[quote]The number of Americans living in poverty rose to 46.2 million last year, nearly one in six people, according to the US Census Bureau's annual report.
The 2010 data shows the poverty rate at 15.1%, from 14.3% in 2009. The number of Americans without health insurance also rose slightly to 49.9 million.
The poverty rate was the highest since 1983, and tied with the level in 1993.
The number of Americans living below the poverty line has now risen for four years in a row.
The US definition of poverty is an annual income of $22,314 (£14,129), or less for a family of four, and $11,139 for a single person.
More poor children
The Census Bureau data also showed that poverty among black and Hispanic people was much higher than for the overall US population last year - at 27.4% and 26.6% respectively.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Mr Obama is portraying a series of pretty partisan, controversial proposals as plain common sense that no-one of good will could resist”
image of Mark Mardell Mark Mardell BBC North America editor
Read more of Mark's thoughts
Outside of the poverty line, the average annual US household income fell 2.3% in 2010 to $49,445 (£31,228).
Even younger Americans were also strongly affected. Twenty-two percent of those under 18 were living under the poverty line - up from from 20.7% in 2009.
Reacting to the data, the Children's Leadership Council, an advocacy group, said: "The rising numbers of children living in poverty is a direct result of the choices made by political leaders who put billionaires before kids. America's children should be our top priority."
Among regions, the South had the highest poverty rate at 16.9% and the highest percentage without health insurance, 19.1%.
'Nobody hiring'
Mississippi had the highest share of poor people, at 22.7%, followed by Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona.
Author and columnist Tom Friedman says the US faces either a bad decade or a bad century
At the other end of the scale, New Hampshire had the lowest share, at 6.6%.
The slight rise in the number of people without health insurance - up by nearly one million - was mostly caused by losses of employer-provided medical cover in the weakened economy.
Congress passed a health overhaul last year to deal with rising numbers of the uninsured, but the main provisions do not take effect until 2014.
The figures compound a stagnant US jobs report in August, when the unemployment rate was at 9.1% for the second straight month.
In Fort Washington, Maryland, mother-of-five Nekisha Brooks told of her struggle to find work since being laid off from her job at telecommunications firm AT&T several months ago.
Ms Brooks told the Associated Press news agency: "I've been putting in job applications every day and calling around, from housekeeping to customer service to admin or waitresses, but nobody seems to be hiring right now."[/quote]
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14903732[/url]
We Seriously need a revolution...
It's only going to get higher, the Republicans have an impressive ability to get people to vote against what would benefit them the most using rhetoric, democrats included.
BUT YOU GUYS HAVE FRIDGES AND MICROWAVES
No wonder with all the 300 million people in there.
Hell, even the leading cause of disability in the U.S. is "addiction" at 80 million.
Why does this not surprise me.
Well this isn't good
The cycle has got to break eventually
fitting music:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_XswHm514w[/media]
[quote]
it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown
how the economical cycle tends to revolve
in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
you see the recovery always comes 'round again
there's nothing to worry for things will look after themselves
it's alright recovery always comes 'round again
there's nothing to worry if things can only get better
there's only millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents
there's only millions that die in their bloody wars, it's alright
it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown
how the economical cycle tends to revolve
in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop
a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery
huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
don't worry be happy things will get better naturally
don't worry shut up sit down go with it and be happy[/quote]
[quote] The number of Americans without health insurance also rose slightly to 49.9 million.
[/quote]
How the fuck do we have 1 out of 6 people without healthcare?
[QUOTE=Fables;32282686]How the fuck do we have 1 out of 6 people without healthcare?[/QUOTE]
Republicans.
[QUOTE=Nikota;32282785]Republicans.[/QUOTE]
But they and the Tea Party seriously have the balls or lack the brains to spout their shit with 1/6th of the country without it?
I'm fucking aghast here.
[QUOTE=Fables;32282890]But they and the Tea Party seriously have the balls or lack the brains to spout their shit with 1/6th of the country without it?[/QUOTE]They lack the brains.
Well, at least it's not like it was during the great depression with Hoovervilles and such.
[QUOTE=mac338;32283029]Well, at least it's not like it was during the great depression with Hoovervilles and such.[/QUOTE]
Shhh, don't say that, go knock on some wood or something.
