This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Depression By The Numbers - A Poverty Bulletin
As was already discussed last week, the number of Americans living in poverty is now at an all time high, even as the real income of the average American male worker adjusted for inflation is back to 1968 levels. But that is only the beginning. ProPublica has compiled an exhaustive bulletin summarizing the sad state of America's depressionary reality in "Our Sputtering Economy by the Numbers: Poverty Edition." For anyone wondering how we are doing now compared to "before", this is the only list needed. The results are not pretty and confirm that Bernanke is now trapped in a corner, where every incremental attempt to reflate the stock market will make ever more people on the other side of the social spectrum even poorer until finally the Arab Spring makes its lone overdue appearance in America.
From ProPublica:
- The number of Americans earning below the poverty line in 2010: 46.2 million people
- Official U.S. poverty rate in 2007, before the recession: 12.5 percent
- Official U.S. poverty rate in 2009: 14.3 percent
- Official U.S. poverty rate in 2010: 15.1 percent
- Last time the poverty level was this high: 1993
- Poverty line in 2010: $22,314 for a family of four, or $11,139 for an individual
- Rough amount people in poverty are living on per week: $200 or less
- Poverty rate in the American suburbs: 11.8 percent, the highest since 1967
- Percentage of the population making less than half the poverty line in 2010: 6.7 percent
- Percentage of the population making less than half the poverty line in 2007, before the recession: 5.2 percent
- Poverty rate for white Americans in 2010: 13 percent
- Poverty rate for African Americans in 2010: 27.4 percent
- Real median household income in 2010: $49,445
- Decline in median household income since 2009: 2.3 percent
- Decline in median household income since before the recession: 6.4 percent
- The last time median household incomes have been this low: 1996
- Real median household income in 1999, in 2010 dollars: $53,252
- Median income for full-time male workers in 2010: $47,715
- Median income for full-time male workers in 1973, in 2010 dollars: $49,065
- Official unemployment rate in August 2011: 9.1 percent
- Total number of unemployed people in August: 14 million
- Number of people who were employed part-time for economic reasons in August 2011: 8.8 million
- Number of people not counted in the labor force who wanted work: 2.6 million
- Net jobs created in August 2011: 0
- Total number of long-term unemployed people as of August 2011: 6 million
- Number of unemployed workers per job opening, as of July 2011: About 4.34 (3.2 million openings and 13.9 million unemployed people in July 2011)
- Total number of uninsured Americans in 2010: 49.9 million
- Percentage of Americans who didn't have health care in 2010: 16.3 percent
- Percentage of Americans who didn't have health care in 2007, before the recession: 15.3 percent
- Percentage of children who were uninsured in 2010: 9.8 percent
- Percentage of children in poverty were are uninsured in 2010: 15.4 percent
- Percentage of American households that had enough to eat throughout the year in 2007: 88.9 percent
- Percentage of American households that had enough to eat throughout the year in 2010: 85.5 percent
»
- 16480 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
You've fallen for the false blame and misdirection arguments - you SHOULD be looking at what executive compensation is compared to 1968 - and the number of employees IN THE US employed by those companies. The profits and productivity increases come from fewer workers - and more of them overseas. Those increased profits don;t even go to the shareholders of a company - they get sucked up by the top executives who are paid FAR more now than in 1968. At least the robber barons of the 1890's put their own money on the line - they OWNED the companies they ran and created jobs for others and grew the US economy.
Unemployment is between 22 -23%.
THAT is a good figures...that is more like it...seriously.
You wont see these people at the malls or starfucks...no way....they are home doing nothin...
I agree, and I believe John Williams over at Shadowstats.com has it pegged currently at about 23 or 24%, reporting it the way the government USED to report it.
Socio-Economic Divides are the only reality..
Black v. White v. Mexican v. Jew v. insert whomever here __________ is a Joke.. and the Joke is on you poor people that have been brain washed by cable news that provides heavy rotation bullshit for your brains.
Money.. more for them.. less for you.. and whatever it takes to accomplish that end.
Sheepish Consumer Cattle being herded this way and that.
Let the Fleecing / Milking continue unabated!
You have families to think of, retirement and you are comfortable so let the those that are soooooo un-comfortable stand up for themselves.. you would if you were un-comfortable after all.
Cowards, the lot of you!
JW.
Did you quit taking your lithium again?
Maybe I will see you at the next Wall street protest. Finally got something going. We need a really crazy guy like you to get the attention of the police while we sneak in the backdoor and cause real mayhem.
Now you are talking! I am ready, willing and able to volunter for any and all work!
This is a highly depressive site when all lies are stripped off. Because the truth hurts big time.
I'd rather feel real pain than false security.
Real unvarnished truths are seldom pleasant.
Welcome back populist Tyler. Where have you been?
This time I am with you, bro.
The little man does not benefit from central planning schemes, only the wealthy and politically connected.
