General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 80% of the US Population is at or below the POVERTY line - WHY is this NOT a National Emergency??? [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)And that makes all the difference.
Many people are close to poverty if they lose a job. And, particularly in this economy, we have a lot of people losing their jobs. Some get rehired in other jobs, others struggle. Many endure the "starving student" days while they get an education, and nowadays, while they're trying to pay off those frigging usurious loans they live hand-to-mouth.
But eighty percent IN poverty? All at the same time? That's Haiti.
The collars (headlines) and cuffs (text) on this story just don't match.
I agree--tell the damn truth, it is bad enough.
And, speaking of "the report"--it's not a new one--it's from WAAAAAAY back in JULY....so I'm not sure what the motive is for digging it up and dusting it off, unless the desire is to use it in an apples/oranges way to illustrate the mendacity of the GOP re: the SNAP issue.
80 percent of U.S. adults face near-poverty, unemployment, survey finds
Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.
Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor, and the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.
The findings come as President Barack Obama tries to renew his administration's emphasis on the economy, saying in recent speeches that his highest priority is to "rebuild ladders of opportunity" and reverse income inequality.
As nonwhites approach a numerical majority in the U.S., one question is how public programs to lift the disadvantaged should be best focused -- on the affirmative action that historically has tried to eliminate the racial barriers seen as the major impediment to economic equality, or simply on improving socioeconomic status for all, regardless of race....