Maps of Economic Disaster
America has a problem, a big one, the middle class has been wiped out. It is economic genocide and the target is most of America. The statistics just continue to pour in on how poorly America is doing. Even as the great manufactured crisis is over in D.C., the political agenda once again has nothing to do with helping America's middle class. Why jobs are not job #1 by this government we do not know. To drive home just how bad it is below we show some damning maps.
The Southern Education Foundation has a new report showing the percentage of low income students in public schools from 2011. In 2010 and 2011 there was a new record set, the majority of kids in public schools in the West are poor. Below is their map showing in the South and West, the majorityof students are low income. In other words, America is now raising a nation of poverty stricken kids.
A majority of public school children in 17 states, one-third of the 50 states across the nation, were low income students – eligible for free or reduced lunches – in the school year that ended in 2011. Thirteen of the 17 states were in the South, and the remaining four were in the West. Since 2005, half or more of the South’s children in public schools have been from low income households.
Low income is defined as below 130% of the poverty line and these kids qualify for a free lunch. Poverty also significantly impacts reading test scores, school opportunities and the ability to go to college. When one just looks at cities, the situation is much worse. Kids in public schools who are low income account for 59.8% on average of all students in K-12 public schools. Any urban area with a population greater than 100,000 is teeming with America's poor. Mississippi had the highest rate of low income students, 83%, In New Jersey cities 78% of the students are poor and Louisiana, Illinois and Oklahoma all low income rates of greater than 70% for their K-12 students.
Health Care
In 2012 there were 48 million people without health insurance in the United States. This is 15.4% of the population under the age of 65 on average with Texas hitting 24.6% uninsured. Considering Obamacare is off to a terrible start, this isn't good news. On the other hand, States with Republican governors refused Federal funds to expand their Medicaid coverage and as a result, 5.2 million will not be able to obtain health insurance coverage.
Today 15% of Americans live in poverty. Below is a county map showing the previous year's poverty rate and we see once again the South has high concentrations. Maps of Economic Disaster | The Economic Populist: