Poverty rate rises in America (AGAIN!!)

[dajoki]

Poverty rate rises in America
By Annalyn Censky @CNNMoney September 13, 2011: 12:53 PM ET
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/news/economy/poverty_rate_income/

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Amid a still struggling economy, more people in America fell below the poverty line last year, according to new census data released Tuesday.

The nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1% in 2010, its highest level since 1993. In 2009, 14.3% of people in America were living in poverty.

"The results are not surprising given the economy," said Paul Osterman, a labor economist at MIT. "You would expect with so many people unemployed, the poverty rate would go up. It's just another sign of what a difficult time this is for so many people."

About 46.2 million people are now considered in poverty, 2.6 million more than last year.

The government defines the poverty line as income of $22,314 a year for a family of four and $11,139 for an individual. The Office of Management and Budget updates the poverty line each year to account for inflation.

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How the rich became the über rich http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/22/news/economy/income_inequality/index.htm?iid=EL

[Claudia Jones]

1. absurd, isn't it?

Are we to believe that a family of four with an annual income of $23,000 is not in poverty, since that is "above the line"??? That an individual making $12,000 a year is not in poverty?? Half the workers in my county are below $18,000 annual income, and they are all in poverty by any sane measurement.

Half of the people in the country are now in poverty. This 15% nonsense is just a trick to minimize the problem and isolate and marginalize the 15% who are the most desperate and yo maintain the "middle class" fantasy in people's minds.

[dajoki]

2. Yes it is...

The poverty rate is a complete joke, I know through experience.