Sunday, December 18, 2011

Census shows half of Americans are poor or low-income « Larry Miller's Blog

Census shows half of Americans are poor or low-income « Larry Miller's Blog: Educate All Students!:


Census shows half of Americans are poor or low-income

The news that should be dominating the airwaves is the recent report that half of the American people live in poverty or near poverty conditions. It should be the main discussion at the Republican debates, from White House news conferences and from all news sources. Instead it has been treated in the news cycle and political circles as just another fleeting fact of life that American’s must accept.
Dec. 15, 2011  Hope Yen, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.
The latest census data depict a middle class that’s shrinking as un­employment stays high and the government’s safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions