Census: Income Gap Widens with Recession

(AP)  The recession has hit middle-income and poor families hardest, widening the economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans as rippling job layoffs ravaged household budgets.

Newly released census figures show the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans - those making more than $138,000 each year - earned 11.4 times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008. That ratio was an increase from 11.2 in 2007 and the previous high of 11.22 in 2003.

Large cities such as Atlanta, Washington, New York, San Francisco, Miami and Chicago had the most inequality. Declining industrial cities with pockets of well-off neighborhoods, such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, also had sharp disparities.

Plano, Texas, a Dallas suburb, had the highest median income among larger cities, earning $85,003. Cleveland ranked at the bottom, at $26,731.

[wyodutch]

We are living in the twilight years of the Republic. Trillions for wars... Trillions more to bailout the banksters and fraudsters... Keep the masses occupied with bogus arguments about gay marriage, abortions and health care.
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The once mighty American industrial base has been dismantled and shipped to the third world... In return, we get boatloads of products from the world's sweatshops.
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We say nothing as the banksters and fraudsters are rewarded for inept behaviour with mega-million dollar bonuses... We attack instead, the lowly auto worker who had the common sense to join a union in order to prepare for his future... calling them "greedy" or "overpaid".
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[payasyougo]

Social programs and redistribution of wealth seem to be having an effect here as well.

[stuart-johns]

To say that social programs and a redistribution of wealth are causing the middle and lower class to suffer makes no sense. Don't the middle and lower classes advantage the most from such policies?

Policies that help the middle and lower classes have nothing to do with the gap between the rich and the poor. In fact, they are a gauge by which we may measure that gap.

[afmcalax]

Under the Republicans the social programs and redistribution of wealth went to the rich, upper class and away from the poor and the middle. It was Robin Hood in reverse. For a party that says it is pro-life and pro-family the Republicans seems to create the majority of their policies to make sure there is no funds to support either. This country is becoming a 2 caste system of haves and have nots and most of the people supporting the Republican plans will wind up with the have nots ... that is one thing I cannot comprehend.

[democracy1]

This does not surprise me since the fat cats would rather lay off the little guy than take a cut in pay for themselves.

[ahrats]

Mr. president forget health care get people back to work.

[stuart-johns]

Don't the middle class and the poor always suffer the most even when there is'nt a recession?

[dprice123-2009]

I will not vote for the GOP ever again.We are slowly turning into an El Salvador or Philippines.Just look around.