[Seth]

Record high only in absolute numbers. As percentages go, it's only the highest since '93. Still not a good thing.

The good news is that 84.9 percent of Americans are NOT living in poverty.

15% below the poverty line is pretty damning, considering the USA is the richest country in the world and even more so when compared to the other 33 OECD nations. The USA has the third highest poverty rate among them. Only Turkey's and Mexico's rates are higher. The Scandivavian nations and the Benelux group have the lowest percentage of people below the poverty line.

Again, it has a lot to do with how you define "poverty."