The bigger the government the more entrenched the oligarchy and the less upward mobility for poor people with drive, discipline, good judgment, and ambition.
Government is not the friend of the poor and middle class.
LET THE GOOD tombs roll.
edit: boss told me to delete.
I am going to comment on this one seeing how I work in the ghettos alot. What alot of people do not get is it is nothing more then free money. Nothing is worked for and you and I pay for the people to live there. It is destroying blacks and white families as well. I see them every day. The children are nothing more then paychecks and the parent is usually a young female that was born in the projects and is proud to get into the system. Welfare is killing them. Having traveled all over the country and taught or inspected them nothing changes. I do not care if you go to New York, California or Florida and Texas the only difference is the ethnic makeup. Welfare destroys familes and most of the women there will actually tell you they will not get married as they will have to pay more rent and they are getting paid to live there. Not all to be fair. It breaks my heart to see children basically being treated worse then I would treat my dog. I do my best and even sponsor some of the children and try to be the missing father. Color does not matter.
My one observation and this is not racially intended but alot of the black children I try to help tell me they are called uncle Tom and for the life of me why? I am trying to help and several have gotten out of the damned ghettos and are successful and college educated. Herein lies the problem and some will most likely flame me for stating this. Welfare recipients need to do some work for their checks, even if it means cleaning the ghettos they live in, make it mandatory for some life training and not some bullshit community service that is nothing more then someone signing a dam form. I have been sponsoring children and working in the ghetto's for 18 years and the government is basically paying hush money and it is cheap to keep people down and believeing their politicians are helping them. What has happened to America's ghetto's ought to be criminal.
Enough ranting.
Well said. They took their pride, their sense of self worth and therefore their potential away and that's what started the erosion. Unless they're cold immersed and shocked back into reality, nothing will change.
So we can have several different baptismal venues, but they all lead to mayhem and death before it gets better.
The quickest way around the fire is through the fire. Your mileage may vary.
Absolutely agree with you. 100%
You need to read Uncle Tom's Cabin...
Welfare destroys familes.
The true legacy of Johnson's Great Society: and that was supposed to be the upside (debt being the downside).
correlation does not equal causation
Government may not be the friend of the poor and middle class, but the government gladly welcomes them as cannon fodder during voting cycles.
And during wartime. Poor people bleeding and dying means nothing to the ones directing the armies and setting policy.
And, when viewing this on a global I'd say that ALL time is wartime, and that the US never stops the bloodletting...
It would take enormous drive and determination to break out of the cycle - but from where can it come?
All of who are not one of TPTB ARE ALL IN THE CYCLE! The System is incapable, INCAPABLE, of providing all that it espouses. It is, an illusion. It's a fucking Ponzi scheme, what the hell do we expect?
But... things are unwinding because we've lost growth traction. Slinky down the staircase. More and more folks who are in the "middle" will be "discovering" what those on the bottom have been seeing/feeling for a LONG time. It's not because it's the DESIGN of TPTB, it's because the planet cannot support our consumptive levels necessary to feed the growth machine: sure, TPTB are controlling things as we bounce ever lower (though at some point all/any control will be out of their hands), but in the end their positions are as tenuous as everyone else's; and thus the game of extend and pretend- stay alive for as long as you can (seems like a pretty fundamental desire).
This was my post on U6 and SNAP on another forum from a year ago.
http://www.traders-talk.com/mb2/index.php?showtopic=126180&hl=
"Poverty line in 2010: $22,314 for a family of four, or $11,139 for an individual"
That's not poverty, that's homeless & hungry. What a crock! This is calculated with cooked up government data/inflation rates. As Tyler claims, "We live in a banana republic". Or onion, or maybe a GMO modified potato republic?
Fix it over the years my only conclusion is treat the ghetto's like a job. 95%+ are women. Contrary to popular belief most ghetto's are run by the women. Funny saying that but it is true. The men out there want someone to cuddle up to , a free meal, and good loving. The men even the gang members listen to them as they know they will be cut off if they do not. I know I see it all the time. Gang members do not screw with the maintenance guys that work there, even if they plan on doing violence they will warn the mantenance guys. The maintenance guys are always there fixing their apartments. Screw with the maintenance guys you will get cut off.
The people need to be treated like employee and that includes drug testing and need to put in a certain amount of hours weekly to receive a check. If they are required to go clean up the projects or go help pick up a roadway or some work that actually requires work. Not some form they carry around some person signs it and they return. There is alot in a community that could be done if you only looked. The problem is no politician will have to balls to make it happen. There are some great Executive Directors that try only to get shot down by the ACLU or some lawyer. It boggles my mind you can sit on your ass and do nothing and get free money. Now I am not talking about the working poor. Strict enforcement of children should come first and if they are not taking care of the children then remove them and they loose their welfare. I think once people actually have to produce something other then children you will see the chain break. I have seen it many times with the children that really want out and sometimes you know it only requires a man to provide some darn guidance and allow a child to come to you to talk. Alot of time children have nowhere to go out here . They just need some guidance and some tough love from a father figure they look up too. Funny most of the women respect me as I will treat them like dogs if they deserve it and do not care about some organization coming down on me because I am always fair. Fairness and honesty goes a long ways.