Yeah, I'm part of that large number in poverty and part of that 1 in 6 without healthcare. Not exactly a happy camper right now, but I'm not going to just break down and give up. I remember when everyone was so happy that the whole "WE'RE OUT OF THE RECESSION!!1" announcement came about. Well, that never came to my area and I don't think it came to my state at all, considering we shut the fuck down for a week.[QUOTE=mac338;32283029]Well, at least it's not like it was during the great depression with Hoovervilles and such.[/QUOTE]Well, there's been a lot of people saying all of this bullshit was going to happen and those same people say we're headed towards another great depression.
I'll admit, if this isn't that... then I don't know what the mother fuck we're in for.
[QUOTE=Fables;32282890]But they and the Tea Party seriously have the balls or lack the brains to spout their shit with 1/6th of the country without it?
I'm fucking aghast here.[/QUOTE]
Yeah they've convinced the poor that this is somehow in their best interests. :/
snip
Can't help but be EXTREMELY grateful for the job I have now. Especially in New York City where its almost impossible to get one without a decent amount of experience.
And yet the rich are still getting richer. Is it just me, or does this whole Great Recession situation look like nothing but a huge money grab for the people who were already rich?
The US is in a sorry state, no question about it.
Needs some drastic change.
Nothing to be proud having filthy upper class rich people.
Middle class living striving happy folk.
Huge influx of poor people locked inside ghetto districts because of all the nonsense taxes forced to live on almost nothing but scrapes.
You can't just let poverty rule, it has to be weeded out slowly.
Of course some of the people will spend it on bullshit. but still, the crime rate won't drop if no action is taken.
I say take the pork out of the rich mans belly, share with your country you greedy fuck.
I never saw the typical republican way as a clever way of living, but hey.
i'm European, i'm sorry but America is a scary place.
It's like the romans and basically all superpowers in history again.
Start out small through many problems.
Get bigger because noone expects you.
Use historical opportunity to get biggest(WW 1 and 2)
Slowly get a corrupted elite that sooner or later runs shit into the ground.
And its only going to keep rising.
[QUOTE=Killuah;32285576]It's like the romans and basically all superpowers in history again.
Start out small through many problems.
Get bigger because noone expects you.
Use historical opportunity to get biggest(WW 1 and 2)
Slowly get a corrupted elite that sooner or later runs shit into the ground.[/QUOTE]
Rome collapsed because by the end of it, most of the people living within its borders had no interest in continuing the empire. All that happened at that point was the slaves became serfs and the massive agricultural owners became feudal lords.
ITT, rampant idiocy from people who's programmed response reaction is 'Blame republicunts for everything that's wrong!' or else have no idea what they're talking about. At least America doesn't have Muslim extremists who wave signs with peaceful messages like "Burn those who insult Islam" and can't do shit about it.
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_knh0aEdpid4/S_UNHKAYjZI/AAAAAAAAALE/Yov1sNEGeik/s1600/behead-those-who-insult-islam2.jpg[/img]
The world is fucked up.
Reduce taxes for those with little income and increase the taxes for those with much income. Long term this will bring both the lower class and upper class closer to the median, that way the living standard becomes more equal.
[QUOTE=Ond kaja;32286744]Reduce taxes for those with little income and increase the taxes for those with much income. Long term this will bring both the lower class and upper class closer to the median, that way the living standard becomes more equal.[/QUOTE]
Better yet have the government own the means of production, and ensure the workers get a fair deal.
Back in the glory days of the USSR (Talking 1950s to 1980s) stuff was cheap and plentiful, and people had much healthier and more content lives, the average man in the USSR was better off then than a average man in the USA today.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;32287005]Better yet have the government own the means of production, and ensure the workers get a fair deal.
Back in the glory days of the USSR (Talking 1950s to 1980s) stuff was cheap and plentiful, and people had much healthier and more content lives, the average man in the USSR was better off then than a average man in the USA today.[/QUOTE]People also couldn't offend the government or open their own business
I predict HELLO CHINA in next 20 years.
Aren't allot of jobs going to be lost anyways due to machines and such replacing jobs?
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
