From Japan Times: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/09/22/commentary/politicians-hardly-ever-mention-americas-poor/#.UkJWyBB1Epn
by Cesar Chelala
Sept 22, 2013
NEW YORK – U.S. Republican and Democratic politicians have one thing in common: They hardly mention the poor. For all practical purposes, they are a neglected minority.
President Barack Obama speaks about his push to secure “a better bargain for the middle class,” and House Speaker John Boehner states, “We cannot grow the middle class and foster job creation by growing government and raising taxes.” The poor have become a “dirty word” in American politics.
Poverty in America shows no preference for race — anybody can be affected. Although racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in poverty, race disparities among the poor have narrowed significantly since the 1970s. Still, by race, nonwhites have a higher risk, estimated at 90 percent, of being economically insecure.
Although the gap between the rich and the poor narrowed after World War II, as public policies helped the poor and the middle class, that gap between the richest 1 percent and the rest of the country is now the widest since the Roaring 1920s. In 2012, the top 10 percent captured 48.2 percent of total earnings.
In 2009, 47 million Americans depended on food banks, an increase of 30 percent above 2007 levels. Children living in households headed by single mothers are most likely to be affected.
The District of Columbia, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida were the worst affected, while the least affected were North Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Minnesota and Massachusetts.
A 2012 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed alarming child poverty rates in the U.S., particularly when compared to other nations. For example, the U.S. ranks second-highest among all measured countries with 23.1 percent of children living in poverty, slightly better than Romania, with 25.6 percent.
Continue reading at: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/09/22/commentary/politicians-hardly-ever-mention-americas-poor/#.UkJWyBB1Epn
