Population Living in Poverty Increasing
Transportation and Security Administration workers screen passengers at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. / AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
The numbers of poor and uninsured Americans are likely rising - with more than 38.8 million believed to be in poverty.
Rebecca Blank, the Commerce Department's undersecretary of economic affairs, spoke to The Associated Press in advance of next month's closely watched release of 2008 census data. Noting the figures are not yet final, Blank said the numbers will likely show a "statistically significant" increase in the poverty rate, to at least 12.7 percent. That would represent a jump of more than 1.5 million poor people last year.
"There's no question that 2008 economically was a much worse year than 2007," she said Wednesday. "The question is how much and how bad."
The number of Americans without medical insurance is also expected to notably increase due largely to rising unemployment and the erosion of private coverage paid for by employers and individuals, but Blank declined to say by how much. In 2007, the number of uninsured fell by more than 1 million mostly because government programs such as Medicaid for the poor picked up the slack.
The census figures, set to be released Sept. 10, could have important ramifications as Congress returns from its August recess to debate health reform, its cost, and the ways to pay for it. Republicans also have traditionally pointed to the intractable poverty rate as a sign that government programs do not work, a claim likely to be repeated often in light of the federal economic stimulus package.
In a 30-minute interview, Blank said the census figures released next month could possibly understate the actual number of poor people, since the poverty rate is a lagging indicator that tends to accelerate over time. As a result, the 2008 data could prove to be the tip of the iceberg, with more significant declines reflected in 2009 figures released next year.
She estimated earlier this year that poverty could eventually hit roughly 14.8 percent or more if unemployment reaches 10 percent as some analysts predict - or nearly one out of every seven Americans.
Based on 2007 figures, the poverty rate currently stands at 12.5 percent, or 37.3 million, largely unchanged from recent years. The official poverty level is now $21,203 for a family of four, $13,540 for a family of two, based on a calculation that includes only cash income before deductions for taxes. It excludes capital gains and it does not take into account accumulated wealth or assets, such as a home.
On Wednesday, Blank said she was working with the Census Bureau to provide better measures of poverty. Such alternative measures, which will be released sometime after Sept. 10, will seek to better incorporate added costs of health care, child care, housing and transportation, but also noncash income from the stimulus and other government programs, such as tax credits and food stamps.
AP Rebecca Blank, the Commerce Department's undersecretary of economic affairs, spoke to The Associated Press in advance of next month's closely watched release of 2008 census data. Noting the figures are not yet final, Blank said the numbers will likely show a "statistically significant" increase in the poverty rate, to at least 12.7 percent. That would represent a jump of more than 1.5 million poor people last year.
"There's no question that 2008 economically was a much worse year than 2007," she said Wednesday. "The question is how much and how bad."
The number of Americans without medical insurance is also expected to notably increase due largely to rising unemployment and the erosion of private coverage paid for by employers and individuals, but Blank declined to say by how much. In 2007, the number of uninsured fell by more than 1 million mostly because government programs such as Medicaid for the poor picked up the slack.
The census figures, set to be released Sept. 10, could have important ramifications as Congress returns from its August recess to debate health reform, its cost, and the ways to pay for it. Republicans also have traditionally pointed to the intractable poverty rate as a sign that government programs do not work, a claim likely to be repeated often in light of the federal economic stimulus package.
In a 30-minute interview, Blank said the census figures released next month could possibly understate the actual number of poor people, since the poverty rate is a lagging indicator that tends to accelerate over time. As a result, the 2008 data could prove to be the tip of the iceberg, with more significant declines reflected in 2009 figures released next year.
She estimated earlier this year that poverty could eventually hit roughly 14.8 percent or more if unemployment reaches 10 percent as some analysts predict - or nearly one out of every seven Americans.
Based on 2007 figures, the poverty rate currently stands at 12.5 percent, or 37.3 million, largely unchanged from recent years. The official poverty level is now $21,203 for a family of four, $13,540 for a family of two, based on a calculation that includes only cash income before deductions for taxes. It excludes capital gains and it does not take into account accumulated wealth or assets, such as a home.
On Wednesday, Blank said she was working with the Census Bureau to provide better measures of poverty. Such alternative measures, which will be released sometime after Sept. 10, will seek to better incorporate added costs of health care, child care, housing and transportation, but also noncash income from the stimulus and other government programs, such as tax credits and food stamps.
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Vote Repig!
Cutting taxes on the wealthy, while massively increasing socialist military spending at the expense of cutting programs for the working poor, middle class, and the remaining poor would have this effect. It would also have the effect of limiting Obama in being able to do a more effective stimulus package.
We also need to look at how much of the government's budget goes to social programs. This year's budget, excluding Iraq and Afghanistan spending, has a military budget of 57%. This money financed through debt spending, since god forbid we tax the wealthy in this country, takes a huge chunk of our budget. Look up the article, Yes we can cut the defense budget by Katrina Vanden Heuvel in the Nation. THE LACK OF A REAL INTELLIGENT INDEPENDENT AND CRITICAL MEDIA BOGGLES THE MIND.
This is Neocon fantasy as is much of what is considered news in this age of blatant propaganda corporate media. Let's look at some facts:
The maximum tax rate throughout much of the 50's was in the 90 percent range http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php. You can research this on your own. And you know what during this period after the depression the middle class boomed and our economy boomed. During Nixon's time it was in the 70 percent range. And yet Obama is a Socialist for having the "radical socialist" desire to return to the Clinton maximum tax rate of 39.6 percent. NONSENSE. If these pundits even knew history (that is if they are not blatantly lying on behalf of elite interests) then we would know this.
The fact remains that this big "stimulus" which has been rumored to be so "radical" in its FIRST FEW MONTHS, is extremely mild. The fact remains that over 57% of our massive deficit budget is going to Warstreet military spending. How about them socialist apples? However, among the sheep government military spending (which in part has brought on this collapse while reducing taxes on the wealthy to pay for this) somehow is not socialism, and poses no threat to individual rights (or to the well-being of our planet and the human race). No one posits the fact that this mess that has been inherited comes in large part to a strategic neglect of the working poor and the middle class throughout the 80's in favor of war spending and tax cuts for the wealthy, and a purposeful push to increase interest rates so as to increase unemployment and reduce inflation in this way (by making people more poor and unemployed with stagnant wages).
NO ONE. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE IN THIS "INDIVIDUALIST" COUNTRY IS DARING TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS IN OUR SOVIET MAINSTREAM MEDIA. Instead, they are stating these unsupported opinions as facts - something a highschool student could do. PLEASE AMERICA, LISTEN TO YOUR HEART. OUR HARD-WORKING COUNTRY IS IN AN ECONOMIC MESS NOT BECAUSE OF ITS PEOPLE AS MUCH AS ITS LEADERSHIP. THIS INCLUDES THE MEDIA. WE HAVE TO START NOT TAKING THEIR WORDS PASSIVELY AS THE TRUTH. MOST OF THIS IS LIES. INVESTIGATE THE TRUTH. QUESTION AUTHORITY. WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO. WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO NOT BELIEVE WHAT WE ARE BEING TOLD. WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO FORM OUR OWN OPINIONS, AND DISCARD THOSE ELEMENTS WITHIN LARGER TRUTHS THAT WE FIND TO BE TRUE WITH THOROUGH INVESTIGATION AND OUR OWN GUT INSTINCTS...