Every single time I have seen a person evicted out of the ghetto I will run into them in a store or restaurant and they are now working. Funny when the free housing is gone it breaks the chain as well. The may be on welfare still but they now must produce to live.
funny , i run into a lot of them in the cemetary.
weird that.
"The people need to be treated like employee and that includes drug testing and need to put in a certain amount of hours weekly to receive a check."
As long as YOU are the employer...
I know, how about stop trying to SOLVE problems?
I say let's just stop everything. The massive rioting will redistribute wealth. It'll be over in a much shorter time than all this play-pretending. And, let's face it, That will be the outcome. Sure, hold down the forts, do whatever, but KNOW that this WILL be how it will unfold. And I'm thinking that it will likely be far more humane than all the other forced/concocted/continuations that we have or would roll out in order to manage the wealth gap.
"Funny when the free housing is gone it breaks the chain as well."
And when housing is too expensive and people re-create the chain?
No, I don't believe that it's about "affordable housing." I think that it has to do with the pressure placed by society, and that those pressures RELY upon creating and maintaining CLEAR class structures: the rich absolutely MUST have the middle class to protect them.
Watch this and herin lies the problem!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzspsovNvII&feature=related
This is the attitude that needs to go away and I see it in the ghetto everyday!
cream while doing the superior much?
You need to break up the ghetto of course.
If all these ass clowns who wish for the fire to be brought to bear on the welfare cheats would instead get out from behind their walled in compound and take in a mother and a couple of kids the ghetto could be torn down in short order.
Once the kids were freed up and brought under the parenting skills of these genuis parents then within one generation the ghetto would be a thing of the past and all would be back to the shining city on a hill.
If the money is so easy then what better way to spend it than to pay it to these genius parents to educate these dumb slummies to bring them up to first world standards.
HAHAH
have you looked around at the offspring of these genius parents these days.
What a bunch of entitled air heads be postin about all the ghetto kids.
As if your life wasn't handed to most of you on a silver platter.
Drop you into one of these hellholes and you would be just as fukin lost.
what a bunch self righteous pricks.
I could drop you off in a couple of spots and you would be wetting your panties inside 5 minutes and begging BigSis or any two bit hustler to save you.
It's happening slowly, so maybe our feeble and wishful minds can't see the end game around the corner. But, we can all feel 'it' coming.
Is it possible, that things will never get better economically, and every day from here on out, will be bad news?
I have no idea, but people smarter than me are stocking up on amo and solar panels, growing their own food, and preparing for the worst like never before.
From my narrow vantage point, anyway.
It would be nice to see some good investigative journalism, and look at the real face of poverty, firsthand. The folks in the homeless shelters have interesting stories, and they are filling up faster than a wal-mart on food stamp day.
"It would be nice to see some good investigative journalism, and look at the real face of poverty, firsthand."
Why?
If you want to see things "firsthand" then perhaps it's Your hand that should be there?
I don't pretend to be any such journalist, far from it, but I have been to places where poverty IS real. And, I'd have to say that it's primarily something created by modern industrialism. The slums around Metro Manilla (all large cities have them, but this one I know fairly well) are a case in point. Here garbage scavenging is big. Yeah, a booming business! I've been out in the provinces where there's also poverty, but... it LOOKS MUCH DIFFERENT, and it's different because it's more about subsistence farming, people dealing in food, not industrial crap.
Far more people begging at the lap of industry I'd say.
i work in the ghetto hospital. and we are busy as hell. people come in to get a good night sleep, nice dose of morphine and food. life does not get any better then that. and on sundays when i go to work, i see them packed on the beach bbq and having good time. while i work my ass of 12 hour shifts and live from paycheck to paycheck like them, while they don't do shit. do i feel sad for them? not really. would i feel sad for them when those paycheck won't buy them gas to go to the beach. hell no. party is over, get your shit together and go to work.
by the way i lived in poverty and i know how it is.
Ah, see, you're part of the System!
Sorry, but real poverty is something that you ALWAYS live, such as MOST of the world (outside our snobbish little world here) does.
BTW - Poverty is more about living at sustainable levels. I find it hard to believe that poverty's antithesis, which is UN-sustainable living, is really the preference... And, really, the comparisons should be about sustainable vs. unsustainable; and those people that you treat and the very system that we operate in is, unsustainable.
Given the near-certain, hard-date events that have to take place by the end of this year, I suspect that by next January these numbers will look like the good old days. -- Michael C. Ruppert
http://www.collapsenet.com/154.html