Poverty Statistics

Poverty And Health Care Denial: The Disgrace Of American Democracy!

New statistics show that America, the ideal democracy in many people’s minds, has the horrific record of all time highs in number of people mired in poverty, and the number of people who lack health insurance coverage.

The Census Bureau reports that 15.1 percent, the highest since 1983, are in poverty, with a large percentage of these being children.

46.2 million, up 2.6 million since 2009, are in poverty, the number increasing because of the Great Recession.

Meanwhile, 49.9 million, an all time high, lack any health insurance coverage.

The concept that about one out of six Americans are in poverty and lack health care is a disgrace on American democracy!

How can we talk about American “exceptionalism” with such statistics?

How can the Republican Party act as if there is no crisis in America, and that instead they condemn those who are down and out to perpetual poverty, and yet they can sleep at night?

And how can a nation where so many talk about being “religious” can we see the hard hearted attitude of so many Right Wing Christians toward these poor people, and see cheers in the debate last night over the idea that a person without health insurance should NOT be given necessary health care, that it is not the responsibility of all of us to help those in need, and instead let that person die? And this from those who fight against abortion rights, and yet accept and cheer capital punishment!

The hypocrisy of so called “religious” people in the midst of poverty and deprivation is mind boggling!

Extreme Poverty In America: 19 Million, According To Census Bureau Figures!

Poverty is spreading, with 46 million Americans using food stamps, the highest number ever!

One out of four children go to bed hungry each night, and more than ever, they are homeless due to the inability of their parents to provide a roof over their head.

But even worse than that, according to the Census Bureau, there are 19 million Americans, many of them children, who are living in EXTREME poverty, about six percent of the population, while another 12 percent are also in poverty, but not as extreme.

How can a country which believes in opportunity and the “American Dream”, and has many claiming to have Christian values and are “good Christians” stand by and do nothing about it, and in many cases actually condemn the poor for being poor, blaming them for their own degradation.

If we as a country stand by and allow poverty worse than at the time of the War on Poverty under Lyndon B. Johnson, then we have failed as a country that has compassion and cares about the future of children in particular!

So while we must promote the survival of the middle class in tough times, we cannot ignore the most vulnerable among us, and stop blaming them for their sad state of affairs!