Thursday, November 3, 2011

Could you live on $460 per month? Many Americans do.


The next time you think you are running a little short of cash, think about this.  Imagine feeding, clothing and housing a family of four in the United States of America in 2010 on $11,157 per year, less than $1,000 per month.  Imagine taking care of yourself for just $5,570 per month, just a little over $460 per month.  That’s what 20.5 million Americans or 6.7 % of the U.S. population had to do according to a just released U.S. Census report.  

Today, 1 of every 15 Americans are ranked among the poorest of the poor in the country, the highest percent share of the population in the 35 years that the Census Bureau has maintained such records, surpassing previous highs in 2009 and 1993 of just over 6 percent.  Forty states and the District of Columbia had increases in the poorest poor since 2007, and none saw decreases. The District of Columbia ranked highes percentage of people living in extreme poverty at 10.7 percent, followed by Mississippi and New Mexico. Nevada had the biggest jump, rising from 4.6 percent to 7 percent.

This is America people, not a third world country.  There is no excuse for having so many people this poor, most with no hope of climbing out of deep poverty.  We can do better.

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