Friday, February 23, 2007

Deep Poverty Reaches 32 Year High


While the economy continues to go wonderfully well for those who benefit from the Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthy Buddies program, severe poverty in America is now at a 32 year high.

Forty-three percent of America's 37 million poor people are living in severe poverty.

Nearly two out of three of the severely poor are female.

"A McClatchy Newspapers analysis of 2005 census figures, the latest available, found that nearly 16 million Americans are living in deep or severe poverty. A family of four with two children and an annual income of less than $9,903 - half the federal poverty line - was considered severely poor in 2005. So were individuals who made less than $5,080 a year."

"The McClatchy analysis found that the number of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent from 2000 to 2005. That's 56 percent faster than the overall poverty population grew in the same period. McClatchy's review also found statistically significant increases in the percentage of the population in severe poverty in 65 of 215 large U.S. counties, and similar increases in 28 states. The review also suggested that the rise in severely poor residents isn't confined to large urban counties but extends to suburban and rural areas."