In the United States, the official numbers tell us that approximately 36.5 million people live in poverty. As shockingly high as those numbers appear, I think they still significantly underrate the problem. The government uses an absurdly low cost of living to measure poverty. For example, it puts the poverty line for a family of […]
Category Archives: American Poverty
Near-Panic Atmosphere As Federal Reserve Chairman Testifies
I just read a disheartening article about Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke’s bleak outlook on the American economy. I include an excerpt: On Thursday, one day after American stock markets plummeted in the face of mounting bank losses, soaring oil prices and record lows for the US dollar, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke […]
The Reality of Poverty in the United States
I love an article by Alyssa Katharine Ritz Battistoni about American poverty. In it she makes a lot of great points poverty in the United States. One point that especially stuck out follows: It’s much easier to dismiss poor people as undeserving, unsavory, crackheads, welfare queens–not like respectable middle-class Americans–than to acknowledge the enormous problems […]
Poverty Dynamics
A recent article at thespectrum.com explored the dynamics of poverty. I include an excerpt: Typically identified by income level, now poverty can stake claim to people’s quality of life, which is spiraling downward. More hours at the daily grind means there is less time for family, decreased opportunities to vacation and attend or participate in […]
Immigration and Poverty
On Wednesday, Robert J. Samuelson wrote an article about poverty in which he blamed stagnant and rising poverty rates on immigration. Since then, I have noticed many blog posts and letters to the editor about Samuelson’s article. Samuelson’s observation notes a common overlooked factor in poverty. Simply put, statistics show that the United States poverty […]
United States Housing Crisis
Michael Stetz recently wrote an article about how the housing crisis adds to the poverty picture in the United States. I include an excerpt: Nationally, more people are losing their homes because of the subprime mortgage meltdown. Wages have been flat. We feel fortunate to pay 3 bucks for a gallon of gas. A growing […]