Census shows 1 in 2 people are poor or low-income

[Starry Messenger]

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9RL00K00.htm

Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans -- nearly 1 in 2 -- have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.

The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.

"Safety net programs such as food stamps and tax credits kept poverty from rising even higher in 2010, but for many low-income families with work-related and medical expenses, they are considered too `rich' to qualify," said Sheldon Danziger, a University of Michigan public policy professor who specializes in poverty.

"The reality is that prospects for the poor and the near poor are dismal," he said. "If Congress and the states make further cuts, we can expect the number of poor and low-income families to rise for the next several years."

[rrneck]

1. A formula for social upheaval. nt

[Zalatix]

12. Social upheaval will only come when people realize what the rich are really up to. nt

.

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. #Occupy.

[Zorra]

5. +1

[socialist_n_TN]

3. Saw this in the Tennessean this AM

As I've often said, the best recruiter for Marxism is the capitalist system.

[Starry Messenger]

4. +1

[WCGreen]

6. I can see it in my tax clients...

So many people have stagnated as far as income is concerned.

Years without any raises.

And yet the costs keep going up and up...

[Starry Messenger]

7. I've been "working poor" for years.

I'm just staggered to see these numbers. I don't know how people are making it with kids and debt, two things that don't play a factor in my life. We need a new WPA program. Something massive.

[cyglet]

8. Fraying saftey nets

and they just voted to fray it more...

[Starry Messenger]

9. Happy Holidays.

[CoffeeCat]

10. My husband was unemployed...

He lost his job in August and last week found a job. We are incredibly grateful and he
starts his new job in January. I'm not complaining, but here is the reality that affects so
many people.

When you lose your job, it's a scary place to be for many reasons. Being unemployed today
is not like being unemployed was five years ago. You're frickin at the mercy of employers. There
are so many people looking for work and the market is flooded with job seekers.

The results are--lower salaries. And fewer benefits. My husband is a professional. He's well known
in his field and the job he got was acquired through contacts. People recognized his talent and
him to join their company. He's a network engineer and a reputable and solid company created a
position for him. So, even if you're sought-after and talented--it's difficult
to make those high wages that you were making before. Companies can pay less now.

We took a 5 percent pay cut and we're also paying more for health insurance. It all adds up.

Again, I'm not complaining--but this is the reality and this reality affects families and it affects our
economy. We were used to a different salary--but now we'll be cutting some things off of our
budget and saving even more than we did before.

That's another reality--people aren't spending as much because no one feels secure in their job. Also,
many have been unemployed and it really is a frightening, stressful situation that takes a toll. Even
though we'll have a decent salary--we'll always be more conservative with our money--given what we've gone through. Sorta like what happened to people who went through The Depression--and were always
hyper-frugal and disaster-prepared after the bottom dropped out.

I cannot believe that we live in a country where 50 percent of the population lives in poverty or
near poverty. That's just unimaginable. Those people are stressed and so are people who
are people earning higher incomes. No one has security in a country where the corporations
own a corrupted government that is completely incapable of serving the people.

[shanti]

11. Let's not forget

all of the retiring boomers. They factor in there too.

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. even Business week and Forbes are now running articles about poverty in American and the wealth gap

and I find it a lead news story on yahoo and google news. I wonder why for the first time in at least 30 years - these issues are getting mainstream attention just in the last couple of months? I wonder what it is that is just recently started driving the msm to report on matters that they have ignored for a generation?

[socialist_n_TN]

14. Yeah, I wonder too Douglas

Maybe pondering that should "occupy" our thoughts for a while.